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Tuesday 10 August 2010

Little wave goodbye to the microwave.

I never really used the darned microwave thing and there it sat gathering dust and taking up valuable space in the corner of the kitchen until last Sunday morning, that is. Last Sunday turned out to be ‘ruthless Sunday’. Ruthless Sunday? That’s like a normal Sunday plus me with an ungodly urge to clean everything and de-clutter the kitchen. Out damn microwave! Go forth in banishment to the filthy shed up the yard! Pictures of France stuck on my tiled wall with blu-tac! Non!! Off the walls with you! Clean spaces! I wanted clean spaces and some shelves for my herbs and spices and stack of cheap French glasses.


Kitchen prior to de-cluttering.

And so it happened thus. I humped the redundant microwave to its new home in the former coal shed. It will enjoy it in there all wrapped up in plastic sheeting next to my mountain bike that has never seen a mountain in its whole life. In fact it rarely sees daylight, but that’s another story. We needed to return to the kitchen post haste. Work to do!

The rectangle of grey dust that was revealed as the microwave went on its ‘holidays’ got sponged clean and lovingly patted dry and I then went to work ripping the French imagery from my kitchen tiles. I kept one image that I might frame, that of an old chap passing a baker's shop sans obligatory baguette. Once I had done that I picked off the bits of blu-tac and sponged the tiles to a state so sparkling I could almost gaze into them and tell my fortune.

It was all looking rather grown up and less like a Francophile mature student’s flat. Now it was time to drag the set of shelves, kicking and screaming, from the living room to the kitchen and to fill them up with les trucs française. Oh they would love this. Those poor neglected shelves had been sitting by the back door with nothing better in life to do than be sanctuary for the Yellow Pages and even yellower newspaper clippings and an empty box of matches. It was time they showed their true potential! What more could shelves ask for? Yes, a new life surrounded by foodie loveliness, constant sunshine pouring through the windows warming up all its wooden surfaces and be filled with artefacts.


Cleaner kitchen.

These artefacts included several French style glasses, a bowl I bought in Nice, one snowy February some years ago, a model bike with a pannier I purchased from a shop on the Paris metro, a Provençal style container for fresh garlic (or dead spiders) and a wooden pestle and mortar obtained cheaply in a sale at John Lewis’s because I was obsessed with purchasing one. Subsequently, said ‘pestle and mortar’ never got used for at least a month thereafter. I digress.


To celebrate the glorious transformation I made some Madeleine cakes. Two days later it is still looking good and I have a strange urge to start on the bedroom. I wonder if there’s room in the coal shed for a bed?

12 comments:

Marian Barker said...

I'm very impressed ..... I'm currently spring cleaning from top down .... there must be something in the air .... ah yes - dust!!!!

One (or two) of your delicious madelines would go down a treat right now so get that kettle on lad!

M~x~

Phil Lowe said...

Marian: The kettle has just boiled. I'll make you a cuppa and pour it down the phone line. Get ready with yer mug.

PS: Where does all the dust come from?

Ken Devine said...

MUCH better! Well done! I always feel good when I de-clutter (I think most people do).

Tim said...

What a big difference that made! Fancy coming to mine and cleaning up my house???? LOL

Unknown said...

Gail and I could do with spring cleaning Chez Frost, as we would need 10 coal sheds for all our clutter!
We need the help of Kim and Aggie to help uncover the floor, the cupboards and the shelves. Although you can actually walk around, unlike the houses on the programme.

Jean said...

Good grief, what a transformation. Clearing out is definitely good for the soul.
We spent last Sunday clearing out the shed (no microwaves to be found). There was a whole lawnful of stuff to go to the tip afterwards. Feel much better now.

Janette said...

Oh, poor microwave, how I will miss thee whenever I come over with my lunch of leftovers, but my what a difference it has made to your little kitchen - tres bien!

Phil Lowe said...

Ha! I seem to have inspired all of you either to Spring clean (Summer clean)or to tempt me round to your houses to clean yours. I don't care how many coal sheds you may have it ain't gonna happen. lol

Karenjane said...

Now I too feel inspired to have a massive sort out in my kitchen. It's the stuff tucked away in cupboards which is my problem - things have been there for 10 years or more & have never seen the light of day. If only you lived nearere me (Arnold), you could come & help & I'd 'pay' you in cakes!

Cheryl said...

Very nice! It's amazing how much better a room feels after it's been decluttered. I've been doing the same. I've accumulated an awful lot of stuff in my tiny dwelling.

Delana@dujour said...

Wow...he likes lavender and cleans. Are you absolutely sure you're a straight man?

Phil Lowe said...

Delena: Mais bien sur! Je ne suis pas gay. Pas du tout. Aussi, c'est important savoir je n'aime pas le foot. Vraiment.

Je pense malheuressment tu as l'experience des hommes Americaines. Ooh la la!Quelle horreur!

En Angleterre nous sommes trés différent. Nous sommes les hommes qui sont elégant, sophistique, avoir un appréciation concernent des femmes et les bieres à la précison.On peut faire la repassage, boire une biere fraise et, à la méme fois, adorez les femmes d' un certain àge. Ça c'est moi. Vive la lavande! Vive le nettoyage!

And do you realise just how long it takes to add in accents without a fancy continental keyboard!? lol