The Red House is full of different levels. Because it started life as just a summer house, gradually, over the years, rooms have been added. For reasons unknown, each addition was built a little bit higher than the rest. As you walk around the doughnut, there are little steps into and out of each room.
Again, for unknown reasons, none of the little steps were finished off. This has meant quite a few stubbed toes as we’ve slowly grown accustomed to the changes in height.
Well, not anymore. Today, Harald came over and added little ramps to all of them.
He also fitted a long, thick piece of dowel to the odd little room in Fi’s House. This is intended to be hanging space for clothes so we can get rid of the wobbly wardrobe that’s currently taking up space. The wardrobe I struggled out of my office a few weeks ago.
Again, he did a marvellous job.
While he was busy with circular saw and screwdriver, Mirinda was busy showing Fi around Trosa. This included a visit to the System. Though, as Fi said, Mirinda made her go in and deal with it on her own.
It was while Harald was building and the womenfolk were roaming the streets that I discovered Swedish Death Cleaning.
For a while now, I’ve decided against accumulating more ‘stuff’. After clearing out Dural and then Farnham, I have become convinced that we need less rather than more material possessions. I’ve written before about Stuffocation, realising I was once infected with it. I think I’m pretty much cured now.
But Swedish Death Cleaning, or döstädning, is more than just Stuffocation. It’s about saving other people the horrid task of getting rid of your stuff after you’ve died. It’s sorting through and ridding your life of the things you don’t need and which will only serve to annoy your nearest and dearest when you’re no longer around.
Okay, hopefully I’m a while off death at the moment but, I reckon, only having minimal stuff around me that brings me joy, is only going to make me happy for the life I have left.
Plus, it’s a Swedish idea. And I consider myself a new Swede. So there’s that.
