Happy Un-Birthday to me!

hh so it’s the day before my birthday and as I sit at my desk at work feeling all mature and smug I look down and notice I have a stripe of toothpaste right across my top. Classy!
I think this kinda sets the tone for the year to come really. “Tries hard but somehow always ends up grotty”.

I always like to reflect a little when my b’day rolls around. So what are a few of the best things that have happened in the last year.

Starting my correspondence course – despite struggling to get back into the study thing, deciding and signing up for this was a pretty major thing. It signalled a new direction in my life. It told me that my obsession with food was not just a passing fancy but a real and abiding interest. It took that obsession and moved it to the next level, from hobby to lifestyle. And although there are no thoughts of career changes now, it’s given me options….should I ever want them.

Learning to ski. Not so major in some peoples minds but it’s always bugged me how I never got back (after the previous disastrous experience) and showed that mountain who was boss. Now the mountain might still be laughing at me but at least I can get down it without bursting in to tears of sheer terror!!

Sorting out where I want to be in 10 years time. Not all the details are set in concrete but the dream is in place. We definitely want a reasonable amount of land with which to populate with pigs n other animals. Self sufficiency (or as near as damn it) is our lofty goal, a higher quality of health and life our aim. I think the big thing about this (cause I’ve known about it for a bit longer than a year) is that it’s not a huge goal. There’s no longer any dreams of being famous or fabulously wealthy, just a realisation of how we want to live our lives. And I’m happy with that.

Getting back in to knitting. It was a slow start but finally I made the leap from plain scarf knitter extraordinaire to someone who can actually knit a garment. An incredibly proud moment for me!! And not only did I finish a garment….but I immediately cast on another one! I’m hooked!

And where do I want to be in a year’s time (thought this might be interesting to look back on)

I think the obvious one is finished my course. That would be a real achievement for me after so many years of not studying. What I’ll do with the knowledge is yet to be decided but actually finishing the course is the first step.

Still knitting…..by this time next year I’d like to have mastered socks, be competent with most patterns and perhaps experimenting with lace. I like the look of lace….it’s prutty.

I’d like to think I’ll finally have picked up some fluency in Italian but it’s been on my list for a few years now and so I somehow doubt it.

Travel wise I would like to have climbed the volcano Stromboli, seen Moscow and Ireland.

I’d like to have taken a pottery course, learned how to make sushi and picked up a few more jewellery making skills.

I’d like to master bread making (in a machine) for brown, wholemeal and rye breads….I can do white but the others just don’t seem to work as well.

I’d like to finally get it in to my head about shutter speed and aperture and how to use them when taking photos. I know in theory but using it in practise is another matter for my brain.

Oh….and learnt not spitting on myself when I’m brushing my teeth….

Strange how there’s always more I can think of to do, than what can I remember I’ve done!