Another rite of passage

Years ago, when we first moved back here and H9 was only eight months old, we had the bright idea of turning the big (well, ish) master bedroom into two smaller rooms.

One for H9 and one for spare. Then we had R7, cots turned junior beds and then finally bunk beds and the spare room for the most part disappeared under a tide of baby toys and equipment and other unwanted detritus of family life destined for a car boot sale or eBay.

Recently (well, ish) both girls have expressed a preference for their own room. I must admit that I looked into the spare room, quailed at the amount of junk within and then shut the door on it. I did clear out one box though. Bearing in mind that R7 is now seven, that box contained a breast pump (ugh), breast milk pads, washable cloths for baby wipes, washable breastfeeding pads, baby feeding bottles and a steamer.

How and why did I hang on to that little lot for the best part of seven years? I can only assume it was wearing a cloaking device which rendered it invisible to previous clutter clearing expeditions. There are two washing baskets full of books as well. We have donated hundreds of books to the library (some of them were my old university text books and last time I looked they were on the shelf for borrowing which was quite pleasing. Some other poor bugger can torture themselves with the theories of macroeconomics...) We have sold books too in car boot sales and still there are too many for the bookshelves.

Anyway yesterday while my two, G9 and Lins were spending their pocket money in Narberth, Brian and I had a blitz (or rather he did, with me offering support from the sidelines - ah the benefits of a bad back...) The room was magically cleared and painted a nice clean gleaming white. Astonishingly the bed and chest of drawers was still there and there's a floor too. I scrubbed the blind and hey presto! a new bedroom was born.

We sprung the surprise on R7 when she got back last night and today she moved all of her toys and clothes into it and made herself a proper little den.

It's not big enough to swing a cat in but it's big enough for now. Sigh. Don't they grow up quickly?!