Thursday 25 September 2014

24 and a Half

I realised recently that although I haven't been doing a 25 Before 25 I have achieved a couple of things leftover from my 25 Before 23 & 24 and continued with lots of the things I did do.
Some things I've really turned around - I'm looking after my teeth & exercising - but others I still struggle with e.g. reading books and cycling to Bath!
I've also done extra things - buying a car being the most obvious :-)
It's my half birthday around now so this seems like a good time to take stock.

25 Things

Cycle to Bath - Bicycle is in the garage awaiting repair
Visit K at RHUL - I did this again
Make 5 items of clothing - Since my birthday I've sewn three dresses, a skirt, a T-shirt, and a blouse which are wearable! I should really blog some of that.
Go to Cornwall and/or somewhere warm - we went to Cornwall again and I've booked a weekend in Stockholm, which won't be warm.
Learn some Perl/Ruby/C++/SQL - Started some C++ courses at work
Keep a list of things to cook and make 2 new ones per month - I'm calling my Pinterest food board the list and I've definitely been cooking more interestingly
Read twelve or more books - I finished The File but have yet to start anything new
Cut down my photo-uploading backlog - needs more attention. And I need a new laptop!
Scrapbook - Nope. Still.
Visit 5 new towns or cities - I went to Southampton, various bits of Norfolk, drove around Surrey, visited Kent...
Keep job/get good/become independent - Still employed, feedback is good, and I'm pretty independent beyond liking company
Go to a pop-up restaurant or supper club - just done and in style - my friend's stag do involved The Basement Galley serving us dinner in a tube carriage
Finish things - Have seen projects to completion before starting new ones but what gets me stuck is when I don't know what I want to do. I need a clear vision.
Mend/alter - sewed button back on the duvet cover... Not really enough!
See cousins - there's been a family gathering
Go to a gig/film/... every month - not sure about every month but I've seen She Makes War twice and This Is The Kit and Jonathan Fuller
Walk lots - Nope
Visit new cafés/things - Discovered BaoWow, finally visited Friska at the Science Park, finally ate at Falafel King.
Do something creative every week - Lots of knitting on the way to work, efforts to make clothes
Make an effort to go to things - I have tried. Have driven many miles to do so
Learn to knit properly - Finished Shapely Boyfriend, knitted Miette, started second shorter SB
Listen to the radio regularly - Still lots of 6music, plus Radio 2 during lifts to work, JackFM for evening driving
Use stashes - Have bought fabric but also made a fair few things. Brought beading and paper craft things from home so I can use them
Find a dentist & get teeth fixed - Done! Finally! Actually managed to find an NHS dentist so paid £50 for everything that needed doing (had been quoted £500 = half price privately last year). Didn't enjoy numb face & chewing ban, and added dentistry to the list of things that make me feel shakey and faint.

Before 23

25 Things

Finish my final project
Get a job 
Move to Bristol
Sew a dress
Make 10 of my recipe bookmarks / pins
Send parcels to far-away friends - I sent a parcel to Southampton
Go to Southwold at least once
Get rid of my Flickr backlog
Get a grip on my finances - this still needs to happen
Sell my eBay pile, swap my swap pile - it's still here :-(
Mend & alter my mending & altering piles
Read a newspaper regularly - we live near Waitrose now so we get lots of free Guardians. I mostly read the G2 content online and tear recipes out of Cook
Weekend away by train - one just done, one in the near future
Buy good shoes - still need proper good ones
Crochet 3 items from stashed wool - haven't crocheted in a little while but made housewarming cat for a colleague
Get a new phone
Read 3 good/classic books
Print more photos
Watch 3 good/classic films
Exercise regularly - I've started going to the gym! I wasn't swimming often enough as the times didn't fit enough with life so I joined the gym. I've been 3-5 times a week for the past 3 weeks.
Scrapbook
Have a picnic 
Visit a city farm
Visit my sister at university
Cycle from Bristol to Bath

And then there are all the extra things I've done this year. Some are very ordinary but feel like milestones and great achievements in adulting:
- bought a car, took car to garage for wheel bearing, got new tyres for car. Paid tax on car (no disc!)
- took friends on road trips - drove to Norfolk and London
- gave a training presentation
- cooked fillet steak
- Started going to the gym, run on purpose, enjoyed it, bought gym kit (including trainers I don't hate)
- won the work bake-off outright for the first time
- Knit whole cardigans
- Sewed a blouse with buttons and buttonholes and a collar and gathering
- seen schoolfriends I'd not seen in ages
- helped build a kitchen for my friend's new business
- been on my first hen do & celebrated friends' wedding. Camped in a garden with chickens and peacocks.
- sewn bunting, a pincushion, and zippy pouches
- weeded our garden
- booked a holiday abroad
- had an eye test & got new glasses
- been on a stag do and eaten dinner on a tube train
- had two mini university reunions
- had more proper conversations on Twitter and met some more internet people IRL

It feels good to write all this down :-)