A few years ago, like everyone else, I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and then more recently I have taken a look at Marie Kondo on Netflix in her new series, Tidying Up.  Now I am a pretty tidy and organised person, I try not to accumulate too much clutter, my lovely cleaner comes every week and I am at home quite a lot .... but I still felt I needed a good declutter!  I kept saying I was going to do it myself but I never quite got around to it.  Or I'd start and get distracted.  Sound familiar?  Then I met Jo Hall and she arrived like a real live tiding up fairy and has been absolutely fantastic!

We started off with my son's bedroom - yes I know he is 21 and yes I know he should do it himself - but I was getting desperate and I wanted to decorate so I asked his permission and while he was away on holiday Jo arrived and we set about finally decluttering about 15 years of 'stuff'. I was hooked so I booked Jo again to help me with the utility room and kitchen.  Then again to do the office!

Jo is so lovely!  So I asked her if she would share her story and details of her decluttering services on my blog .... 

Are you happy?  Would you like to know how to be happy?  How to be happier?  I have suffered from anxiety and depression on and off most of my adult life, not severe like many but enough to sometimes need help, either medication or counselling.  A few years back my GP asked me if I could remember the last time I was truly happy, that question and the struggle to answer it really concerned me. 

​Do you love books? Do you adore discovering new authors? Are you open to trying new genres? Do you get a kick out of sharing the excitement of finishing an amazing book with your friends and family?

Today, World Book Day, sees the opening of the online vote for the London’s BIG READ competition.

Fourteen incredible books have been shortlisted across genres including non-fiction, poetry, fiction for adults, children and teens…

As I started writing this blog post we were still enjoying very unseasonal, very warm weather and it is glorious and I love it!  February is of course a shorter month and for that reason, and as well as it being between seasons, I chose it again to do a No Spend month ... last year I blogged about it every week, this year I decided to update you at the end during my being fifty and fab post.

Well my sole aim was to reduce the number of deliveries and new items of clothing arriving into my wardrobe and for the most part I did achieve this as I have bought far far less then I usually do.  Last year however I was more committed than this year - a few bits have sneaked in, I had a voucher for The White Company that I put 'towards' a couple of items and I have ordered a scarf from Sweet Bea and a new top from The Wendy House (neither have arrived yet)!