Rolling along...

3. Fix roller blades
4. Go to a roller blade event
5. sell roller blades

DONE, NOT DONE and DONE!!

I must have been able to see my roller blades when I drew up this list! MrPBR and I had a boot sale the other day where we had a fabulously uplifting clear out! I found a bolt to fix the wheel that had come off, took them along to the boot sale and sold them for a fiver to a very happy young girl, carefully missing out the "going to a roller blade event" idea. I did, after all, nearly manage to kick myself in the face the first time I went roller blading as a youngster along the Beaches in Toronto. I also recall that on the same day, I experienced a pure Frank Spencer moment when I couldn't stop and managed to wheel in and out of a few lanes of traffic on Queen STreet East without being hit. Why I bought the damn things after that I don't know....

82. Consider fostering/adoption

NOT DONE!

I have had to put this one on hold for about a year or two if things work out as I have done something a bit stupid and gone and got myself pregnant. How is it that everyone else knows exactly what to do and where to go under these circumstances, yet it is all new to me? Even the midwife was laughing at some of my questions today! So I am feeling like a silly schoolgirl, totally overwhelmed and alternating between complete disbelief and a blind sense of panic in wanting to get everything ready!

Of course, this might not work out, but even if it does, adoption (which I think I prefer to fostering) won't be a option until 2012!!

64. Watch the Eurovision song concert live

NOT DONE.

Well, this was last weekend and won't be around again until next year, so I did not complete this successfully. In fact, from looking around the Eurovision website, I still haven't got my head around how you actually get tickets to the event, and it's very much like Top of the Pops in that you never meet anyone who has watched it live!!

Last year, I was slightly nearer to achieving my goal as I was actually in Oslo the week before it happened, but this year, I didn't actually know it was in Dusseldorf, well, until the day itself!

So, I can't tick this off the list, but I can leave you with one of my favourite Eurovision entries of all time. Sort of...

61. Get another campervan

DONE!
Very exciting, but a bit of an expensive purchase!! MrPBR and I bought a campervan over the weekend for a summer of festival fun! I used to have a T25 which was fabulous fun, until one day it ran no longer. Methinks it was something to do with the fact that I asked MrPBR to drive it home just the one time as I was exhausted. He drove it at 75mph, despite me begging him to slow down, and funnily enough it didn't work after that. We have a slightly newer one now with a bigger engine - so if MrPBR wants to drive it at 75mph, he can!!

40. Gain confidence with public speaking. Go on a course if necessary!

DONE!

When I was new in my current job, I was asked to attend a meeting, not realising that they were going to ask me to do a presentation on what I did and what I wanted to achieve by the end of the year. Totally unprepared, I waffled, stammered, perspired and eventually gave up half way through when I looked up at my audience to see a few people tapping away on their laptops, others texting and the rest looking bored.

I am a writer and am far more comfortable in my area than I am talking to people. Part of this is chronic shyness and thinking that I have nothing of value to share with people and an awful awareness of my high pitched horrible voice.

However, I realised that this was getting me nowhere and making me look like an idiot. When it came to presentations, I was never picked and simply had to sit through my colleagues’ talks (usually written by me), simply nodding. Last night I went on a mini workshop where the idea was that speaking in public is simply a conversation with more people, and we were given the opportunity to try this out.

Many people have the same feelings, and even people who appeared to be good public speakers didn’t enjoy speaking in public and had horror stories similar to mine.

I have of course, had good public speaking experiences, but like most people, tend to remember the negative ones! I have noticed that preparation is the key – when I go through things in my head, I can visualise good outcomes and then they do tend to follow in real life!! Though I’ll never be comfortable, I’m going to stand up straight, smile, glance at my notes and just do it. What’s the worst that could happen?!

50. Keep chickens

Not done!

I have decided that this isn't for me. Which is an achievement in itself, to think that you want to do something and then investigate further and realise it's not what you want. MrPBR and I do live a kind of Good Life; we grow our own vegetables, we try not to use the cars too much, we make do and mend, we cook from scratch (or he does, anyway!). We wanted to add a chicken coop to this, but in the end decided it was more hassle than it was worth. We don't have a lot of outdoor space, we both work full time (and more!). I don't eat meat, and we don't actually use that many eggs....

78. Clear out my parents’ garages

DONE!

I have FINALLY succeeded in clearing out my mum’s garage! She rented some space from one of her friends with the intention of keeping it for about a month. However, she then moved abroad and left me to sort it which I have now done. SIX YEARS LATER!! I know I am useless (my mum’s friend asked me what took so long, and I couldn’t give her a proper answer!), but now mum’s garage is empty, so we’re not paying rent on it and I feel so much better. The downside is that my bedroom is full to bursting with boxes of mum’s stuff and I am sleeping on the landing! I obviously can’t throw/sell/recycle her belongings (which include a box containing a replica of Darth Vader’s head, holiday brochures from the 70s/textbooks from the 60s and a box of brand new CDs – the mind boggles) but it has certainly focused the mind on getting rid of my own clutter which I’ve done with a vengeance.

Which reminds me – would anyone like my mountain bike wheels?!

47. Actually make it to May Morning in Oxford!

My challenge ends in November, so the last opportunity to go to May morning within the 1001 days has been and gone, so I have reprimanded myself for failing to tick this off my list...and what was I doing instead? I was throwing knobs of course!!

http://www.dorsetknobthrowing.com/