Nailed it

The next challenge was to have a manicure. Erin volunteered to go with me so I booked a session at my gym, Bannatyne's in Luton.
We went into The Sensory area, the reception was empty and in semi-darkness, but in a soothing and calming way. No staff were in sight, so I opened the door to the inner sanctum, and saw a corridor with candles lighting the way to the doors off of it, but still no staff. Went back to reception area to wait, after all, we were earlier than our 12.30 appointment.

When the 2 beauticians arrived, they asked us to choose our nail colour, and I chose a shade of lilac, Erin went for Inkjet, a lovely midnight blue shade. Then into the treatment room, where we sat with our hands on a towel-covered bench. The room was relaxing and calm, mood-music playing softly in the background.  The girls were chatty and friendly, putting us at our ease as they applied some sort of cream to our cuticles and rubbed it in gently. We had to place one hand onto a strange hand-bath, shaped like a clam seashell, or perhaps a lemon-squeezer, filled with warm water to soften the cuticles, while she worked on the other hand, working the cuticles back gently. Then a base coat was applied, followed by 2 layers of the chosen colour.
Finally, a top coat of something clear was applied to add shine.

It was a lovely experience, being pampered and attended to in such a professional and friendly manner. Afterwards we sat in the foyer of the gym, hardly daring to move for an hour in case we wrecked the lovely job on our nails. Eventually we managed to prise our purses out of our handbags to get some coffee, and no damage was done. It was a nice experience, my nails look good, and it was great to spend quality time with my friend Erin.

4 done, 46 to go...

Taekwondo, or Taekwondon't?

Tuesday evening, and I go with Sam to Challney Boys High School. Dark and raining, we are not sure where to go, but have been told the gym is round the back. Scared and nervous, we find a door and venture inside. The gym is a large hall with a wooden floor, lines painted on it, low benches around the edges, I am certain nothing much has changed since I was a girl in the school-next-door back in the 70s, the faint smell of sweat and cabbage, the high ceiling, and a cold fear comes over me as I remember PE lessons and the torture and humiliation they inflicted on us.....

The Taekwondo teacher is immediately welcoming, getting us to sit on a bench while pupils arrive. With dread, I see that everyone else is either a child or a young man, I feel like a fish out of water. Plus everyone else is wearing those martial arts dressing gown things with pyjamas, in a fetching white or black. Ah, one woman turned up, that is encouraging.

Time for the warm up. Run round the hall, go on, keep going. We get lapped several times as we trot along, thinking how relieved that I remembered to wear my sport's bra. STOP. 10 Sit-ups. Then run the other way round the hall, for what seemed like ages. STOP. 50 push-ups. Excuse me?! We just watch in errr...admiration. Eventually we get round to the main event. We learn how to kick! In pairs, we hold on to the other and kick out to the side and behind. Now a demonstration as we all sit on the floor in neat rows. The teachers demands, and gets, absolute attention and silence as he explains what is next. We are given a blue block, a sort of kick-cushion with handles one side. Teacher demonstrates with star pupil, and we learn to use 3 different kicks. We use the ball of the foot, then the side and finally the front of the foot, kicking at the pad held by our partner. Sam can't help but apologise each time she makes contact, and I find myself saying sorry too! It is really hard work, but good fun, and we have a laugh about the situation.

So, that is No. 3 completed, hurrah! Not sure if I will ever do it again, but I can say I have had a taekwondo lesson.

Number 2 was messy

Today I planted crocuses in the shape of my name, which is the 2nd thing I can cross off my list of 50, it is No. 29 on the list, but the order is pretty random.

I bought 5 black square tubs from Homebase, and planted the bulbs, in letter in each tub. Today is a lovely November day, sunny and still. But yesterday early evening we did the first part of the process in the dark, under the intermittent glare of the ourdoor security light! D drilled some holes in the bases of the pots for drainage, then we scrabbled around for pebbles and stones to put in the bottom - since the pots are deep and crocuses do not need THAT much soil. Then we found we had enough compost for only 4 pots, so I would either have to be JANE, or go and buy some more - I opted to buy more compost.

This morning I painted a letter of my name on each pot, discreetly under the rim, so that I would know which pot was which. Then I planted all 5 letters, did some spares in case of mishaps, watered the pots, and hey presto, No.2 can be crossed off my List!

One week on...

My 2nd item from the list is Plant Crocuses in the Shape of my Name - I have bought 5 square pots, a big bag of compost, and lots of bulbs.
On Saturday, we are going to drill holes in the pots for drainage, then get on and plant the bulbs, 1 letter in each of the 5 pots, so that I can cross off the 2nd item.

My son John had a go at teaching me how to solve a Rubik's Cube - he can do it is just over a minute, and has managed less than a minute a few times. So - he gave me a few tips, and I thought I had the basic concept, but when I tried again on my own later on, I had remembered NOTHING. So this one will take quite a while to learn, I think I lost concentration once John started talking about algorithms...??

1 down, 49 to go

Yesterday was my 50th birthday, and I had a lovely time, thanks for asking!

Got the first one from my list done, hurrah! My ears are now pierced.
Ok ok, so I admit I had them done many years ago, when I was perhaps 19 or so, but they had long since healed up. I have been thinking of having them done again for some time now, so it was a good opportunity to incorporate this onto The List.

The List of 50

So...now I am 50, the Task Begins.

This is the list of the 50 things I must tick off by 7th November 2013:

12 months to do all 50, from 8/11/2012 to 7/11/2012

Must be things I have never done, or at least not done for 20 years.

1. Write a blog for the whole year
2. Try to get on a tv quiz show
3. Meet up with old school or college friends Wendy, Vicky, Julie
4. Get my ears pierced
5. Learn to solve a Rubik's Cube
6. Have a ‘flight’ on The London Eye
7. Knit a Dennis The Menace jumper for Carl
8. Have a tattoo
9. Learn to make éclairs
10. Visit Iceland
11. See the Northern Lights
12. Have a Manicure
13. Have a Pedicure
14. Colonic irrigation
15. Write a short story
16. Visit Bath
17. Watch a horror movie
18. Dye my hair a new colour
19. Refurbish or re-upholster a chair
20. Visit Hay on Wye book festival
21. Watch the classic film Citizen Kane
22. Have a box at a theatre
23. Read Anna Karenina
24. Visit London Dungeon
25. Write a song
26. Grow a pumpkin
27. Make my own body lotion with home-grown ingredients
28. Tae Kwondo – take a lesson
29. Plant crocuses in shape of my name
30. Invent a cocktail
31. Visit Florence
32. Go Glamping - i.e. glamorous camping
33. Organise a charity event for Alzheimer’s
34. Teach my children how to use the washing machine and iron
35. Get lost – take a bus, any bus
36. Compliment everyone you meet for a day
37. Learn tapestry or cross-stitch
38. Make jam from grown or foraged fruit
39. Post a video on youtube
40. Get a letter published in local paper
41. Draw a portrait of my sons
42. Eat only raw food for a week
43. Learn a dance
44. Find the origin of the family word – Diddlum
45. Visit the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
46. Get a special photo taken of me and my family
47. Create an artwork from ‘found’ items
48. Make a quilt
49. See a Shakespeare play that I have not seen before
50. Walk some of Hadrian’s Wall