This morning I walked into the kitchen and was greeted with that autumn light and a clear, clean table. The rest of the house, despite my Sunday evening quick clean, left much to be desired so I focussed all my attention on the freesias, dried wattle, beeswax and my little teapot from Bali. I sat there and ate porridge with banana and maple syrup, drank ginger tea and chatted to the children (one sniffly, one not).

After teaching a class I returned home to clean. Work has been busy and staying on top of housework isn’t a priority when deadlines are looming. But today, with the sun and warm air it seemed best to put the words aside* and focus on the tangible and practical.

My first step? Clear surfaces. The kitchen bench was sprouting all manner of ephemera, as was the entryway and the fridge. Oh, the fridge. I always seem to forget about the fridge but it is a magnet for paperwork, artwork, bills and certificates. This morning it was hidden under an extra-large pirate drawing that spanned the length of the fridge and the freezer. Time to relocate said artwork to the wall and work my way through my dis-organised fridge filing system. Ninety per cent of the paperwork was out of date so it went straight into the recycling and only the essentials remain (the certificates and paintings made their way into keepsake boxes). A quick and satisfying declutter.

Next? Time to open the fridge. Every Monday fortnight is organic delivery day so if I’m organised enough I go through the fruit and vegie compartments and use up what I can in juices or dinner. That’s the good thing about buying organics – the produce lasts, especially if you store it correctly (I use glass containers to store and cut the larger veggies like kale, celery and spinach into small pieces to make meal times that bit easier). I’ve still got broccoli in perfect condition from last fortnight’s delivery – will blanch it tonight and add s+p and a squeeze of lemon. I’m cooking bolognaise for dinner so will add grated carrot and zucchini and will juice the remaining carrots with oranges for breakfast tomorrow. I could bake a years worth of banana bread based on the rotten bananas in my freezer but instead I’ve turned my attention to rhubarb (bought specifically to make this and this). I baked the latter last night and am currently eating it with a cup of tea – highly recommend. It’s delicious.

How’s your fridge looking? What are you planning to bake this week?

*confession: I’ve got writer’s block and the book intro needs to be done by tomorrow – I’m well and truly stuck.