2013 -a belated review!

January

Set up my own business and started publicising it by joining The Athena Network which has been invaluable for support and referrals.


February

My best friend lives thousands of miles away, so when she’s within a country or two of me, I’ll happily go and meet her. This meant we spent a very relaxing few days eating, drinking and laughing in Nice. A cold Nice, not the sunny vision that most people have of the city!


March

Got some very interesting new clients and gave my first presentation!



April

Started a new job at an agency.



May

Sold the house!



June

Birthday spent camping in Dorset; the previous day was at MrPBR’s graduation from his master’s!



July

Spent the month camping and waiting for our new house to be built. Still commuting and managing to look like my clothes were ironed at work while gaining great coverage for our client!


August

Favourite festival and joined a new networking/motivational coaching group.



September

Started being bullied by boss so quit job and then cursed her for my need to earn more money but on the plus side an saving a fortune (£60 a day in fact) on nursery fees. Moved into new house just as the weather flips from “hot” to “wet”.


October

My mum visits from abroad. I do another presentation!


November

I have a new nephew! Also, my dad then graduates from his master’s and reveals he has a book about to be published!

December

We cook Christmas dinner at our house for the first time as everyone comes to us. I get coverage for a client in the Sun and another client into Good Housekeeping which finishes the work year on a high!

So all of the major achievements are not mine but the 101 in 1001 project is always on my mind and has spurred me on, particularly in the arena of personal development and CONFIDENCE-building. What are your plans for 2014?

2012

I have been reading Dannie's 101 in 1001 adventure and have been both inspired by her and embarrassed by her efforts. She is a brilliant example of what can be achieved if you set your mind to it and get organised!

From travelling to Petra to watching Shakespeare at the Globe, her adventures have made me realise how horribly I have failed at the challenge.

I have an excuse. Not a good one though - being pregnant and then looking after an active little boy doesn't lend itself to throwing yourself out of planes and riding camels.

So for 2013, I'm going to plan an achievable, boring and small goal a month.

My review of 2012 - what did I get up to? Not much!

January
Went for a run for the first time since my son was born in December.

February
The boy and I appeared in the paper as we dressed up for Chinese New Year.

March
Joined the National Trust - make it my mission to get my money's worth and by the end of 2012 had visited 20 properties from Cornwall to Dorset, Somerset and Buckinghamshire.

April
Bought a new car.

May
Went to Hong Kong for a month.

June
Turned...gulp 36...

July
Started freelancing - first job was reviewing the brilliant Mark Thomas who did a show called Bravo Figaro which I most highly recommend.

August
Took the McBaby to my favourite festival

September
Drumroll. Went back to work!

October
Decided to quit job.

November
Joined a networking business

December
The Mcbaby's first birthday.

So, not very fulfilling. I'll lay out my goals for 2013 tomorrow.

See you!!

36

I think the word "failure" is the best one to describe my "36 before 36" challenge. To be honest, the day came out of nowhere and hit me before I'd had a chance to take stock of where I was! Having a baby also makes it very difficult to find time to even vacuum, let alone take hot air balloon rides and the other follies I'd put on my list!


The plan was to complete 36 things before 36. I came up with the title last year when I was expecting; well before this blogger labelled it "uncatchy": http://faithhopeandcharityshopping.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/40-before-40-36-before-36-wasnt-as.html


It was one of the stranger birthdays of my life. Firstly, no one apart from my husband, dad and mum remembered. I thought my sister had forgotten, but she called me at 5pm to ask if I'd received her present and hung up on me in anger when I said it hadn't arrived.


MrPBR and the baby took me out for a meal and I tried to forget about this surprising phone call. But the next day when we were out for a walk, she called again and said she'd been led to understand that I would be in on my birthday and that I must have missed the delivery. The reason I was out was because I had bought my dad a new fridge as a surprise, so had driven down to the west country while he was out to ensure that someone was there to sign for it.


If I'd known she wanted me to stay in, perhaps I could have been, but usually when delivery people miss you, they leave a note to say where the parcel is.


She told me that she was angry because she'd paid extra to ensure the gift arrived on time and then hung up on me again before texting MrPBR to ask him to confirm our address. We've only lived here three years and she's been here several times! So I didn't get a present, got shouted at and still don't know what she sent! SHe said she was going to cancel it, so I guess I'll never know!

So I felt stupidly tearful when I looked at this list to see where I'd got to.

It's not a total disaster though; I have done the following:

3: Grow all of our own vegetables.

I've planted potatoes and tomatoes. I could hardly call it self-sufficency though!

13. Win a competition:

I won a camera that I gave to a friend as a birthday present!

17. Sell something upcycled:

I rescued some shelving from the tip and painted it with a tin of 50p paint that I spied in the bargain bucket at B&Q. I then sold it at a boot sale for a tiny profit. I don't think I'm going to make my millions from upcycling!

18. Make a baby friend
BabyPBR has a number of cute little friends from NCT, playgroups, singing classes and other activities. He has far more friends than I do!

21. Declutter anything not needed.

I am going to pat myself on the back here. The house is still a tip but a lot of things have gone. I've done two boot sales in the past month and I have very few belongings. The problem is that we have a tiny house with a total, total lack of storage. This is compounded by my parents' divorce a few years ago when my mother disappeared for a while and I had to store her belongings. We know where she is now, but she can't face unpacking her stuff as it brings back bad memories.

34. Have MrPBR compliment something I've cooked.

I have discovered the joy that is www.approvedfood.co.uk and accidentally ordered lots of pasta. Except when it arrived it turned out to be semolina! I wasn't sure what to do with this glut of semolina but discovered this recipe for orange cake WITHOUT flour!

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/orange_cake_57974

MrPBR loved it so much, he's asked me to keep making it, so there is usually some in the house!

So I'm now 36 but I'm going to keep going with the list and I'll turn it into some sort of "lifetime challenge". THis blog by Dannie has proved to be very inspirational http://myultimatelifelist.blogspot.co.uk/

36. Have a completely different hairstyle

I came onto this oft-neglected blog as MrPBR and I have just joined the National Trust. This was something on the original 101 in 1001 challenge, but having reached the end of that, I see that it didn't make it onto my "36 before 36" list!

We're thrilled that we now have a year to visit as many properties as possible to get our money's worth! We started with Basildon Park and I have earmarked Stourhead Gardens as the next one.

Please let us know which National Trust properties you would recommend!

So back to "36 in 36". I now have a very short hair cut and it has been dyed a sort of reddish-purple colour. I don't even own a hairdryer or hair straighteners and normally just tie it up and forget about it. It's a bit of a cliche, but I do feel lighter and it is a huge confidence boost to have your hair done properly, even if it did cost about £30 more than I usually pay!

I have debated with myself whether or not to add a photo. Nah!

A new challenge!

I don't feel that I did very well with the 101 in 1001 list, so I've set myself a new challenge called "36 before 36" with 36 much more realistic and banal goals that I must achieve before I turn 36 in June!

November - time's up!

I actually ran out of time on the 20th November - blimey that 1001 days went by fast! Stupidly, I got pregnant (am due any minute now) so that meant there were lots of things on my 101 list that I didn't manage to do.

So here they are - they're probably the more dangerous ones:

- Learn to ride a motorbike
-Go scuba diving with DH
-Take OH horse riding

-*Learn more patience*
(think I can safely say that I haven't done this one - I lost my temper the other day when a speeding motorist drove at 80mph past my house and knocked my shopping bag out of my hand)
-Stop making jokes

- Read all of the BBC's greatest 100 books. Missed 27 of these!

-Take a hot air balloon flight

-And a sky dive

-Go to South America. Bah.

- Volunteer in Africa. No :(

*-Try harder with novel/short story.*
Haven't touched this - will try again in 2012.

*-Hire a classic convertible for a sunset drive.*

I actually did HIRE the car but haven't been able to find a date to drive it. I look forward to turning up to collect the keys with a baby seat in my other hand.


*-Get fit again*
I have been doing yoga but have pledged with MrPBR to do a 10k next year.

-Have saved £20,000. Only £17,000 short on this one!!

-Do some sort of watersport. No - insurance wouldn't allow!

*- Resurrect my conversation ability in three different languages.*

Can still just about do this in French, Spanish, Cantonese and Japanese. Have been learning German recently - more to be done when I start breast feeding!

*-A charity walk or run - not the Race for Life*
....I did the Race for Life and intended to do the Santa Jog in town, but MrPBR wouldn't let me!

*-Investigate green grants for electricity.*
Government has got rid of a lot of these. I have however found ways to reduce our electricity bill.

*-Use rainwater* - I have done this for the plants.

-*Create a PBR (an award of some sort)*.

Am thinking quite seriously about giving some sort of award to the best charity shop that I visited in 2011 in order to complete my challenge here:
www.charity365.blogspot.com

-*Be an extra in a series or film*
Far too fat at the moment! Hopefully in 2012!

-*Become a finalist in the World Nettle Eating Championships*
The event clashed with something else this year. (Fortunately?)

-*Go to a festival abroad*.
Next year! Isle of Wight? hahahaha!

*-Buy new sofa.*
We are hoping to move house in 2012 so might wait until then!

*Sell one of DH's paintings and get him commissioning drawings.*
Poor MrPBR has been snowed under at work so I've left him alone! I wish I had his artistic talent though - I would definitely make the most of it!

*-Try surfing*.

I was too big by the time the summer came around. Will see if I can take a course in the summer.

-*Stay in a tepee at a festival*.
A mere £900 at Glastonbury - I couldn't justify this so just visited one for a cup of tea while we were there!

*-Sort out memorial bench for relatives*.
I made some progress with this, but the spot I had earmarked required consent from the parish council. They agreed, but then I couldn't get hold of the bench and plaque company by which time my family started to disagree on where the bench should be placed. My idea was to put it by the sea but they thought it might disintegrate. We gave up in the end.

*-Go to a drive in movie*.
I've NEVER seen one advertised. I asked my American friend and she said that in the states these died out because it was so uncomfortable and the sound was appalling. Will keep an eye out though!

*Walking holiday/weekend*

Never got around to this.

*Cycle from one end of the Kennet and Avon Canal to another*
Next year!

*Punting*
Next summer!

*Try real tennis*
Forgot about this one! Not sure where I can do this?

*See the Northern Lights*
Went to Norway but didn't go far enough north!

*SPonsor a little girl in India*
I have given a lot of money to charity this year. Will see if I can do this before Christmas.

*INvite people round for tea*
When we moved to this house, MrPBR's brother told us that our house was "****" so I have been far too embarrassed to invite people round. I did invite my friend who is not rude for tea and scones though.

*Pier-to-pier swim for charity*
Never got around to this but hope to do some sort of swimming challenge in 2012.

*Do an Open University qualification*
No time or money! Will look into this more thoroughly in 2012.

*Do a mini triathlon*
Never saw any advertised but ANOTHER for 2012!

*Go on a cycling holiday*
Sold my bike -eeeeek!

*Try a raw food diet*
Will try this again in 2012 to help me lose all the weight I've put in.

*Become a member of the National Trust*
Money!!

*Look into franchise opportunities*
I did buy "Franchise" magazine and had a good look through before wondering if I should actually start my own business. I've given up my job so perhaps will have more time to work out what my passion is and what I should do business wise. I will also have a more realistic view of what time is available once you have a baby....

So there we are. This challenge has been great for making me do things but I think another is required!

This week I shall unveil the items from the list that I will carry out before June 2012 when I am 36 aka the "36 before 36" challenge!

Thanks for reading and best of luck in your challenges. A special shout out for Dannie who has achieved lots on her list and has proved to be very inspirational!

96. Become more adept at refurbishing furniture

Done!

I had a couple of chairs that I bought in a panic once from a junk shop as I had lots of people coming round to dinner. They don’t really match anything in my house, so I painted them in that Farrow and Ball paint, so beloved of home and interiors magazines!

I am terrible at painting - I always get bored so my strokes become a bit haphazard, but since it always makes such a mess, I like to do it in one go. Fortunately, the paint is so expensive that it's got some sort of special ingredient in it which makes it look good. You can't really tell when a fool like me has been at the DIY.

The chairs, a table and a chest of drawers that I’d painted in the same colour, went on eBay, with a massive disclaimer from me. Despite that, they all sold for a good price, with one of the buyers telling me how much she loved them when she came to collect!

I’m thinking about saving up to buy some more paint (it’s about £34 a pot – so if I don’t eat for a week, I should manage it, haha!) and will be looking around the house for more things to paint. MrM said no when I offered to paint all of the floors after an inspirational week in Norway!

www.doorsixteen.com/2009/01/26/white-painted-floor-back-room/

13. Do more freelancing/89. Have my own side business

I’ve just realised these are the same! However, it seemed to be worth writing it down twice as I've achieved it and now have my own website. Thanks to that and some lovely word-of-mouth recommendations I have been able to get some private PR clients! It’s fabulous to have more work and that it is varied too!

www.macmabel.com

93. Have someone trust me to look after their dog or child

Oh dear. Well, I did achieve this literally. However, when it came to the actual looking after, it all ended in tears.

What happened was that my sister asked me back in June if I could look after her son for a weekend in September. I was thrilled by this and said yes, yes, yes! He’s a lovely little boy and I hardly ever see him!

However, I emailed her about it recently and didn’t hear back and assumed it was off. She often cancels things as she’s very busy, so I signed up to do something else on the Saturday.

Then she called me and asked if I could do it. I said yes definitely to the Friday and the Sunday. She went absolutely mad, asking what was the point if I couldn’t do the Saturday. I felt terrible about leaving her in the lurch, so said that I would cancel my course. She’d hung up by then. I called back and tried to tell her that I could do it, but she said I’d already angered her and it was too late. She hung up on me again.

No one now feels very good about this, so if I tick it off my list (as technically she did trust me with her little boy!), at least some good has come of it!! I have also noticed that I put "dog or child" in that order. That should have told me something!!

72. More wild swimming (as it’s £4.30 per swim at the swimming pool!)

Much to my shame, I have only recently discovered that there is an outdoor pool in my town! It’s a beautiful 75m long lido which was originally built in the late 1800s and rebuilt in the 1940s. We’re so lucky to have it (particularly as it’s cheaper than the indoor pool), and I have been making the most of it on overcast days when it’s not packed with children and inflatables.

At first, it was a bit of a stretch to swim a whole length as the pool I’d just cancelled my membership with was a mere 15m. However, with a little practice, it’s now doable and it’s a fabulous feeling to get out of it having completed an hour’s worth of swimming.

If you’re into outdoor swimming, I can’t recommend the beautiful book “Wild Swim” highly enough. It’s packed with such wonderful pictures that you’ll want to pull on your bathing costume.

If you live in London try this inspiring, witty and informative blog:

www.swimmingroundlondon.blogspot.com/

95. Sort out home office

I’ve been working from home for a while and love all the time I’ve saved not having to drive to London every day – a round trip that could sometimes take five hours. Originally the plan was to work from the upstairs bedroom, but I’m comfortable with the dining room table as none of my internet/phone wires extend upstairs. I’ve finally found a balance between my home comforts and my work papers, each one threatening at times to drown out the other. I’ve got rid of all the work journals, books, nicknacks, presentations and paper that I don’t need and work from a simple two shelf in-tray and my laptop. I get so much more done and I have time (while my computer is thinking or I’m between jobs) to do a bit of cleaning!

53. Have an English student and become a homestay mother

I have a very nice student staying with me! So far, I have managed not to poison him and have even imparted some knowledge to him. He’s an 18-year-old French lad and is very pleasant to have in the house. I am enjoying his company and showing him round our town, although he’s here for three weeks so the novelty of the area will wear off tomorrow at the latest....

86. Have someone tell me that I inspire them.

Very strangely, this happened twice on one day, and both on the same day that my mum and sister had spent the morning telling me how useless I was....

I have a very unusual problem. During the night, I suffer from night terrors which quite a few children suffer from, but very few adults. It means that often I half wake up and during this period of half waking and half sleeping, the room is real, but the person standing over me menacingly is not. I usually scream and then fall asleep and forget about it. This means I don’t sleep well, but the real problem is for my poor husband who gets woken up, sees me in distress and also doesn’t get a full night’s sleep.

Unfortunately, this occurs more when I am stressed as I am a bottler of problems. There’s no-one I can speak to about the things that bother me, so my worries tend to manifest themselves at night.

When I had a night terror while my sister was staying with me this weekend, she went absolutely mad at me the next morning, saying she hadn’t had any sleep and that if this carried on, I would make a terrible mother (I am four months pregnant).

Although she implied I’d done it deliberately, I absolutely can’t help it. She yelled at me a bit about how selfish I was. I told her that her shouting wasn’t really helping with the problem, to which she sarcastically said: “OH, it’s MY fault, I am soooo sorry – what can I do for YOU?” before slamming a door in my face.

Now, I mention this so there’s a bit of context to how upset I was, so I went for a swim, and then I thought I’d go for a walk and happened upon an open day at a local monastery. While I was there, a woman came up to me and said she recognised me from when I used to work at the local paper. She then made the connection between myself and my husband and much to my surprise, told me how impressed she was with our hard work and commitment to the community (this would be my husband, not me), but then went onto say that she used to enjoy my newspaper articles and remembered one interview in particular - when I met the wonderful Ken Hom!!

Later on the same day, after I had manoeuvred my now-giant head out of the door, I caught up with my friend who tried to buy me a coffee which is one of the things on my BANNED list for the baby! She guessed immediately and told me that I was a lovely person who would make a wonderful mum which made me cry as it almost cancelled out the heavy doubts that my sister had put into my head.

Thank you to the lovely women who believe in me. Even if it’s not true, your timing could not have been better.

xxx

90. Have more articles published

Done! I've actually done this without giving it too much thought, As is often the way, I've been incredibly busy recently and of course being busy seems to be good for business! I've done some freelance work on all kinds of different subjects and also been invited to do a few entertainment reviews and intereviews at for my old workplace.

Here's the latest which was a review of comedian Arthur Smith:

Sadly, a superinjunction prevented comedian Arthur Smith from appearing at the Corn Exchange on Saturday night, so it was Canadian legend Leonard Cohen who replaced him, coming on stage singing “I’m your man”.....

After throwing off his hat and revealing himself as “Leonard Cohen’s only tribute band”, proceedings continued with one of Smith’s most anticipated and famous jokes; “My name is Arthur Smith, or if there’s anyone here from Streatham Tax Office, my name is Daphne Fairfax”.

“Arthur Smith Exposed!” continued thus with Smith flitting between a couple more old jokes, lots of new jokes (one told in French), poetry recital, audience participation in the form of a woman called “Miss Don’t you Dare!” and anecdotes about his life from his autobiography.

This kind of disjointed show could have been a bit of a mess, however, Arthur Smith is such an affable and likeable host that it all came together as an entertaining showcase of his life rather than an eyesore (although the same might not be said of his “funny pants” that made an appearance early in the second half).

The second half also unfortunately saw him omit his successful Leonard Cohen impressions, but in a reference to his regular appearances on panel shows, particularly the popular BBC show Grumpy Old Men from which he seems best known, audience members were invited to submit on paper the things that got them equally irked.

Smith is a funny man, and rightly described as comedy royalty, having been there at the birth of the “alternative scene”. His easy charm and man-of-the-world delivery endeared him to the crowd, not only thanks to his strength as a raconteur, but also as he’d clearly spent time researching Newbury ie making jokes about Thatcham and reading from the NWN.

In fact, it was his gentle story-telling in that mellifluous voice of his that seemed to be most appreciated. Stories such as his meeting notorious gangster Mad Frankie Fraser while playing Hamlet and about Eric Sykes’ feelings regarding Bruce Forsyth scored highly, as did his brave and deeply personal insights into his father’s WW2 experiences and Smith’s own brush from death from acute necrotising pancreatitis. However, there are plenty more of these anecdotes from his colourful life that he didn’t choose to share which would have been equally well-received, for example, meeting Bill Clinton, his adventures with Denis Healey, and his time at the University of East Anglia where he studied creative writing under the tutelage of Malcolm Bradbury.

His poems – one on Paris and one which paid homage to Rudyard Kipling’s “If” added poignancy and showed off his writing capability and originality, and there are not many comedians who would end their performance with a song about a dancing bear. Great stuff.

88. Do something great in the field of recycling

Gosh this sounds arrogant (which is quite uncharacteristic of me); but I think I was aiming high, trying to do something to stop things going to landfill, such as the thousands of video tapes that head that way every day.

I have been a one-woman campaign to try to reduce the number of carrier bags that are used. Unfortunately, most people actually don't care about this. When I worked in a supermarket, you'd be stunned at how many people got quite tetchy when you asked them if they'd brought a bag. When you decide to do the "weekly shop", why would you turn up without a single carrier bag? I made this point to a woman in Tesco who offered me a bag when I had bought a packet of bread sauce and she was so rude when I said I'd put it into my handbag, that I honestly thought about complaining. But since when did Tesco care?!

Anyway, this isn’t something I can really claim the credit for; this is all MrPBR.
MrPBR is a smashing bloke and has a big heart. Even in his job, he does lovely things every day for the local community. One of these is to fund a local project where anyone in our town who is over the age of 80 gets a Christmas parcel with some festive food inside.

More than 3,000 people qualify, and thanks to a tie up with the supermarket in town (of which there are three from the same chain), each one was to be handed over in a plastic bag. I asked if these could be either linen or a “bag for Life”. MrPBR reports that they’re going to be delivered in a Bag for Life, so hopefully each one of the 3,000 will get reused and reused. I hope so.....

65. See an opera

The last time I went to the opera, it must have been 2003 and it was Carmen, set outdoors in the amazing surroundings of Abbotsbury in Dorset. However, I listed opera again in the 101 in 1001 list, which was quite fortuitous as there was one across the road from my house..

This was also outdoors and it was La Boheme performed by Opera Brava and subsidised by a local charitable organisation called the Greenham Common Trust which supports local organisations and charities. Not only were we fortunate to have our tickets subsidised so that tickets were just £10 each, but we were also lucky that the rain stopped about an hour before the performance!

It was such a lovely evening out, and so wonderful to go to the opera at a fraction of the price of Covent Garden. A look at the current schedule for Tosca sees prices range from 9.70 right at the back to more than £900 for the best seats.

We took a picnic, sat back and enjoyed the amazing music, and fortunately, lyrics sung in ENGLISH!

45. Visit River Cottage

Have I done this one or not? You decide!!

I have managed to tick quite a few items off my list and I have done all of this without the knowledge of my dearly beloved. I am helped, a little, by the fact that he is used to a certain level of eccentricity from me. However, when I announced last week that I had booked a hire car for the day (a convertible) and then asked him if he was free any weekends in July to get down to River Cottage for lunch, he asked me what on earth I was doing.

So I told him about my 101 in 1001 plan, which he actually agreed was a great idea. He let the convertible thing go (it's my birthday next week, so he suggested we try to do it then), but when it came to River Cottage, he said we'd already done it!

"When?" I asked, wondering if I'd been hit on the head.

"Last year, at the Beautiful Days festival in Devon. Don't you remember you bought a veggie burger for £7 from that guy Tim who was on the show last night? That was from the River Cottage stall."

So I'm stumped. Can I tick it off as I got the River Cottage experience, or must I drive down to Devon? I think I'm going to count it!

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...