In February 2020 as I turned 59, I started to contemplate how I should celebrate my impending “big” birthday. After a suggestion from the Bestie, and with her help, I compiled a wish list of things I would like to experience as I started the countdown to the big 60.
A month later, the World came to a grinding halt, and we were confined to our own little spaces, interacting with extended family and friends by the magic of “zoom”. We spent the next year, emerging and re entering lockdown and as the ‘big day’ arrived we were once again confined to quarters 🙄. By then we had an addition to our household, with our eldest daughter having become part of our ‘bubble’. Fortunately with a multigenerational household of 10, my birthday was never going to pass without celebrating, and in spite of the situation I had a lovely day albeit missing some of my favourite people 🥲
We were finally allowed to fly, tentatively, from our nests in May 2021 and by November having fulfilled just a few of my wishes, I contemplated abandoning my Countdown list. But thought, maybe I should not only extend the list, but extend the timescale until my next significant birthday 65. And so my 60’s Countdown became a Countdown to 65.
During the lost two years of the pandemic, we discovered so much beauty locally, which inspired us to explore more of the Uk. Although we still enjoy a bit of overseas travel, the urge to queue at check in/bag drop, followed by another queue at security then sit around for a couple of hours at a busy airport, before queuing again to board, has increasingly diminished. After some thought recently, I decided to tweak my wish list a little to incorporate things I would like to do and see a little closer to home, and include a few of the things my hubby and our adventure partners enjoy too.
2023 was a busy year and I have been so fortunate to have experienced 12 of those dreams, which I have shared with you, together with 1, shall we say more personal, less blog worthy aim.
Countdown to 65 – blogged in 2023
No.5 – Go to a ballet – Where I joined the Bestie at the Royal Albert Hall to see a performance of Cinderella
No.7 – Watch an International Cricket Match – We were lucky enough to see two, firstly on our own to see our Ladies lose to Australia by a small margin, then with my brother and sister-in-law to see a fabulous match, where our Men beat New Zealand, in a nail biting thriller.
No.9 – Experience an Ashes tour – The Women’s Ashes series, unlike the Men’s is a points based series including test, one day internationals and T20’s. We saw one of the Ladies matches during this year’s tour, where they unfortunately lost. But it was a great, close match and we were very proud of our girls
No.24 – Minack Theatre
No.25 – Eden Project
No.26 – Lost Gardens of Heligan – These three gorgeous places visited during our trip to Cornwall
No.35 – Tour of Westminster Abbey – An update to my wish list as I’ve thought more about exploring our wonderful United Kingdom. So much more to see than I had imagined.
No.36 – Visit the Imperial War Museum – Another update and more on the hubby’s to do list, but I don’t like to be selfish and I thoroughly enjoyed the visit.
No.41 – Discover the West Country – We had a fabulous 10 days exploring this beautiful part of the Country. So many gorgeous coastal views, so much gorgeous countryside, so much history, and so many Cornish pasties 🐷, washed down with the odd Cornish cider or two 🍻
No.42 – Explore Bristol – Bristol has been on our joint to do list for a while, so whilst down in the West Country, we thought it would be the ideal opportunity to end our trip with a few days in the City. Absolutely loved the vibe, the history and the sights. We would definitely visit again if the opportunity arises.
No.56 – Visit Berlin – We accepted an invitation from friends to visit this wonderful City and support him running the Berlin half marathon. A fascinating place. It was a whirlwind trip but we managed to see all the sights, from Checkpoint Charlie, the remains of the infamous wall, the Reichstaat building, to the Brandenburg Gate, which is just around the corner from the incredibly moving Jewish Memorial. And we naturally made time to spend with the hubby’s cousin and his husband who have lived in the City for 30 years.
No.60 – Dubai – Dubai and the UAE hadn’t really been on our radar, but it had been on the Bestie’s. So when he decided a stay followed by a cruise was the perfect way to celebrate his lovely wife’s 60th birthday and invited us along, how could we refuse. An unbelievably opulent place, and great to explore, but possibly only the once. The cruise was spectacular, an enormous ship, with an enormous amount of passengers, but it never felt particularly busy. Just like a mini city with plenty of bars, restaurants, a magnificent tea room and music venues. There were shops, a fast food outlet, and a theatre with a different performance every day, together with several pools, water slides and chillout decks. It may just have inspired us to look at cruising from Southampton, to avoid the queues at the airport 👍
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 it will transfer you to that specific blog post 👍
Happy reading 🥰
I have also achieved from my list :-
No.50 – Drink less – Despite what my instagram and facebook photos may suggest (where we often seem to have a glass in hand), we have definitely drunk a lot less alcohol over the past year. We still enjoy a glass of beer or cider when we’re out socialising or a glass or two of wine if we’re out for dinner, but we used to do the same with dinner at home and frequent the pub EVERY weekend. 😬. A trip to the pub is now a treat and a drink at home reserved for Saturday nights in. Hopefully my body is grateful for my efforts and will keep going for a while longer yet 🤞
Having recently celebrated my 63rd 😳 birthday, I feel incredibly lucky 🍀 to have been able to experience a total of 39 of my 65, over the past few years. With just 2 years remaining until the next “big”birthday, there are still 26 awaiting my attention
With a little help from my family and friends, I’m hopeful I can experience a few more during 2024🤞