Challenge updates

It has been taking an awfully long time to get through my challenge list - mostly based on time available as some need more time than others - but also if financially I can realistically achieve it in the near future to get 50 done before I reach 60!!

So it is time to review my challenges and make sure they are achievable and actually a challenge and not just something I fancy doing. So I will be going through them all and assessing each one to see whether it needs to go on the bucket list or if it can stay as a challenge.

I will also look at some of the ones I have already done and see if they were indeed challenging - and justify how - if not they will be put on the 'extras list' at the end and replaced too. I will be writing extra info on each one to explain why it is a challenge to me.



Due to a change in circumstances I will be having more free time from July this year and intend to get stuck in and get them all crossed off!

Watch this space for updates - the review might take a few days.

No 18 Learn how to drive a bus and get a PCV licence (1)

I actually completed this challenge on 29th November 2016 but have been so incredibly busy I have not had time to write this up!!  What an amazing experience it was learning how to drive a 40ft long double decker bus!!

4 weeks of intensive training (including how to deal with cyclists!), 3 written exams, 2 weeks with a mentor learning routes and I was released into the community armed with a very large vehicle!!

I must say I am having the most amazing time, it is sooooo much fun! All the other bus drivers are great and so supportive; I am one of only 15 women in Stagecoach Oxfordshire that is qualified to drive a bus ha ha!

Onwards for the year to get some more challenges complete - I may have to update some of them so watch this space :) 

No 17 Choose 50 favourite songs (12)

Here they are!
My favourite songs of all time!

No 16 Visit Somewhere haunted (25)

How could I pass up the opportunity to spend the night in the London Tombs. So Chloe and I set off to be spooked, haunted, scared and otherwise freaked out in a tourist attraction which is set in the tombs of London. There have been many reports of spooky sightings in this place so armed with torches, we arrived with trepidation!

After a tour of where we were to be spending the night, it was clear there were going to be some interesting times ahead. We were divided into groups and sent off into different parts of the tombs to conduct a ghost hunting activity; we were dutifully rotated round throughout the night.

First stop a darkened corridor where we attempted to summon up the spirits of the tombs, asking them to turn a torch on to let us know they were there. It did go darker at times, if that is possible, but maybe it was our eyes!

A little fun to be had in the Ouija Board room, apparently a little girl called Queenie aged 8 was there as our glass moved rather quicker than I though was possible with 5 people touching it with little fingers and outstretched arms. Who knows!

 After another stop in a darkened area, an attempt to do table tipping and a roam around on our own, we decided that ghost hunting was tiring stuff and maybe there were too many people on this one. It was good fun though as you never know what could be behind you!

No 15 Write down something I am grateful for every week in 2015 (7)

I kept to this and wrote down something in a lovely bound book for every week of the year. I have continued to do so too as it was such a good thing to look back over a week and find something positive and good that stood out to me - however large or small - I was grateful there was always something.

   

No 14 Do one thing from my Bucket List (45)

Half of me wants to write so much about this but the other half wants to remain respectful of where I went and the reason for its existence.

In January I went with my daughter to Krakow, Poland to visit Auschwitz. I have no relatives that were there, I don't know anyone who was there and I haven't met anyone who was there in my entire 50 years, and I have travelled a lot. However, it is not surprising I haven't met anyone - it was a death camp.

I wanted to go to show my respects to the millions of people who not only died and suffered there, but at all the camps under Nazi rule. As a child the shock that human beings could behave in that manner has stayed with me my entire life. I will never get used to the fact that people can go beyond the cruel to the nonchalant about human suffering.

I was concerned at first that Auschwitz would be a horrific tourist site, I was wrong. Yes there were a lot of visitors, but the atmosphere was mostly one of respect rather than voyeuristic; just the odd over zealous photographer.

I am glad I heard their story, it needs to be told for many years to come. This photograph I hope reflects the gravity of Auschwitz; I will always keep their plight in my heart.

No 13 Spend a whole day with each of my children (19)

Why was this a challenge?  Having 3 adult children with busy lives and 1 living 2 hours away meant it was tricky to spend a whole day with just them.  Of course we all wanted to make sure we did the challenge and are now planning to do it every year - I recommend it!  So often I see my family but in groups, or at events; having a day to just be... we had the opportunity to remember what we like about each other and how much we love each other.

Spent the day with Sara at a spa - what a treat, healthy juices and lunch, lovely massage and facial, quick jog in the gym topped off by a swim, a stint in the steam room and ending with a relaxing spell in the jacuzzi! To say we talked for England was an understatement - but we soon put the world to rights and vowed to do it again in the not too distant future.

Spent the day with George that ended up with another challenge being ticked off my list!  He treated me to an open air concert at Blenheim Palace to see Ludovico Einaudi - magical!  The sunset we had to some of the most beautiful music in the world was a very emotional moment; yes I had a tear!!

Spent a few days with Chloe on other challenges but the day in question that was so meaningful was when we visited so many of the places I lived when I was younger for the front door challenge.  It was quite emotional for me to visit so many in one day and to talk about what I remembered with Chloe as she wanted to know more about my history; it was a nice moment between mother and daughter.

No 12 Take a Ferrari for a test drive (11)

Not only did I get to drive a Ferrari I drove an Aston Martin as well!  

 This bright red car oozed super car; it was sporty, low and ready to go. I eased in to the leather driving seat and could feel the car purring at me; waiting for my foot on that gas pedal!  Edging slowly to the start of the track, my foot wanted to slam down and GO!  As I pulled on to the right hand side my instructor said "foot down all the" - who was I to refuse....  I took it round 3 short laps, navigated the twists and turns until finally, it was over My instructor was very pleased. said he had never been asked so many questions by a woman before and I had handled the car very smoothly. What can I say - I am a Ferrari girl!



Next up the Aston Martin. It was an automatic with paddles on the steering wheel so it took a lap to

get used to it. Still, I soon got it and got it up to a fast speed, not as nippy as the Ferrari on pulling away or when changing gear.  It was definitely something I had never thought I would do but my heart lies with that bright red, brashy supercar!

No 11 Cable car over the Thames (17)

My sister Alex treated me to a day out to complete the challenge of going over the Thames on the cable car. As I have vertigo this could have been a difficult challenge! To make it more of a challenge she decided we would also climb the 02 (The Millennium Dome) - yes - climb up to the top and back down again! It was a nice climb up, quite windy but not cold, brilliant views on the way up and down.  The viewing platform at the top is interesting and we really could see far and wide over London. It was harder to come down as the angle was steep and we had to go slowly on the harness links, even though I suggested we all slide down the side on our bums, 007 style! 

365m round, 52m high

The walkway over the dome

Harnessed up!

Nice clear day

Windy at the top!

                       

Off to the cable car                                                 Don't forget my medal

Only 5 minute wait for the cable car despite a queue, it was surprisingly stable when we got in. Usually there is an element of swaying, especially when it is windy but it was hardly noticeable if there was any.  We shared the car going over the first time but the views were breathtaking and our companions just as much in awe. They got out when we crossed and we had the whole car to ourselves on the way back so i took some fab photos and videos too.

An awesome view

Really incredible

Forgot the Thames is so wide!

and so big!

What a day for heights.......

....the Shard!

No 10 - Go to the top of The Shard (6)

This challenge was completed on my Birthday with friends and family. We stayed in a hotel next to London Bridge after my party and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do this challenge.

It was a beautiful sunny day and London was looking good! I was a little surprised to experience vertigo though. Never having had an issue with heights before I wasn't worried about looking down, in fact it was amazing seeing the full 360 panorama! Stepped out of the lift and the dizziness and nausea set in - very strange I must say but I had a great time and did complete the challenge!

Getting ready to go up

Tower Bridge

Started to get vertigo!

HMS Belfast

Ooh very whooshy now!

The London Eye

At the top - it was amazing!

No 9 - Write personal letters (42)

I wanted to make this challenge a very special one. I originally thought I might write a letter for each person on their Birthday, but then I realised that it would only be a surprise for the first couple of people. I thought then to maybe do it for Christmas, but then there would be so many other things going on and other gifts that it might be seen as just a Christmassy thing, and I wanted it to be a something from me thing!

When I decided to give golden goody boxes as a little something for my Birthday guests I realised it was the perfect opportunity to pop a note/card into each box of the people I wanted to write to. This would mean it would be a surprise for everyone at the same time and also give me a lot of pleasure spending some time thinking and writing about all the people I love and the wonderful quirks and traits they have!

So I popped each note into the goody box and it was such a pleasure to hear how much they were appreciated. I loved this challenge as it was all about everyone else and not me!

Coloured notes and dinky envelopes!

The golden goody boxes

No 8 - Make my own Birthday Cake (20)

This was always going to be a good challenge as I am not a baker! I can make lovely savoury dishes but cakes, always a hodgepodge!  Still, I have 2 facts about my cakes: 1 - they always taste lovely, 2 - they always look as if they are about to fall over; and this cake did not disappoint!

First thing to do, make an extra large cake board as I was going big! An old cork board and some cardboard boxes did the trick....

Just a simple cork board!

Ta da! 

 Then I found out that too much chocolate dries out cake and also that ganache can curdle!!

Oh dear....

Curdled ganache - yuk!

 If it doesn't stick together then try kitkat scaffolding as a support structure, tasty and effective. Then if it looks a bit like it might just all fall apart, bring in the fondant icing!

Starting to look like a ship

Kit kat scaffolding!

Cover it up, lol.

It might still fall over but I discovered that a garden brick covered in gold tissue paper holds a cake up nicely and can even add to the overall effect!!

Secret support wall..

 

Let the decorating commence

Yummy chocolate...

Time to get creative

Ta da!