Blog – Nyamazela

De-greenifying our ‘new’ house

Posted on 9 Jan, 20269 Jan, 2026 by nyamazela

“Shouldn’t a girl who’s so good inside, have a matching exterior? And since folks here, to an absurd degree, seem fixated on your verdigris, would id be all right by you, if I ‘degreenify’ you?”

Glinda to Elphaba in the Wicked song, ‘The Wizard and I’

Degreenify definition It’s been a while since I ‘penned’ a missive on this blog. Truth be told, I got locked out for a while (EECK!!).

Also … LIFE!

But since you asked, here are a few transformation pics of our house and garden.

A lot of the work involved ‘de-greenifying’. Continue reading De-greenifying our ‘new’ house

Digging for treasure

Posted on 15 Apr, 202515 Apr, 2025 by nyamazela

“And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles”

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

original wood floorboards Those of you with a sharp eye may have noticed from the photos in my last post that our ‘new’ London terraced house desperately needs some TLC. The garden was overgrown, the floors scuffed, the ceilings showed cracks, and there were stickers and stains on the walls and moth-eaten carpets.

We also found some treasures in the house and garden.

Have a look… Continue reading Digging for treasure

Got the Keys!

Posted on 11 Apr, 202511 Apr, 2025 by nyamazela

“When Parish looked at Niggle’s garden (which was often) he saw mostly weeds; and when he looked at Niggle’s pictures (which was seldom) he saw only green and grey patches and black lines, which seemed to him nonsensical. He did not mind mentioning the weeds (a neighbourly duty), but he refrained from giving any opinion of the pictures. He thought this was very kind, and he did not realise that, even if it was kind, it was not kind enough. Help with the weeds (and perhaps praise for the pictures) would have been better.”

Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien

This house purchase has been a 3.5 year process.

When you’re house hunting, there’s a lot of talk about ‘potential. We learnt early on that ‘potential’ often means a property is a bit tired, scuffed, possibly ‘previously loved, ‘ and definitely in need of work. Nevertheless, to find these properties with ‘potential’ – mixing my metaphors – we had to ‘kiss many frogs’.

But we could always see the ‘potential’!

On Monday, 31st March, we finally completed the purchase of our house and received the keys. Now begins the exciting and creative process of making it livable without a major overhaul – that will come in a couple of years, money and plans permitting.

So without further ramble, I introduce you to No. 35 in ‘before’ photographs. Continue reading Got the Keys!

Sorting and De-cluttering

Posted on 23 Mar, 2025 by nyamazela

“Visible mess helps distract us from the true source of the disorder.”

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organising by Marie Kondo

KonMari method Next Monday (31 March), Hubby and I will finalise the purchase of our ‘new’ house in Fulham. I’m incredibly excited to start nesting, but I’m also mindful that our seller faces the challenging task of sorting through and packing up her belongings and the memories accumulated over 28 years in that home, where she raised two daughters and lived life – there’s a lot of stuff!

According to Dr Diane Roberts Stoler, author of ‘The Resilient Brain’,

Clutter creates chaos and hampers focus, limiting your brain’s ability to process information. It acts as a visual distraction, increasing cognitive overload and reducing working memory. A disorganised, cluttered space makes concentration difficult. Research shows that individuals are less irritable, more productive, and better at processing information in organised environments.

I have a couple of useless superpowers. One is an advanced olfactory system that allows me to correctly guess what you have on your sandwich from a distance of 6-10 meters. The other is sorting and decluttering.

So … I have always been curious about the KonMari method of decluttering, so I read Marie Kondo’s book a few months ago.

Here are seven lessons and random thoughts learned … Continue reading Sorting and De-cluttering

Your sleep is not broken – Part 3

Posted on 12 Feb, 20253 Mar, 2025 by nyamazela

“We truly live in sensory overload. The biggest culprits, of course, are our beloved and dreaded smartphones. Putting our phones down is so hard. But the ‘Ists’ tell us that the general anxiety increase so many of us experience around phone usage is usually because of exhausting over-stimulation rather than the content that’s necessarily absorbed. Looking down in a slumped posture with a glaring light, darting images, noise and speed-reading content can’t help but keep the brain frenzied and wired. Without sensory rest, we can’t control the overwhelm.”

I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You, by Miranda Hart

Put your phone down So, you’ve read Part 1 and Part 2.

You know all about the Pink Elephant Paradox. You know you cannot control sleep. You’re no longer getting into a tizz, looking for patterns and secrets in a quest for the holy grail of good sleep.

And now you’re a non-judgemental, compassionate detective/scientist, challenging unhelpful thinking and allaying unfounded fears.

I think you’re ready for the next sleep-gems. So I have one question for you…

Q: Why do sleeping pills often work?

Continue reading Your sleep is not broken – Part 3

Your sleep is not broken – Part 2

Posted on 3 Feb, 20253 Mar, 2025 by nyamazela

“Emotional rest might mean finding moments to feel how we feel. Letting emotions move through us, sharing an experience. I know, for instance, if I don’t have a little cry every few days, then I’m probably keeping things in. That’s just me. I need a regular weep, joyful or otherwise.”

I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You, by Miranda Hart

For my first few of sleep-gems, read my last post.

Did you try the Pink Elephant experiment?

Did you try staying awake even though you were tired?

How did that work out?

Ready for my next few sleep-gems?

Continue reading Your sleep is not broken – Part 2

Your sleep is not broken – Part 1

Posted on 27 Jan, 20253 Mar, 2025 by nyamazela

“I know I’m not alone in the sometimes-ludicrous worry of, “I must get 8 hours sleep!” And if I wake up and it’s been 7 hours and 46 minutes, “Oh God, the day’s ruined!”

I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You, by Miranda Hart

Can't control sleep I’ve always loved sleep. Bedtime is possibly my favourite time of day. You’re thinking, “She’s crazy!” right? – Perhaps!

Stay with me … I’m going to challenge your thinking!

Growing up, my days were predictable: I woke up, went to school, played outside, and ate at mealtimes. I was sent to bed at the sound of the 8 o’clock news. I got a concessionary cuddle and a few pages of a book. And just like that, I was asleep (out cold for at least 10 hours) before I knew it. Sleep was never a concern.

So, what went wrong?

Continue reading Your sleep is not broken – Part 1

Breaking news!

Posted on 6 Jan, 202513 Jan, 2025 by nyamazela

“At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done–then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.”

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

What news since last time? Like Miranda Hart, in her new book (left) (which I’m loving, BTW – #watchTVSitcomMirandafirst !), “I haven’t been entirely honest with you”. I’ve been quiet for some time, laying low, squirrelling away busily. And I’ve not blogged a word for ages!

Needless to say, life has been happening #IRL despite my absence online.

So, how’s tricks? What’s the craic? Wassup?

While you weren’t looking, I …

Continue reading Breaking news!

A Tale of Five Houses

Posted on 28 Oct, 202313 Jan, 2025 by nyamazela

“There is no place like home.”
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Lyman Frank Baum

Gazump /ɡəˈzʌmp/ v: to offer a higher price for a house than (a buyer whose offer has already been accepted by the seller) and thus succeed in buying the property instead.

Gazunder /ɡəˈzʌndə/ v: to offer a lower price for a house after your initial offer has already been accepted by (the seller of a property), typically just before the exchange of contracts. In the shipbroking business, this is also called ‘back-trading’.

INFORMAL•BRITISH•LEGAL

Welcome to the nightmare that is buying a house in England… Continue reading A Tale of Five Houses

Released

Posted on 2 Oct, 202313 Jan, 2025 by nyamazela

Last week Lamar told me he was losing hope that he’d be able to influence the culture… I told Lamar that Oscar Wilde said that the most frightening thing about prison ‘is not that it breaks one’s heart – hearts are made to be broken – but that it turns one’s heart to stone.’ ‘I worry that if I stay in the job I’ll get used to prison and I’ll go numb,’ Lamar said.

The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Learning to be Free by Andy West

On 6th September, 21-year-old Daniel Khalife, a resident on remand in HMP Wandsworth, while working in the prison kitchen, managed to strap himself onto the underside of a delivery van and escape custody. During the 4 day man-hunt for Khalfe the British press drip-fed us with intel and details including footage of said van pulling over at Wandsworth Roundabout (less than 100m from our flat in London), where an eye-witness had seen the prisoner disembark from the van.