confessions

okay, so I have a few things to get off my chest which I'm sure some of you know and some of you suspect- but some of you don't know at all, haven't suspected and will be quite surprised by.

I love to iron. This morning I got up, turned the iron on and got out all the saved wrinkled shirts, napkins and skirts and started. What a buzz! and how sad. I must say, however, that I draw the line at towels, underwear and socks of any sort.

I love to organise. I love to sort. Everything has to have a place and f it has no place it is relegated to the laundry room until I have a place for it. I sort my clothing by season, my knickers and fabric by colour and my shoes by 'ouch factor' (thankfully I have only one pair in the worst category). This is probably a result of having a mother who creates 'nests' in every room she occupies and, like a rat, those nests can stay the same for years. I once found a baby tooth of mine at the bottom of one- and we'd even moved several times in my youth!

I am somewhat addicted to the paper shredder. Pretty much anything I can shred I do these days- which wreaks havoc on recycling days as the clear bags I put the shredded paper into always seem to burst open as the guys toss it into the truck- I must confess that I don't go and pick all the shredded paper up after this happens- I figure it's probably good fertiliser for the Green.

I love to shop at charity shops. Again, this is an off-shoot from my youth when mum would drag me- on Saturday mornings- all over hell and creation to garage sales. I would slouch down in the car pretending that I was roller-skating. There would always be something I saw through the car window that I liked, and I would inevitably get mum to go and get it for me. This obsession with charity shops started after I left school and was free to wear the neighbour’s tops without repercussions. Although I would never have worn anything from any of our neighbours- ew. Wherever I have lived I have regular ‘good’ shops that I frequent and share the insider knowledge with only my closest friends. This can be hazardous though, as they can scoop something you actually spotted first but got sidetracked on the way through the vintage fabric…I tend to charity shop on my own these days- keeps my friendships healthy.

I sing out loud when I have my ipod on. This can be somewhat embarrassing at the gym. Or on the tube, on the beach or even in my own kitchen. I tend to do a little dance as well- again, I think this is a throwback to my youth- I can clearly remember ABBA, Olivia Newton-John and the BEEGEES on full blast while mum danced around the lounge cleaning- no, scrap cleaning- there were nests, remember?- I think she was just dancing and singing. I do it all the time and have no shame- especially when I am cooking, cleaning or ironing!

I have several collections that I cannot stop adding to. These include, but are no limited to: buttons, fabric, cookbooks (yes, I do use them!), plates, mercury ‘things’, pens, paper, notebooks, purses and bags of any description (almost), glass apothecary jars, vintage linens and suitcases. Some of these things are obvious, some are sealed in boxes and some are in daily or weekly use. I make no excuses for the purses and bags.

Okay, I need to continue with the ironing now.