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I have been on a clearing/sorting mission over the last few days. Clutter, be gone! This morning there were four bags lined up for the charity shop (as in those huge blue Ikea bags). After a trip to the village there are now two, but stacks of books and a whole pile of clothes for Ben to sort through are sitting next to them. I am a woman obsessed, and I love it.

Mostly I have been inspired by this beautiful lady's house. So calm and serene. Claire, come style our home will you? Pretty please.

In the midst of all this cleaning and clearing I have had an epiphany. I think I know where I'm going wrong. I seem to have a 'thing' for having all the pretty things we own (especially pretty kitchen things) on display. I'm not entirely sure where this comes from. Maybe my Grandma and her beautiful house? Well, for a clutter-free home, some of these pieces will now be found behind cupboard doors instead. Then admired properly when they're bought out at meals or gatherings. Perhaps in the grand scheme of things this is rather a lame epiphany. In the world of sorting out our home however, I feel it's a biggy.

And the top, you may be asking? I find the only trouble with taking things to the charity shop is the too-hard-to-resist temptation to look around. And then to buy things. A wispy piece of chiffon hardly takes up any room and I deserve a I-have-actually-done-some-tidying-for-once treat. That's my reasoning and I'm sticking to it.