30 Before 30, Plus Where I've Been

Hi, howdy, how are you all doing? It's been a while, huh? I hope you've all been having marvellous Aprils, which, now that I mention it, is pretty much the reason I haven't been around these parts too much.

To be completely fair, it's not all because of wonderful things. April started off, not only with Easter (y'know, CHOCOLATE) but also with a really disgusting, lingering cold that refused to go away no matter what I did. For about a week and a half I lived on Vicks Vaporub and Lemsip, and even had a particularly pleasant couple of days where I lost my sense of smell completely. My birthday (which was lovely!) ended with a drink of lemsip rather than wine, and needless to say, I didn't have the inclination, or energy, to blog or think or do anything much except watch Peep Show and feel sorry for myself.

Anyway. Things picked up and I'm now at the end of a gorgeous 12 day holiday from work (blubber) and a wonderful 5 day holiday in Italy (weep) and from seeing HAMILTON and everything has been great, basically. All of these things deserve more detail, and all in good time, my good friends, but lets back up and return, for a moment, to my birthday. I mainly got Euros and Glittery Doc Martens, and my boyfriend also got me GIANT and EXCITING books which was fab and also I want to read them at all times. It has been a tradition, around these parts, to do an X age before X age list for such an occasion because, well, life goals are fun and yay. I have decided (I think) that this list will be my last, not because one should stop having goals after 30, but more because it was enough of a struggle to make a list this long this year, let alone next! I have added an extra goal, for posterity, and although I haven't been the best at even remembering I have such a list in recent years, I really want to work at completing- or getting close to completing- this final one.

Which brings me to the list itself. Observe:

1. Learn how to ride a bike (and end my enduring shame)
2. Dye my hair a silly colour (while I'm still young enough to get away with it!)
3. Leave the country
4. Get another tattoo
5. Start doing some kind of regular exercise
6. Watch all the Studio Ghibli films 
7. Do Veganuary
8. Open a joint account (because, grown up)
9. Read War and Peace
10. Make (at least) 5 pretty things
11. Read 100 books (what better way to spend the last year of my 20s?!)
12. Be the best bridesmaid I can be (twice!)
13. Dedicate more time to writing to people
14. Do NaNoWriMo
15. Start saving some money every month
16. Become a lifetime member of the Prince Charles Cinema
17. Watch all of the Greta Gerwig films
18. Watch Six Feet Under (it's time)
19. Go to the zoo
20. Visit Bristol
21. Visit somewhere new in England
22. Eat at a vegan diner
23. Make (most of) my evenings more purposeful- make the most of my evenings (pretty much: because I haven't been, but I want to)
24. Swim in the sea this summer
25. Add 5 new dishes to my repertoire
26. Get outside lots this summer even though I don't have a garden
27. Get outside lots this winter, even though it's cold!
28. See a dentist (Regularly!)
29. Start donating blood again
30. Enjoy the heck out of the last year of my 20s!

I really think this is maybe the most achievable list I've written, and I've already made plans for parts of it, which is great! I mean, I've already done the leaving the country one, and that's my favourite one!

What are you planning to do this year, and how is your nearly-over April going?