44 things update

Remember my '44 things to do while I am 44' list?  Well, time's up! I turned 45 on January 1st,  and have been reviewing my list.  Here's how it went: 

44 things to do while I am 44

1. Write a small stone every day in January - Done - well, every weekday :)
2. Take the  Blogging from the Heart e-course - Done
3. Take the Photo Meditations e-course thanks to a special offer, I have the ebook and will be working through it. 
4. Learn to crochet. I tried and failed years ago, then again last year. Third time lucky? - still working on it. A friend has volunteered to teach me a different way this year, so looking forward to that.
5. Become healthier. I won't bore you or myself with the details here, but I have a plan involving poundage to lose, exercise to enjoy force myself into, sleep to get proper amounts of and fresh air to breathe occasionally... about all I managed was eating a low GI diet, on and off, which helps a bit with the CFS. I lost a few pounds too, but only a few. 
6. Write more letters - Done, but Could Do Better.
7. Work on the To Be read pile, actually more of a small bookcase than a pile - read a few, and used the library almost exclusively this year, so not many books added to the TBR bookcase
8. Fill my moleskin sketchbook with drawings - nope, not even started. I took part in an online drawing course, which got me briefly enthusiastic, and then it got a bit more difficult and my enthusiasm fizzled out.
9. Write. I find so many excuses not to. As a start I am working my way through 'Old Friend from Far Away', by Natalie Goldberg, one of my birthday presents - just writing here as usual, and on my joint blog with Jennifer, Notes Across the Sea
10. Learn more about my fabulous new camera - nope. I love it, but then I hate learning how to use new gadgets. When I got my first smartphone the Prof had to work out to use it and ten explain it to me....
11. Choose and print our wedding photos, put in albums/frame - some albums done! 
12. Organise all my old photos into albums - nope. Given up and packed them back away in the loft.
13. Organise all my digital photographs, print some and put in albums - nope. Backed them up though, which I'd not done before. It's a start!
14. Learn how to back up the computer and do it regularly (I know) - Does getting the Prof to do it count?
15. Paint the garden bench again - as it has more or less rained for 365 days and 365 nights in the last year, no.
16. Paint the doorsteps - see above.
17. Make a birthday cake, in fact, bake in general. I don't know why I never have, really, as I enjoy cooking. This may be incompatible with aspects of number 5, we will see how it goes! - no. Still don't even possess a cake tin. I got a rolling pin for Christmas, but then we have just started a diet healthy eating plan, so I don't see baking in my immediate future. I might make a birthday cake later in the year, though, if I get those cake tins. 
18. Renew my passport - on hold until I manage to remember where I have put my birth certificate.
19. Go out with the Prof for proper London pie, mash and liquor - yes!
20. Grow sweet peas from seed my mini greenhouse broke, due to a combination or being flung around the garden by weather of biblical proportions, and next door's huge cat jumping on it. Bought some plants instead.
21. Grow vegetables see above 
22. Keep a list of all the books I read this year - Yes!
23. Make some presents - a few knitted things, yes. 
24. Keep a record of what meals we have and new recipes we try, for inspiration when it’s lacking - started a list a couple of times and lost them. I still think it would be a great idea to do this, maybe I will get to it eventually.
25. Declutter every room in the house - hah
26. Declutter the loft and the shed - made a good start on the loft
27. Sell some unwanted things on ebay - no...
28. Have a boot sale -  and again, no...
29. Put the proceeds aside for a few days away - well, we had a few days away a few times, so can I have half a point even though I didn't raise the money myself? 
30. Learn how to put eyeliner on - I can put it on, but then I can't really leave the house for fear of frightening small children. 
31. Go to London more - hospital appointments don't count, right?
32. Visit Kew Gardens - see number 15
33. Go on a London Walk - ditto
34. Go on a picnic - ditto
35. Go out for a drive through Kent to see the bluebells yes
36. Visit this restaurant again - it's quite a way from where we live, so not yet.
37. Establish a routine for dealing with house stuff and prevent me from getting overwhelmed - of course not.
38. Create a comfort drawer - no
39. Visit the Isle of Wight We visited Hay-on-Wye instead. IOW another time. 
40. Streamline wardrobe, work out what I need to fill gaps and get those items - made a start
41. Buy some dresses and skirts - I hate shopping. I did get a few things, mostly online.
42. Grow my hair colour out (hello grey!) Not quite sure I have the courage, we will see - Decided I am definitely not ready for this yet.
43. Find and buy some non-stretch jeans if any still exist in the world in my size - found some jeans that I like, finally. I think they have a little stretch, but they are ok. 
44. Personalise our 3 new red felt Christmas stockings BEFORE next year’s Christmas frenzy - no, and I stuffed the Prof's one so full this Christmas it got holes in, so I need to buy at least one new one. 

I don't think I will ever complete all the items on whatever list I write. There are things that appear on both my lists that I still haven't done (43 things list from 2011 here), and other things that I change my mind about within weeks of writing them. Sometimes I have a great idea for a project in the morning and have gone off the idea by the afternoon! It's been fun having a list of things to inspire me though, and I enjoy checking in through the year to see how I am doing. I'm still thinking about what I'd like to do this year.