It's like riding a bike

So... after owning a bicycle for 2 years and only ever having ridden it around Centennial Park twice, I finally rode my bike to work (and back home) today!  Special thanks to Michelle for being my riding buddy making sure I got there and back safely.  It was fairly easy and is now officially the fastest way for me to get to and from work.  The up ramp to Anzac Bridge and strong headwinds on the way home were not so pleasant and quite challenging, and my calves and various other bits are not so happy with me... however I think I will do it again :) maybe once a week.

With 34 weeks to go, I still have 37 things still to do.  More progress has been made in starting some of them though: I now have a booking for a wine tasting class in early December; I bought my first issue of the Big Issue; I called Gran; I have taken a 'before' photo of my bedroom; I have swiped 'Right (Yes)' to 10 men on Tinder; and AMP are consolidating my super.  Small progress!

Ice Cream Breakfast

This week I have been slowly getting some things done in preparation for crossing them off the list: I bought some juggling balls ready to learn how to juggle; booked the restaurant Vue de Monde for February 2015 (plenty of time to save for that night out!); took Tess of the D'Urbervilles off the book shelf and moved it into the bedroom; downloaded Tinder onto my phone; signed up to the mygov website to 'find my super' (although it appears the super fund I want to transfer all my past funds to is not there in my listing, so now have another project to find it...); and got quotes to stretch the Vietnamese canvas. So I feel like I have had progress this week.

The one thing I did actually complete was to have a crazy breakfast with Lily and Jasper, where the nominated crazy breakfast was Ice Cream (as suggested by Julia)!  So while they were in Sydney this weekend and staying at my place, we thought what a great idea to do it now.  The ice cream was accompanied by healthy sugar and gluten free banana pancakes (which actually tasted quite good with the very sweet gelato!).  The kids loved it and we have another item off the list :-)

The List

 1. Create a Blog (40 before40 list)

 2. Consolidate my Superannuation

 3. Book and plan 2015 trip to Hawaii

 4. Try to organise catch up with long lost friends (Angie in Hawaii and Emma in Perth)

 5. Swim the length of Coogee (or Bronte or Bondi) beach

 6. Do a seafood cooking class at Sydney Fish Markets

 7. Ride my bike to work at least once

 8. Make a roast pork with crackling and serve it at adinner party

 9. Participate in the 2015 Mother’s Day Challenge in Melbourne with Jacqui

10. Make and deliver 2 meals for Karen

11. Read Tess of the d’Urbervilles

12.  Eat at a top 10 Australian restaurant – Vue deMonde (Melbourne)

13. Re-start blood donations

14. Be able to do 10 chin ups non-stop

15. Steer a short course OC6 race

16. Eat at Chiswick (Sydney)

17. Go on a date and subsequent 2nd date(unless he is a psycho where final interpretation of this label is confirmed by Jacqui and/or Julia)

18. Compete in a ski race

19. Reunite Phoenix and McIntyre

20. Pay off Car Loan, flights to Hawaii and Credit Card

21. Successful application for the PD's canoes to move over to theGlebe Foreshore for storage

22. Get involved in a Macquarie Foundation philanthropic initiative

23. Get Vietnam canvas paintings stretched

24. Participate in the following: (i) attend the launch party of Hinge singles App with Cath (ii) sign up to Tinder (and swipe yes to 10 men)

25. Aim to buy the Big Issue every month

26. Do a Jetpack session

27. Complete a bedroom overhaul (i.e. tidy, clean & organise)

28. Visit a fortune teller

29. Learn to whistle & click (Replaced with: Perform a Skipping routine in front of a small audience)

30. Call / Skype Gran every month

31. Learn to steer a dragon boat

32. Do the Taronga Zoo Roar & Snore sleepover

33. Learn how to draw at least 5 animals with skill OR attend a life drawing session

34. Play tennis

35. Be Vegetarian for 1 month

36. Have a 'crazy' breakfast with Lily and Jasper (as determined by Lily and Jasper)

37. Learn how to tap dance

38. Learn how to juggle

39. Sing a song, video it and post it on Youtube (involves a family performance with Lily and Jasper singing and potentially Adam playing guitar)

40. Attend a wine tasting course
BONUS: Visit a country I have never been to before

What is this all about?

This blog has come about because on the 23rd June 2015 I will be turning 40... So, I have created a list (with the help of family and friends) of 40 things to do before I turn the big 4-0.  The aim is to get all of them done.  

The list has a variety of things included: learning new skills; sport challenges; eating and cooking food activities; free, cheap and expensive activities; activities with optional participation from family and friends; activities giving back to the community; some fun, some embarrassing, some challenging, some boring, some essential etc etc etc.  

And, first cab off the rank is this blog... '#1 To create a blog', so I guess this will be like a diary of all the 40 activities for the next 8-odd months.