Downsizing and moving

A few observations.

There is some sort of bag collecting addiction at work here. It became clear when all bags were removed from cupboards and placed on the bed, Kondo style.

After decades at this address in Sydney, we are downsizing, selling and then moving to Melbourne.

It’s been great, but the kids have both grown up and have ended up in Melbourne, so it makes sense that we go there too. I grew up in Melbourne so it will be great to re-connect with old friends there.

We’ve been rattling around in a house much too big for the two of us but of course, having lots of space makes it too easy to accumulate stuff.

Getting rid of things takes work and often costs. I’ve been selling some items on eBay but unless they’re going to fetch over $200 it’s not worth the time and frustration of dealing with buyers and shipping.

I sold an Apple laptop which I had been using as a test machine. The buyer, clearly a dealer, made low-ball offers but eventually won the auction. When he received the laptop, he wrote and said that he’d run the diagnostics and the RAM was bad so he wanted a reduction in price. I was suspicious and simply offered to fully re-fund if he returned it. When it came back, I ran the diagnostic and the RAM is fine. My conclusion is that this is a scam by the buyer to get a better price. This cost me two lots of postage and some mental anxiety.

The local tip won’t take paint. Council collection won’t take building materials or anything smaller than a bread box. Gas bottles can be left at the Swap n Go point at petrol stations. Books go to the local Vincent de Paul shop - who seem happy to have them. The skip bin is filling and happily a bloke turned up in a truck looking for metal.

It’s a weird feeling watching someone go through discarded possessions looking for things he can flip for metal or other value.

Going through all of my possessions, deciding what to keep and what to throw out, is strangely exhausting. Many items trigger memories of one kind or another. I’ve been taking photos of treasured mementos. At this stage of my life, a photo is enough.

There’s a sadness too, finding projects optimistically started but never finished. Clearly the joy for me is in the construction rather than the use of things. Many electronic projects have been left at a point that they just showed that the design was viable. I guess the challenge went out of it right then.

I will miss the big dipole cut for 40m we had here. Hung from a gum tree at the back of the block it had wonderfully low noise. I'll miss the shed, but the van is a decent alternative.

Having let go of most of my possessions I do feel lighter. If I haven’t touched something for years it’s clear I don’t need it. Right now, buying anything seems very un-attractive, I hope this feeling continues.

So many bags! Every size, every configuration. What madness is this?