2024 was a bit of a roller coaster ride, especially the early months, when we, sadly, lost several family members and a couple of friends. All except one of whom were very similar in age to ourselves. Losing people close to you, does make you realise how precious each day should be.
In amongst the sad days, we have, however, managed to enjoy some happy adventures and been able to make more memories. Having just celebrated my 64th birthday, I am another year closer to my next “significant” birthday and have been reflecting on the Countdown List, I originally made in the lead up to my last “significant” birthday, which was scuppered by the pandemic.
We have been fortunate enough to experience and enjoy, amongst a host of other outings, a further 12 wishes from my list of retirement dreams, hopefully enchanting you all as you have read our stories 🥰
Countdown to 65 journey – blogged in 2024:-
No 3 – Carmen – The opera had been recommended to us by friends, and we were able to enjoy a performance, when one of our local theatres hosted the Ukrainian Opera and Ballet theatre company, with said friends.
No 14 – Discover Chatham Historic Dockyard, including a tour of the set of Call the Midwife – We have watched the programme Call the Midwife since it began. Many of the scenes are filmed at the Dockyards in Chatham. My daughter and her hubby kindly bought me tickets for a tour and afternoon tea for my birthday. What a lovely day we had, walking the streets of the series and learning the history of the dockyards.
Now every time we watch the programme we can recognise the streets we walked, on that sunny day last year.
No 31 – Try an Escape Room – The Bestie had long hankered after attempting an escape room, so we bought her a game we could try, alongside them, in the comfort of her home. It was good fun and although we didn’t quite break our way out within the timescale, it gave us an insight into working together to solve clues. Later in the year, we made our way to Tunbridge Wells to try our hands and minds at cracking the clues enabling our break out of jail. It was hilarious and we just made it in time. We have now been gifted another one to try at home. An evening we need to plan. 👍
No 36 – Visit the Theatre More – It’s certainly been a very busy year visiting a variety of theatres, watching a variety of productions. From West End plays, to Musicals, Local Am Dram, Opera and Comedy, we have enjoyed 16 different performances and have already starting booking for 2025 🎭
No 37 – Experience the Lord Mayors Parade – We have often watched the parade, to celebrate the investiture of the new Lord Mayor of London, on television. Having enjoyed its colourful spectacle and with theatre tickets also booked, we took a two day trip to the City. Despite it being early November, with a chill in the air it was not too cold to line the streets and watch the incredibly colourful and cheerful parade. The atmosphere was so friendly and happy, but wasn’t overly busy so we had a fabulous view.
No 47 – Explore the Houses of Parliament – The vast Houses of Parliament offer several different tours. They are very popular and we had waited so long after buying tickets that we’d almost forgotten about them. We chose to visit Speakers House, where the current Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, resides. Accessing Parliament is like passing through airport security and once through, you’re not free to roam wherever you choose nor take photos in most areas. But our guide was very informative, imparting his knowledge of the history of the House, together with some of the modern day role of the Speaker. We enjoyed the trip so much, that we have now booked to climb the Elizabeth Tower to see Big Ben.
No 48 – Visit more of the UK’s Historic Houses, Palaces and Gardens – Since retiring we have tried to get out of the house on a regular basis to explore what hidden secrets our local area has to offer. I am a great believer in finding discounts and keeping a few of our hard earned pennies in our own pockets. Getting out and about certainly helped us through 2024, and as my recent post explained, after the initial outlay, purchasing memberships definitely saved us a few bob 💷
No 58 – Experience the Wonders of Krakow – A trip to the historic Polish city had long been on my wish list and a trip with friends due in my 60th year was cancelled 1st by the travel restrictions and the following year by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Poland accommodating those fleeing the war. We finally made it in 2024 and what a stunning City it is. The people are so friendly and welcoming. They are very proud of their history and the buildings are beautifully maintained. We tried some of the local delicious food washed down with cherry vodka………… Oh the cherry vodka!!! delightful but lethal 😳. Wonderful memories, made all the more special as they were some of the last we made with our friend Gaz 💔
No 59 – Visit Auschwitz – I think Auschwitz is a place everyone should visit once in their lifetime, not as somewhere to tick of 
the “bucket” list, but to truly understand the atrocities that took place during Ww2. Despite the numbers of visitors, it is a very somber place and many of the areas we visited reduced me to tears. I will forever have the images of the piles of shoes, suitcases and spectacles, stripped from their owners, etched in my memory. As the years pass, and the number of survivors are diminishing, Auschwitz must remain as a memorial and continue to tell their stories.
No 60 – Visit friends on the lovely island of Crete – When you have a friend who fulfills her dream of living in the sun, by moving to the island of Crete and you’ve not taken the opportunity to go out to visit, yet she still generously invites you to her wedding, you know you have a true friend ❤️. So June of 2024 saw us, together with other friends and family, heading out to celebrate their marriage and experience some of what the island has to offer. It is a beautiful island and they have built a beautiful life. Permanent island life is not for us, but we will make sure that we visit them again.
No 63 – Tour the historic beaches of Normandy – Being an ex military man, the hubby has always been interested in the history of the World Wars. We have spent time visiting military museums over the years and he has visited Ypres to commemorate Remembrance Day. For several years we have discussed visiting the beaches of Normandy and had planned to take a road trip and do a self guided tour. However as the 80th Anniversary approached, we watched a broadcast about the installation Standing With Giants, at the newly opened British Normandy Memorial and decided now was the time. Seeing a coach trip also advertised, it seemed ideal rather than trying to plan a road trip. It was busy and tiring, but as it turned out was the best way we could have done it. We would never have found some of the tiny War Cemeteries or monuments on our own. Our guide was so full of knowledge and we could concentrate on the information and the sights rather than the driving. Perfect
No 65 – Explore the Norwegian Fjords – Having relatives who have made Norway their home, I have many fond childhood memories of holidays spent visiting them, either in their home in Oslo or on the tiny island of Herføl, where for a time my parents had a holiday cabin, which sat alongside my Uncles cabin. Many years later, I once again visited with the hubby, my brother and sister in law, to celebrate my Aunt and Uncles Golden Wedding Anniversary. One of my Uncle’s friends now owns the cabin my parents once had and with my Uncle’s now owned by my Cousin, we were lucky enough to revisit the island. Gosh it brought back so many happy childhood memories, but also reminded me just how beautiful Norway is and that there was so much more to explore. Most of the Norwegian population live in the South around Oslo and with a long history of fishing the towns are on the coast or along the many fjords. Having decided a Fjords cruise would be an ideal way to explore, and with the Bestie hoping one day to sail out of Southampton, when I spotted a cruise that fulfilled both our wishes it was quickly booked. In September we sailed out of Southampton and the exploring began 🛳️🥂
And that my friends is a quick résumè of a year fulfilling some of my personal dreams. Having now been lucky enough to achieve 51 of my “Countdown to 65” list, I’m not sure I have enough time to experience the remaining 14 before the “big” birthday arrives, but we’ll sure give it a try. With the support of my lovely family and friends, I’m certain 2025 will also bring opportunities to make many more happy memories ❤️
If you’d like to revisit any of the blog posts mentioned above, click here, then scroll ⬇️ to find the number or topic. Click on the blue underlined blog title and you will be transferred to that specific blog post 👍
Happy reading 🥰
