Monday, 2 November 2009

Ok folks have been away for quite a while....had a real shock when looking at the countdown date with just over 800 days to go!!! Must get a move on.

Seem to be getting there ( possibly, maybe)
26) Serious champagne: done. As soon as I had my divoice papers in my hand I went and bought a bottle.
91) Divorce:done

As for the ongoing ones: think I really out to start posting pictures as well.

19) Charity: ongoing. I volunteer 3 times a week at the local childrens centre and have been now for 4 months.

8) Race per month: ongoing. So far for Oct have done the Burnham beeches 10K, and for November hope to run Hayling Island, December will be the Grim.

2) Get to Blue belt.......have next grading on 5th Dec which should take me to green tag....theoretically I should reach Green in March and then Bluetag June and finally Blue in Oct 2010...........what this space.

95) Have had all the details for The UnderRound: all I have to do now is set a date!

Tuesday, 22 September 2009

Ahhhh long time no write.

I have been away, mainly due to the unseasonal workload of the OU degree and the OU Astronomy summer school........what a laugh, very very hard work but learnt lots........also managed to break so much stuff!! Not just me I might add but the small group I was in.

Track record of breakages for the week: 2 astronomical domes, 2 telescopes, 1 CCD camera, 1 table, 1 chair, 4 computers and......a bus. Will they ever have anohter summer school back?

So how am I doing on this list? and how do I know how much time I have on my countdown? This might be something that I add as soon as I find out ( possibly from the dayzeroproject).

76) DONE
send a favourite book to a freind with a note inside: can't remember if I did update this, but I bought the Timetraveller's wife for a friend.

100) DONE
Make a non exploding spounge cake: why did I pick this? well the last one I made was rising nicely in the oven, I opened the door and it exploded!
This time I used a kids recipe and, hey, it worked!

28) Ongoing
Re read all the Jane Autin novels: am currently reading persusion, also am still not convinced. But we shall see.
I have Emma and North hanger abby lined up

92) Ongoing
Am still budgeting and sticking to it, this is something that I hope to keep doing even when the time is up.

And how am I feeling about all of this?
Not too bad, it helps me focus and we shall see............

Tuesday, 8 September 2009

53) did try and call in to see my friend but NO ANSWER......i really wish she wouldn't keep changing her phone numbers....oh well will have to try again.
93) there are words for this.....time for race 3:11...which is 2 mins faster than last time but means that for next year I have to knock 20 mins off. This can be done as I managed 15 off last year.

Only reason I haven't managed is recovering from injury.

Wednesday, 2 September 2009

Am getting there I think.

43) DONE:Little sis came down on Sunday and this morning we had a photo shoot with us and the kids-pics to follow ( they're not bad but have realsied just how thin i look!) not good at all

53) (i think) will be making the trip back to do 93) and will call in to see some friends ...its a good 3 hrs journey but haven't seen them since March this year so will make the effort to call in

93) watch this space............race is on Saturday as am not grading for Tae kwon do have decided to run Roman run so hope to get in at 2:45...................................to be continued!

Saturday, 22 August 2009

99) started with the cake and children bit.......word of advice for anyone trying this...pick the ages and the kids very very carefully!!!!
Had 4 pre teenagers in the kitchen making fairy cakes-ok-they were edible, they might not have looked much cop but they were edible. Now all I have to do is make another 4 types,but the mess!!!!!!!!!! good god the mess!!!! may I have my nervous breakdown now folks.
The mix was everywhere, the sides, the floor, the door of the oven, the window and the cat!

I have my race for September, a nice short 10km one, hope to do this in 45min or under.This will give me a benchmark for the rest of the races ( methinks). The gym sessions are going well and hope this will up my race time. Am not really looking at distance when training, I know I can run a Marathon ( the Comrades would be good as would the Canadian Death race....but more of that later).
My foot doesn't hurt and I can do anything from a short 30mins through to 1 1/2 hrs depending on my mood.

Maybe I should have put down not to allow children sleepovers lol

Anyway thing are going quite well, the yoga is still a struggle, the service of the car will come as I have just had her brakes done poor little thing.
The flowers are good, nice to be able to treat myself ( and the cat seems to like the taste/the fact they are a toy).

my first foray into the world of cakes (though not decorating) will be merange when my sister comes down.........hang on one cotton picking minute.......fairy cakes are sponge and they don't explode!!!! Right ( said with a steeley determination) I am off to make a very large sponge/fairy cake.
Theoretically, if i just increase the quantity and put it in a different tin as opposed to a cake case it will be a sponge.......wouldn't it?

Sunday, 9 August 2009

Races.....looks like my foot isn't healing, the anti inflamatories seem to be great for weight loss ( IF I had an extra weight to loose), but don't seem to be helping the foot. Soooooo, the Jungle is definately out.
I don't want to be the idiot medi lifted out for a minor injury through sheer stupidity when someone who really needs it might not get it. Looks like a race for Sep is going to be out as well.....ho hum, never mind.
Why am I not too bothered? well, I have 2 races booked for October and the one in December ( still struggling for Novemebr though) and have found race from January through till July next year!!!! And some that the sprogs can do as well.

The yoga is starting to get there, not really sure if it is doing me any good but then again I don't know how long it will take before you start to see any results and what those results should be....the things I decide to try without knowing why! Anyway, thought I'd try yoga for flexibility and core strength.

Baking fresh bread is nice and simple and smells so good.
Washing the car........ struggling to do it, but the poor little rust bucket really does need it, I do feel really sorry for my vehicles sometimes ( actually, make that all of the time). I buy them for a maximum of £500 and then proceed to run them into the ground.

What else am I making progress on.....the divorce for a start. No real problems wiht this, the soon to be EX seem to be leaving me well alone after bordering on the Stalking earlier this year. Have had papers from the solicitor stating my NICI will be due 28th August, then 6 weeks and 1 day later my EX can apply for the Absolute.

Mind you folks, am getting a suspicious feeling that things might not be so smooth once he gets his letter from his solicitor, I have a feeling that he might decide to stop the whole thing as he did say that this was to 'teach you a lesson that there are consequences to your actions'......honestly, with my track record with blokes I might as well start a psycho check list before dating anyone!!!.

Let's see, mmmm, magazines.....I seem to be holding out on buying them, as long as my Runners World comes through the door I am happy, though I might change my Zest for one of the Triathalon mags as this is something that looks like great fun.

Maybe I ought to start posting pictures on here so that people can see that I am making progress. I don't own a digital camera.......now what, ah, maybe learning to use the camera on my mobile mihgt be an option ( then all I have to do is learn to transfer from phone to here dum dum dum!!!)
Am I really that technologically incompetent-YES.
I can take things apart and rebuild them ('we can rebuild him'- now, what was that from, it'll come back to me), I can fix cars and most machines but computers,, ewwww no chance.

Right, off to try and use this camera thingy. This should mean that hopefully I will be able to post pictures of the Tae kwon do grading.
For anyone interested I am currently Yellow belt, and hopefully in Sep will grade to become Green with yellow tag....watch this space.

Sunday, 2 August 2009

Have booked in to see Othello in October with Lenny Henry as Othello.

Have booked to run The Grim ( absolutely bloody brillient race) in December. All I need to do is find races for Sept,Oct and November.
Should have been running the Jungle Marathon In October but doesn't look like my foot is going to heal in time for the Doctor to sign my fitness certificate. I might see if I can do a 5K at the end of the month to see how it goes but am worried of putting myself back further with the training.

I would love to run Paris Marathon in April 2010.....would that count toward my revisit Paris as well?
Seem not to be updating this as I should....maybe I should have put that down as something to do....writie my blog everyday!! Think I would have failed.

Am going to have to get a digital camera soon: it is one of my things and then start uploading pictures to here.

Am managing to bake the bread, and stay off the fullfat/diet coke and so far the flowers thing is not too bad, they seem to last.

What to tackle next?

Friday, 24 July 2009

mmmmmm

mmmmmmmmmmm, so far how am I doing? Honestly, not sure.

I think about it and how things might be done and where I should start and then get slightly distracted.

So far I have:

Written to some friends: the old fashioned way with pen & paper.

I have written a letter to my eldest as it was her birthady: I've decided to keep these safe for both DD's to fine when I eventually die ( and for anyone reading I ain't gonna do that anytime soon I hope). Or possibly if they have kids.

I have read The Time Travellers Wife: Bought it yesterday and couldn't put it down, finally finished at 0132 this morning!

Am also making progress with the debts thing: according to these 'snowball'calculators I will be debt free in 6 years- stuff that for a game of soldiers.......I want to be debt free by the date staed here.......watch this space people, watch this space

What did I put-get through my divorce? we shall see as this is ongoing, hopefully get the first stage by the end of august.

I suppose the question that should be asked is WHY do we choose to take part in this? WHY do we want to post our ideas and hopes all over the internet for starngers to see?
Me, maybe it's to give me a kick up the backside, maybe it's because it is fairly anonymous, maybe someone else has a better idea. Mind you will anyone else ever read it....

Saturday, 18 July 2009

ok, how far have I go with starting down my list........... I have a pot for my Rainy day fund.

I've never ever been in a position to have savings and would love to have at least £5,000 somewhere for emergancies or a once in a lifetime trip when I retire/have a birthday type of thing. And as soon as I clear the debt then the money that I save for that will go to my fund. Have nearly cleared my credit card, that will be done by Sep...it didn't have a large balance but it was there, and so it will go.

Usually on the 1st of Jan every year I send a list to a close friend of all that I hope to achieve during the year and I get a list back from them. Honestly I don't complete most of mine and then spend the rest of the year beating myself up about what I haven't achieved.

And why haven't I achieved or just DONE any of it???? I'm lazy.
No excuses.

I have also managed not to buy any diet/full fat coke so far. I am addicted but a) it's not good for me and b) money. Money for the rainy day/holiday/debts/fun.

more to follow......

Sunday, 12 July 2009

The List

The List

1) pay off debts £9K
2) Reach Blue Belt for Tae Kwon Do Grading
3) Half Marathon time: 1hr 40mins
4) Marthon Time : sub 3:30
5) Learn Russian
6) Learn Japanese
7) Complete OU Degree
8) 1 race per month
9) Learn to cook 20 new dishes
10) send a message in a bottle
11) write a book of things/memories for my daughters
12) Learn to ride a horse fairly well
13) take a hot air balloon ride
14) re visit Paris
15) Buy a digital camera
16) take a holiday with my sister
17) Write a book
18) Take my daughters to all the places that I have lived
19) Do some consitent voluntary work
20) raise money for Charity: minimum of £5K
21) learn to surf PROPERLY ( not just fall in as I seem to do)
22) Learn to snowboard properly ( or better than I do to save on the bruises)
23) Help out at school fetes/BBQ's ect
24) learn to make and decorate birthday cakes
25) grow my own veg in the garden
26) Buy a bottle of seriously champangne
27) learn to forgive my ex husband
28) Read all the Austin novels ( last read at 16 and hated)
29) Buy the last book in the TimeWars series
30) Have a spa day
31) Give blood x4
32) Visit the Natural History Museum
33) Learn to swim CRAWL properly
34) Visit Moscow in the snow
35) Take a salsa class
36) write a letter to my daughters on each birthday: saying their achievments
37) write a letter to me on my birthday
38) take a series of climbing lessons
39) swim the distance of the english channel in one go in the swiming pool
40) Go see Othello on stage
41) Buy a hardback illustrated copy of LoR
42) Read 1 new book a month by an author I have never heard of
43) Have a photo shoot with little sis and daughter's
44) Start a 'rainy day fund'
45) make sure my assignments are in a week early
46) Run The Jungle Marathon
47) Run The Paris Marathon
48) Buy fresh flowers for my bedroom/living room at leats twice a month
49) Watch 3 LoR back to back
50) watch entire series of Buffy over a weekend
51) Make a painting
52) Make a 3 1/2 hr trip to visit some friends
53) Buy a lottery ticket once a week
54) eat 2 pieces of fruit a day
55) Watch a foreign language film every other month
56) Go Blond!!!! ( only colour I haven't been)
57) spend day on the beach making sand castles
58) spend an evening drinking champagne/eating pizza with someone I love
59)Learn how to make a webpage
60) Find an old friend that I have lost touch with
61) Take my Fencing Coaching qualifications for all 3 styles
62) make fresh bread at least twice a week
63) get a penfiend
64) sponser a child
65) Make a will
66) send flowers to my mother
67) send flowers to a friend
68) have some photo's taken ( I hate that)
69) get my car serviced once a year
70) decorate and hold a halloween party for the kids
71) buy some posh underware
72) enter a contest
73)buy a pair of converse allstars
74) have 1 night a month playing board games with kids
75) learn sign language
76) read a favourite book, buy it for a friend ,write a note inside and post to them
77) Lay flowers for my father
78) write to my friends
79) re read Death of a Salesman and Paradise lost
80) NO diet coke/full fat coke: money into a savings pot
81) do not buy magazines ( get 2 on subscription don't need any more)
82) listen to/buy 1 new album a month of someone I don't know
83) Take a trapeese lesson
84) watch Pretty in pink & breakfast at Tiffenys
85) Take part in The Tough Guy
86) Plant flowers in the garden
87) do 1/2 hr of yoga twice a week
88) tell someone that I love them and mean it
89) wash the car at least twice a month ( and clean it inside!!!!)
90) make a list of 100 cities to visit and start saving
91) get my divorce out of the way
92) create a budget and stick to it
93) get a massage every 2 months
94) download all my cd's to the PC
95) run the underround
96) run The Roman Run in sub 2;45
97) buy 1 item of 'designer' clothing
98) send a surprise to a friend because I can
99) teach my daughters and their friends to make at least 5 types of cake
100) make a spounge cake that doesn't explode

1001 start

Having seen this on the MSE website of a challenge I decided to have a go for myself.
This is also posted on www.dayzeroproject.com.

Why?

I've always tried to think of a list of things to do every year....have I managed all of them? no...some of them...yes.....make that maybe. But there are always there at the back of my mind along with the excuses as to why I have never managed to complete them or more to the point of even starting them, and then I get annoyed as I haven't managed them.

So it's time to make my goals public.

This is a list of 101 things that I want to accomplish in 1001 days. So, starting today my finish date is Sunday 8th April 2012- not as far off as I think!!

List to follow