Apparently today is the coldest morning Ireland has had in three years, with lows dropping below freezing in the 20s F. I get up and have a leisurely breakfast of bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwiches, which I usually only do on weekends. I decide it’s time for the Christmas tree and other holiday decorations to come down, and this inspires me to do a New Year’s cleaning of the apartment as well. The second bedroom remains a cluttered eye-sore. Last month I had recycled a lot of smaller boxes that had been accumulating from various deliveries, but I’ve kept a few larger boxes for things like the mini-oven, laser printer, and trash can / rubbish bin, so that I can re-use them whenever I move. I also have held on to some bubble wrap and packing paper that I’ve stored in a garbage bag on top of one of the built-in shelves. In terms of storage options, there’s a small utility closet with a couple of shelves in the hallway where the hot water tank is located. It contains some extra bedding, boxes for some defunct appliances, a small ironing board and iron, and cleaning supplies including a small canister-style vacuum, mop, broom and bucket. It takes some Tetris-like rearranging but I manage to fit my boxes and packing materials into the storage closet, so now the second bedroom is almost clutter-free… there is still a collection of some smaller boxes, cardboard and paper that I need to recycle this next week on the collection day. I recently found out in checking the KeyWaste rubbish/recycling service’s website for holiday collection times that they only pick up recycling every-other-week, a detail I had missed before. After the decluttering is done, I vacuum the entire apartment, wipe down the bathroom and kitchen surfaces, dust the bedroom and living room furniture, and clean the glass shower panels. Dublin’s hard water has left quite a build-up of minerals behind, so I scrub them with a plastic scouring pad and some multi-purpose cleaner. I decide to order squeegee for the shower from Amazon so that hopefully this will help mitigate the hard water build-up moving forward.
Last night my COVID test result came back negative. I wasn’t too worried, but I’m glad I got it for peace of mind. While I’m not going to go crazy with socialising, I no longer feel compelled to stay in strict self-isolation. My friend D texts me this afternoon to ask if I’d be up for hanging out, ordering pizza, and watching a movie. I don’t have any other plans, so I say sure. I know from previous chats that he has been following social distancing protocols so it seems like a low risk. He’s coming over to my place since he has a roommate, so I’m glad the apartment is clean and presentable.
A view of the sunset and a photo-bombing seagull from my apartment:
The living/dining area of the apartment after cleaning and taking down Christmas decorations: (I decided to leave the string lights up in the windows for a little while longer):
Until next time….
