30 before 30

It’s February, we survived the first month of 2021 and I feel like January has 61 days instead of the 31. 

The evenings are getting lighter and daffodils are out in the shops. It is also my birthday and I’m a year away from turning 30. I’ve decided to try and do 30 things before I turn 30. Some of them are simple things like go to a zoo and some are going to Rome or unplug for the weekend. I know that I won’t complete some of them due to the coronavirus restrictions. But I can always try! 

Here they are below: 

1. Read 12 books; 

This works out at a book a month which doesn’t seem to bad. Some include Little Women, Great Expectations, The 7 Harry Potters. 

2. Learn to bake shortbread well; 

I need to perfect this. I’ve tried it once but haven’t got the hang of it just yet.

3. Visit the Lake District; 

I’ve seen photos and the Lakes and it look stunning and due to the fact we are in Lockdown and trips aboard may not be happening for a while. Staycations seem to be on the rise. Just look at Lake Windermere, it's stunning and look at the autumn colours in this photo! What's not to love! 

Photo by Jacqueline O'Gara on Unsplash

4. Learn to bake bread;

I feel like this is one of the things that you got to know how to do before you reach 30. I feel like it screams adult. I love to bake so I haven’t got a problem in learning to do that. 

5. Go Gin Tasting;

Tom and I both love our gin, there are so many different favours of gin and so many different favours of tonics it hard to know what to pair with what. So I would love to go gin tasting either online or in person. Online is probably more likely at the moment due to COVID.  

Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash

6. Get a Promotion; 

I feel like I have developed at work with my CPD so you never know. 

7. Try something new; 

It's 2021, I feel like now more than ever we should try something new, something that we may never really do, something a little different, something out of our comfort zone. So that is my aim before I hit the big 3 0, I know that wax melts are in at the moment as well as crafting and personalising items with a Cricut machine and that what I am going to try and do. I've got a make your wax melt kit in Hobbycraft over Christmas. I just need to find some time to do that!

8. Volunteer at a Food Bank;

I feel like we need to give back, now more than ever. We have serval food banks nearby by. If I can’t do that at the moment due to COVID or work commitments then I will donate regularly by putting an extra couple of cans into our weekly shop.

9. Start bullet journaling;

I’ve wanted a bullet journal for a while, I have just seen really cool things that you can do with them. You can track your mood, habits, sleep and much more. Hopefully I will be able to keep it up and it won’t be something I start and don’t finish.

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

10. Unplug for the weekend;

Again, we are in lockdown and have been in and out of lockdown for over a year or so it feels like it. We are spending our days and evening scrolling through social media. So I feel like this would be beneficial for my husband and I and we will be able to explore our local area and it will give us both a break from social media and our phones. There is also many scientific benefits for unplugging for the weekend and surely I can do this for one weekend before I turn 30.

11. Get fit;

I know I am not the only one that feels that these lockdowns has had an impact on our weight. I feel like I spend my evening snacking and watching TV but it is cold and there isn’t much we can do. So my aim to run a 5k or complete couch to 5k.

12. Actually blog;

During the first Lockdown, my talented husband built me a website for me to blog. It was great when I was off work on furlough but getting back to work and other life commitments have got in the way so my aim is to blog fortnightly if not monthly.

Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash

13. Learn Makaton up to level 2; 

I’m currently learning Makaton level 1, it’s an online course over two Saturday mornings. I just need to learn and practice the signs and keep them up. But it means that I’m halfway to reaching this goal!

14. Cycle around the New forest;

We don’t live too far away from the New Forest, we could easily make a long weekend and explore the New Forest and what better way to do that than on a bike.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

15. Travel around Scotland;

I’ve seen vlogs and photos and it looks stunning. I feel like we will have to choose the right time of year and not get attacked by bugs or get drenched in the rain. Here are a few places on my bucket list Trossachs National Park, Jedburgh Abbey, Scottish Highlands. 

Photo by Craig Bradford on Unsplash

16. Go to a drive-in cinema; 

Tom and I went to a drive-in comedy last summer and I loved it. I think a movie would equally be fun and more COVID safe than going to the cinema. Hopefully these events will start to open for the summer and we can enjoy these sort of things again

17. Grow some herbs/vegetables and keep them alive;

Seeing as we live in a flat this may not be possible but we have had a little garden herb window pot but they soon didn't survive. Maybe we didn't water them enough or they just died but it would be nice to keep them alive to use some herbs in our cooking. 

18. Make my own gin;

For Christmas, Tom and I both brought each other gin-making kits to do at home. Although we have so much gin to get through before we do this but it seems pretty cool to try. 

19. Successfully make our own pizza;

One of my favourite meals is pizza, Tom and I have tried to make our own but it either gets stuck to the tray or doesn't turn out quite right. Clearly isn't not going to turn out like the photo below. Tom and I have tried one of those do it yourself pizza kits that companies are doing during lockdown.

Photo by Sahand Hoseini on Unsplash

20. Host a dinner party;

This is clearly dependent on the coronavirus restrictions but it would be so lovely to have some people around for dinner. It is one thing I really miss socialising with friends and cooking for people. 

21. Learn calligraphy; 

During our quarantine from Crete, I purchased some calligraphy books and really got into practising every day then quarantine was over and I went back to work so that went back on the bookshelf and forgotten about. But it would be great to back to it. 

22. Finish decorating our flat; 

We moved into our flat at the end of 2019 and lockdown has given us spare time to decorate most of our flat and make it our own. We have the spare bedroom and bathroom to go as well as some touching up to do here and there (one of our kitchen cupboards doesn't have doors). But it will be nice to complete the decorating the flat. 

23. Have a baby!?

Is there ever the right time for this.

24. Eat pizza and ice cream in Italy;

We have booked to go to Rome at the end of April, it was meant to in June last year but clearly that isn't going to happen. But it would be great to eat pizza and ice cream in Italy when the world gets back to normal. 

25. Try 3 new restaurant for date nights;

Again, this is very dependent on the Coronavirus but I would love to try some restaurants around Brighton for some date nights when the world goes back to normal and the hospitality sector needs all the help they can get after being closed for so long. 

26. Hold a wine and cheese night;

This is also dependant on the coronavirus restrictions but it would be so lovely to have some people around for some cheese and wine and maybe some games as I said before I miss people!

27. Give blood;

This has been on my to-do this for a while and I haven't got around to do it. But now more than ever they are facing extra challenges to provide hospitals with the blood, plasma and platelets that they need. 

28. Go to a spa; 

Again, this is COVID dependent (half my list is so Boris better start lifting some of these restrictions soon). But I also feel like this is also a very adult thing to do and would be fun to do although I am super ticklish so it may not be the best idea but some spas have saunas etc so that would be good and some afternoon tea. 

29. Sponsor an animal;

Again this is something that I have always waited to do. I know that some animals are endangered and may not be around in years to come so it would be great to support a charity that helps keep animals in our world.

30. Go to a zoo;

I haven't been to a zoo since I was a child and I loved it so I would love to visit one now and have a day out once Coronavirus restrictions have been lifted a little, surely by the spring? 

That's my list, I've got a year to complete it so let's see how many I can cross off before I am 30!