page 23 tidy is as tidy does.


page 23


Tidy is as tidy does.
And mother’s trolley has a makeover.

Before Christmas mother lost her shopping list, now the electricity bill has gone missing. The black hole of the trolley strikes again.

“I cannot find that bill anywhere. It has to be paid, now. I am never late paying”

Mother is really stressed this morning, it is a thing with her that everything has to be paid on time or early. So the trolley needs a radical sorting and that’s what I intend to do.

“The bill is probably sat on your trolley, hiding amongst the rubbish on there”
“I looked there and it isn’t” (mother forgets the other times things have turned up, on the trolley)

“Let’s have a sort out and put everything into baskets” (I am soooo practical)
So the sorting of the trolley commenced. The amount of rubbish was unbelievable, old till receipts, empty envelopes and best of all the electricity bill.

“I looked on here for that” said mother

“Yes but with all the rubbish it was hard to find anything, by the time we are finished it will be easier” it’s only a small trolley, but the amount mother can balance on it is unbelievable.

All correspondence that needed her attention was placed in one basket, mother’s creams and potions, placed in another which were both placed on the central shelf. On the top we sorted out a small box for pens, glasses and anything else that was needed on a daily basis. That took all morning in the end and mother was exhausted but organised.

When I went to see mother a few days later she was so happy with her organised trolley that it was mentioned the rest of her paper work needed sorting out. I am sure I never signed up for this. But what the heck, if it keeps her happy. This soon became something I regretted agreeing to.

“We can start with the boxes in the spare room” was mother’s suggestion. So off o went to collect the said boxes. We are not talking small boxes, no chance, there were five huge boxes, crammed full of all sorts.

“What have you got in them mother”

“That I can’t remember” (at least she’s honest) I started emptying the first one. Wool, needles, half-finished knitting projects and patterns.

“That’s a hat I was knitting for someone, and gloves, I will finish them one day” (mother the optimist)

“Who were they for?”

“I cannot remember right now, but I will finish them” mother the hoarder.

“Let’s leave those out, you can sit knitting later” that will give her something to do.

“We carry on sorting boxes, old shoes were binned, Christmas cards and bags of wool put for charity. We were left with two full boxes and three empty ones, now that’s a result.

Mother looked at the empty boxes and declared,

“It won’t take me long to fill those” I give up. I have just spent hours clearing clutter, for mother to start planning the next hoard.

Till next time



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