more shades of green

This isn't her house, obviously, but it's the right street!

I went to visit a friend today, she was my teacher in the Institute. She's an intelligent, stylish, funny woman in her fifities and she recently moved from a beautiful house I deeply coveted in Ranelagh to a house off the South Circular road - major downshift, enabling her to work less and hopefully for not as long.

She hasn't been particularly positive about it and I wasn't sure what to expect - but it was so gorgeous - like a mini-Georgian-mansion. 3 Little levels, lots of 'period features'. Lovely muted colours upstairs, blue, brown, cream, and a sunny dining room and beautiful, modern white kitchen downstairs, leading onto a little patio garden so it's really light.

Beautiful paintings, loads of bookshelves but all very simple and everything in its place.

I like my house but I can't keep it clean, it's such a mess, I have too much stuff and nowhere to put anything. And I just can't seem to organise a clear out. And we're in the hinterland of children's toys and paraphernalia years.

I can't seem to muster the same enthusiasm for decor in my own home that I have for other people's. Why is that?