101 Things in 1001 Days

The Personal Challenge of a Lifetime!

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

My 1001 days started on 11th January 2009 and will finish on 9th October 2011

Public Gardens (#77)

77. Go to a public garden in each season.

Spring
Blog entry

We went to the Walled Garden at Croxteth Hall on 25th May 2009. We need to go back again soon as the roses should be out and more greenery. It was still very pretty though, with lots of rhododendron and iris(es?)

Summer
Blog post

We went to Speke Hall on 13th July 2009. It’s a National Trust property within the most beautiful grounds, include a rose garden, lavender and a very impress path of hydrangeas. So pretty.

Autumn

Winter
We went to Dunham Massey in Altrincham, Cheshire on 16th November 2009. It’s another National Trust property and promised the UK’s biggest winter garden, which we were pretty disappointed in really as it there wasn’t much to see. I felt it was just the normal garden with a few winter plants but it’s still visiting a garden in winter though, which I’m glad off!

My 101 Things

(35) ~~Completed~~ - Date completed, with link to page
(35) Work in progress - Link to list page
(31) Still to start/do - Link to list page

The Project
1. ~~Set up a blog to record my 101 Things~~ - 11/01/09
2. Take a photo for all my 101 Things (42/101) - List
3. ~~Leave 101 comments on other 101 Things blogs~~ - 12/05/09
4. Update my blog 101 times (70/101)

Enriching Myself - A Little Bit of Everything
5. ~~Learn to knit~~ - 11/02/09
6. ~~Knit something beautiful for a friend's baby~~ - 05/03/10
7. Knit 5 gifts (2/5) - List
8. Knit 5 things for a SCBU (0/5) - List
9. ~~Join a knitting group to meet new friends~~ - 12/05/09
10. ~~Meet 20 new internet friends in real life~~ - 29/01/09
11. ~~Go to the dentist~~ - 19/01/09
12. Start swimming again and swim 101 lengths (0/101)
13. Find a church where I feel comfortable
14. Join a group at the church
15. ~~Complete my NHS counselling sessions~~ - 04/09/09
16. Have at least 8 haircuts (5/8)
17. Have at least 101 luxurious baths (75/101)
18. ~~Go for a manicure~~ - 23/06/09
19. ~~To own a leather handbag~~ - 03/10/09
20. Listen to the radio or podcast for 101 days (1/101)
21. Watch the top 10 films of all time (5/10) - List
22. ~~Have letter published in a newspaper~~ - 06/01/10
23. ~~Send & receive 5 postcards via Postcrossing~~ - 17/10/09
24. Post a secret to PostSecret
25. Read 10 books I've been meaning to read (1/10) - List
26. ~~Buy a Christmas decoration in the summer~~ - 29/07/10
27. Wear a skirt at least 30 times (16/30)

Enriching Others
28. Give 5 "I saw this and thought of you" gifts (3/5) - List
29. Send 10 "just because" cards/letters (0/10) - List
30. Send 15 postcards to my friends children (5/15) - List
31. Do something for charity
32. Make a Christmas shoebox for a Romanian family
33. ~~Call a friend to sing to them on their birthday~~ - 26/07/09
34. Take 3 people to do something new (1/3) - List
35. Take a child on a day out by myself

Married Life
36. Have 20 "dates" with Dean (11/20) - List
37. Do 3 things Dean likes but I'd not usually do (2/3) - List
38. ~~Do something exciting for my 30th~~ - 11/04/10
39. ~~Do something exciting for Dean's 30th~~ - 14/06/09
40. Start learning Italian or Spanish with Dean
41. ~~Spend a week just the two of us~~ - 31/07/10
42. Make up our wedding album

Photography
43. Take at least 101 photos for HPAD (37/101) - Flickr Set
44. Save £1 for each photo I upload to HPAD (£37 total)
45. Put the money towards a new lens
46. Organise my photos at least 20 times (9/20)
47. Have my photo taken with Dean 5 times (2/5) - List
48. Make up my album of old photos
49. Take a photo of 30 happy things (13/30) - List
50. Take a photo of 5 childhood memories (0/5) - List
51. Print and frame my favourite photos

Food, Glorious Food
52. Try 5 new "cuisine" restaurants (2/5) - List
53. Cook 101 unique recipes from my books (10/101) - List
54. Bake 50 unique things from my books (20/50) - List
55. Fill my recipe journal with my favourite recipes
56. Invent a recipe
57. ~~Make a list of 50 meals to choose from~~ - 15/01/09
58. Have a proper dinner party
59. Make a birthday cake for Dean each year (2/3) - List
60. Decorate two Christmas cakes each year (2/4)- List
61. Eat in a Michelin starred restaurant
62. ~~Eat a cream cake from Fisher & Donaldson~~ - 29/07/10
63. ~~Eat fish and chips at the harbour in Anstruther~~ - 29/07/10
64. ~~Go for afternoon tea at a lovely hotel~~ - 04/08/10
65. ~~Go on a picnic~~ - 09/08/09
66. Eat more than my 5 a day for 30 days
67. ~~Go 30 days in a row without fizzy drinks~~ - 19/02/09
68. ~~Go 30 days without fast food or take-aways - List~~

Out and About
69. Go to a West End or touring theatre production
70. ~~Go to a concert/gig~~ - 10/17/09
71. Go to Blackpool for old time's sake
72. Go north of Dundee
73. Build a sandcastle
74. Leave the UK mainland
75. Enter ballot for at least one event at London 2012 Olympics or at least know how/where/when
76. Go to 10 National Trust/NTS properties (4/10) - List
77. Go to a public garden in each season (3/4) - List
78. Go to see 20 films at the cinema (11/20) - List
79. Go to an international rugby match
80. ~~Go to a museum~~ - 28/09/09
81. ~~Go to an art gallery~~ - 28/09/09
82. ~~Go on a ferry across the Mersey~~ - 12/11/09
83. Go to a farm in each season (2/4) - List
84. Go to the zoo
85. ~~Go over the Forth Bridge (rail)l~~ - 04/08/10
86. Go to a lake/mere in the Lake District
87. Go to a ceramic painting shop
88. Go to see a play by William Shakespeare
89. Paddle in the sea
90. ~~Splash in a puddle with welly boots on~~ - 07/11/09

Home Sweet Home
91. ~~Sort out paperwork and start a system~~ - 03/12/09
92. Move into our own home or somewhere with more space
93. ~~Reduce toiletries by half~~ - 07/06/09
94. ~~Clear out and organise the junk room~~ - 07/06/09
95. ~~Give 101 things to charity~~ - 03/12/09
96. Make £500 selling things on ebay (£160/£500) - List
97. ~~Grow 5 new herbs to go with 5 existing herbs~~ - 30/09/09
98. Grow 2 different vegetables (0/2)
99. Successfully grow a sunflower
100. Have 30 vases of flowers (11/30)