By: Blonde Two

Today is my birthday – I might have run out of things to say on the blog by next year so I though I would let you know.  The birthday itself has been expected but my new age has come as a bit of a shock.  I have spent the whole year thinking I was a year younger than I really am.  It wouldn’t be lady-like to give the actual number but I have decided that today, I am about half way.  This seems like a special occasion so, as at so many other times in my life, I thought I would write a list.

There seem quite a lot of bucket lists floating around at the moment (loved the film).  However, lists of things to do before you die seem a bit tricky to me – what if you get the timing wrong and run out of things to do?  Or what if you get it wrong the other way and leave this world with an incomplete to-do list?  As the owner of a very long work-based to-do list, I don’t want to wish one on my private life as well.  I do, however, really like the idea of a reverse bucket list.  I have found a few on Twitter and they make really interesting reading.

In a reverse bucket list, you list all of the cool things that you have done so far.  This is a great idea – it doesn’t matter if anyone else thinks they are cool – if you are pleased with them, then they go on the list.  Here is mine – I feel very lucky writing it and hope that the second half is as good as the first has been;

I, Blonde Two, declare that I have:  Spent a year living in New Zealand, planted a field of cabbages, kayaked in white water, catered for fifty people in a tent, raised three children (like planting cabbages but harder), stayed married for 25 years, driven a sports car (very recent), written a poem (long time ago), climbed a few mountains (well walked up them), earned a degree, trained a Ten Tors team, learnt to navigate, eaten snow, driven a tractor (nearly crashed it), won an award for tent pitching, learnt to sail, knitted two Thunderbirds jumpers, ridden a quad bike, used a chain saw and made a fabulous cheese sauce.