h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Oooh err, great news, GB!

Managed 5 to date.


2) Start going to the Gym. Initially I'm hoping this will be by Dr's referral then continue.
This starts a week on Monday.
3) Plan my charity tour of Olympic phone boxes for 2014, concluding at the start of the XXth Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Organising a Charity St. George's Day event in my local, as a forerunner to the tour. Route is planned and just need to meet the charities.
8) Go on at least one fibre-glass animal parade, be it Elephants in Luxembourg, Gorillas in Norwich or Gromits in Bristol.
Attended the Great British Easter Egg hunt, and will renew y attendance over Easter.
10) Whilst unemployed get out more, not happened since the miserable weather set in.
Been to the Manet exhibition at the RA, and Kew Gardens twice. More events panned.
12) Be bolder with my camera.
Out and about trying out my Macro lens.

Not a bad start...

Have taken on finishing GT's entry on The Gull Family and Other Seabirds, A54046055. A big challenge.



MMF

What did the RA say when you panned that exhibition, MMF?

30 March will do for end of March update. I'm starting to think I might scrap some - it seems I'm not a home-made soup kind of person after all .

It's also interesting to review monthly because it's making me think about what's preventing me doing some of the things I really want to do. The weather can take the blame on the walking front but it's hardly a reason why I haven't been drawing pictures.

Anyway - I have a week off now and I've already scrubbed the bathroom, with a view to painting the woodwork in there later in the week. My arms and wrists feel like jelly and it's really hard to type so the blog will have to wait ...

Mol

I haven't been keeping up with my 13, either. There are several reasons: the weather (I don't like going for a walk in bitter winds), health (my hips have been bad), and trying to make too many changes. In fact, I've gained weight!

I recently read a book that suggested making small changes and working on them until they become habits. That's what I plan to do. I've managed (pretty well) to keep my resolution of limiting the number of books I have on the go at once, but that's an easy one. The exercise is more difficult for health reasons. Healthy eating is also tricky, but I've finally got hubby to agree to stop buying things like biscuits and cakes, but getting him to eat vegetables is another matter.

I had planned a walking holiday, which would have addressed some of my points:

2.) Spend more time with old friends.
3.) Get out and enjoy the countryside more.
4.) Go on a walking holiday.
5.) Lose weight

However it failed rather spectacularly at the start...

<BB<

>>>4) Finally put the new shower riser in (I've only had it since July)<<<


Did this, yesterday.

It's reet

Also managed to re-route the interweb cable.

They both took me little over an hour...I waited for so long for what reason exactly?

The 30th April will be the 120th day of 2013.

So far I have run 115 miles.

I should meet my target of "average one mile a day" some time this weekend.

Yes, I've noticed an impressive number of little Map My Run updates!

Don't think I updated last month cos I was feeling miserable - which wasn't on this year's to-do list. In fact, it's astonishing, really, how life just Gets In The Way. However:

11. Lose 2" from my waist. Achieved.

I have decided to remove 5, 8 and 13. I am clearly not the sort of person who keeps a record of the books she reads or enjoys soup as much as she thinks she does. And weather, health, and the need to visit our parents-in-law more regularly, have pretty well scuppered our monthly hiking opportunities. I'm substituting a family camping weekend in the Peak District - which will involve hiking - instead.

Also, after painting the woodwork in the bathroom at Easter, I have changed 4 (which was 'Clean or paint all woodwork in the house'). Once I'd painted the woodwork in the bathroom, I realised how awful the walls looked, and used up the entire holiday redecorating. I can't afford to do this (either in time or money) for all the rooms in the house this year. So I'm now only going to clean.

Haven't kept up with the bank accounts. Paying for the holiday means we don't have any money so there's no point - the answer is always going to be 'No, we can't'.

Haven't kept up to date with either the writing blog or the art blog but hopefully both will pick up when I'm in a better frame of mind. I *have* made a discovery about artwork - it doesn't have to be a picture. (We went to an art exhibition in the village yesterday). So this weekend I've been working on patterns and leaves, and it was very therapeutic.

Mol

Run a half-marathon - Done! And in a sub 2 hr 30 mins time too!

Very pleased with my first attempt.

Some of mine are progressing:

4) Help my daughter get into college - just pending exam results now!
5) Do more conservation/ volunteer work - managed to go out with Conservation volunteers once so far and joined the MCS Beach clean.
9) Write more letters to relatives - wrote 2 newsy letters so far.
13) Spend more time lounging in my garden - Yep, being "at leisure" as I am recently

I did have a "13 in 13" entry project which I finished at the weekend and submitted it to PR. A87734406 (Neptune's 13 moons, facts, fables and folklore)

Imagine my surprise to find out today that yesterday http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23318301 Neptune's 14th moon discovery has been announced, the first since 2003. My entry will now have to be tweaked! I suppose it no longer counts as my "13 in 13" project as well

GB

At least you're ahead of the game when we do the 14 for 14

<BB<

That was going to be my excuse when (if) a "14 for 14" is announced in January! "Already edited!"

Nothing wrong with thinking ahead

As we are around the halfway mark, how are we doing?

My 13 were:

1.) Spend more time with family.
- Immediate family, certainly. Not doing so well with other family members.

2.) Spend more time with old friends.
- Yep, still need to do this.

3.) Get out and enjoy the countryside more.
4.) Go on a walking holiday.
- Well, I went on a walking holiday, but as the person I was going with broke his foot, I didn't actually do any walking...

5.) Lose weight
Gone from 15 1/2 stone after Christmas to 13 1/2, so heading in the right direction.

6.) More importantly, don't put it back on immediately after.
7.) Overcome addiction to biscuits.
I confess I've eaten 2 today.

8.) Actually sort out the vast number of boxes of bits and bobs in the roof - and THROW SOME THINGS AWAY.
- I've got rid of a lot of VHS videos we also owned on DVD and even some books. Still a billion boxes to sort through, though.

9.) Try to listen to people's conversations at work. I always seem to get easily bored and my attention drifts off.
- Still need to work on this.

10.) Wash up a little more often.
- I'm probably doing about the same.

11.) Change more nappies.
- My daughter no longer wears nappies!

12.) Have a bit more salad and a bit less salad cream when I have a salad.
- Well, my diet has improved and I'm losing weight (my wife signed up to Slimming World and I'm enjoying the fringe benefits)

13.) Buy and possibly even wear smarter clothes.
- Does a new Muppet t-shirt count?

<BB<

We need an Entry on "uses for old VHS tapes", I have a cupboardfull. Congrats on all the other good stuff <BB< and well done to your daughter

I'd write that entry like a shot if I could think of a few.

So how have I done?

1) Get a job. One I actually want and enjoy.
No movement there, but downgraded to ESA so less pressure.

2) Start going to the Gym. Initially I'm hoping this will be by Dr's referral then continue.

3) Plan my charity tour of Olympic phone boxes for 2014, concluding at the start of the XXth Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Route sort of planned, letters sent re: transport options, and Charity event held on St George's day raising £535.

4) Complete at least on of my neglected entries. Ideally 2.
Managed a photo blob on an entry.

5) Learn how to use Photoshop.
A fail...

6) Label and tag all 30,000 of my photographs.
About halfway through-ish.

7) Attend at least one h2g2 Meet, with Reims being top of the list.
Reims was done, and report in this week. Hope to get to the Manunian meet if it happens. Fit in with meeting relatives. Last time, two weeks ago, was not a happy event, being a funeral.

8) Go on at least one fibre-glass animal parade, be it Elephants in Luxembourg, Gorillas in Norwich or Gromits in Bristol.
Managed the Big Easter-Egg Hunt, and visiting the elephants in Watford next week.
Coming to a venue near you, then you can see what I'm on about...
http://intuelephantparade.co.uk

9) Shift stuff on e-bay.
Cubic metre of pre-1971 beer labels to shift. Must get doing...

10) Whilst unemployed get out more, not happened since the miserable weather set in.
As mentioned earlier, been to a number of Art exhibitions, including Manet , And Beanotown, Southbank. Going to Hampton Court on Saturday, and been to Kewe most days since the heatwave started.

11) Whilst unemployed, take up a part-time volunteer post.
Volunteered to marshall a cycle race, and more events in the offing. Hopefully.

12) Be bolder with my camera.
Taking more photos on the manual setting, rather than auto. Still not totally confident.

13) Accept help when it is offered, rather than being so independent.
Ongoing, but getting better.

So, eight out of thirteen-ish.

Still leaves five to go...



MMF