I'm going down to Louisiana to get me a mojo hand (Muddy Waters)

Wie geht's?

The problem (part 1 of 3): being what to do with a couple of hundred copies of Mojo magazine that I've collected over the last 20 years. That's a lot of magazines. They are heavy and they would take up a lot of space in a storage locker when we go to the UK in August.

The problem (part 2 of 3): as my colleague, Liz, correctly identified recently - I'm obsessive compulsive with wanting to preserve the complete set of Mojos (from issue one until now with a few annoying gaps along the way).

The problem (part 3 - collect the set): I've been firmly embracing a tidy up mission thanks to that Marie Kondo book that Mandy lent me. If a possession doesn't bring me joy I need to get rid of it. But I couldn't face throwing out all those Mojos man!

Solution: It seems obvious but the solution came to my fevered brain at 2am a few days ago. Embrace the fact that I'll never fill those annoying gaps of missing issues; pull out and keep only the issues that bring me joy.

So far I have a pile of Mojos with Beatle related covers and a second pile of issues I'll read again (100 best albums ever type of thing).

Now I just need to see if someone is interested in taking the rest off my hands.

Literally, a weight has been lifted!

Love and peace and groovy baby - Wozza

Start by discarding (Marie Kondo)

Desert Road in autumn, NZ

Iiiiiiiiiit's holiday time! 

The Light Of My Life and I have just returned from Hawke's Bay (delivering horses and horse float to LOML's step mum - Grace and Beetlebaum are wintering in Waipukurau). Plus, I squeezed in a trip to Havelock North for a coffee with my buddy, Toni. 

From there we travelled south along the yellow brick road to Palmerston North (A.K.A. Palmy) to help Jade and William with some house renos (A.K.A. renovations).

Some random notes for y'all: 

Great wedding anniversary day on the 21st - dinner (Italian fare at Pompeii) and a show with the kids (Black Panther)...excellent coffee with Toni at Bay Espresso (complete with Woodford parents!), even though the Espresso crew had changed...Havelock North resplendent in autumn colours...Thor Ragnarok on Jade/William's fancy TV was awesome...lunch in Taihape...put up guttering for Jade/William - first time ever, attached boards and door handles, trimmed the hedge as well...enjoyed watching William play football, even though the team lost 4-1...Jerry travelled so well - long drive with horses - about 10 hours via Napier Taupo highway and then a 9 hour trip home via Hunterville/Taihape. As soon as we arrived home he immediately wanted to play ball - which we did for 20 minutes!...beautiful farmers wives' gardens around Hunterville, spreading trees over driveways in elaborate designs...helicopters whisking owners to flash homes around Cambridge...great brooding autumn scenes along the Desert Road with Ruapehu and Mordor, erm, Ngarahoehoe as a backdrop...finished a book - One More Day (Mitch Albom) and discarded it on Jade/William's bookshelf, and started on Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying...I could go on but I best get to it - starting with my clothes!

Love and peace - Wozza

I'm clearing all the crap out of my room (Laura Marling)

Minimalism. Less is more. Spring cleaning in the northern hemisphere (and if you're reading the Guardian's special features).

I've been engaged in my own simplify, simplify regime of late, even though it's autumn. 

In a former life, I may have been a cicada, or a snake, or some other animal that sheds it's skin. 

I'm a fan of decluttering.

Currently I'm working through my CDs and placing them into one of three categories: 

1. The loved ones I am apt to return to often. I can't begin to count how many times I've played Big Country's Live Without A Net. 
2. These are not to be confused with classics that are sacrosanct, they appear in the second category - I may not play them often but I need them around just in case. Led Zeppelin. I loved the vinyl and bought the CD reissues but over-familiarity is a bastard.
3. That leaves category three - the ones I don't play often, nor need around particularly. The CD I read a review of and bought but was disappointed by, the one I bought out of loyalty to the band that was a dog but I hung onto it anyway because you never know, I may return to it in ten year's time and find a buried treasure (hello David Gray). 

I decided to play every CD. I figured if I had to fast forward a lot or couldn't be arsed (I've noticed a few ECM esoteric European jazz CDs being added to pile 3) then I didn't need them cluttering up the shelves.

Decluttering appears to be in vogue. It seems every second best seller is expounding on the joy of tidying.

Japanese author and 'organising consultant' Marie Kondo is one such example. She advocates keeping only things that 'spark joy'. As she says, "human beings can only truly cherish a limited number of things at one time".

Which justifies my putting Motorhead's No Sleep Till Hammersmith into category three baby!


Love and peace - Wozza