With having a new boiler fitted last week we expected maximum upheaval due to the weird construction of our house where the meter is at the opposite end of the house to the boiler! However, thanks to the ingenuity of our fitters in the end they were able to fit the pipes on the outside of the house (fairly concealed) and through the loft, wardrobes and under the bath. In the end nothing much had to be moved. Why do I tell you this? Not because you will be interested in the fitting of boilers but to explain why we had taken our study and my writing room apart in order that the pipes could pass under the floor boards in there. Although this wasn’t finally necessary, it was a great excuse for a clear out and declutter.

“Do you really need all those folders of writing ideas” my husband asked. I’m not sure I’ll ever use them but yes, they’re still there. I might some day. More useful was the find of information I didn’t know I had as background knowledge for my historical novel on pioneering New Zealand life in the nineteenth century. Now I have decluttered and got rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff, I have a clear space to begin work on my next book and I’m keen to get on, even though I still have to keep promoting the first, it’s time to proceed with the second.

So am I glad we had a new boiler and a good clear out? You bet.