Well, finally we have made it to the end of 2020. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has wondered whether this year would ever end. The final sunrise of the year has been a beautiful one, and while I would love to say I went for a long walk to watch it, I didn't - I sat in my dressing gown and gazed appreciatively out of the window. But let's wrap up this 20 in 2020 experiment with a final tally, shall we? 20 things mended (10/20) I think more things have broken in December, but I've not mended any of them. Ten things feels like an extremely low number for an entire year, and I suspect I've just not done a very good job of keeping track. I've certainly not been throwing things away rather than mending them. 19 letters written (achieved in December) I finally made this one, with a flurry of festive letters. I've really enjoyed writing more letters this year, and receiving them, and this is definitely something I'm going to carry on with. 18 days without internet (6/18) Hmm. I hit six days in September, and haven't added a single one since. What a sorry state of affairs! I'd certainly like to spend more time without the internet, but perhaps whole days at a time is just too daunting? Something to focus on next year, I think. 17 books read (achieved in March) I've very much enjoyed reading more this year, and have been experimenting more with both audiobooks and ebooks, making good use of our local library. I've also bought more books this year than I would normally - probably not something I'll continue once life is more back to normal. 16 household items or pieces of clothing made (achieved in December) I'm counting a win for this one, with a flurry of making present bags in December. I've been utterly delighted with these. I started trying to do fancy drawstring bags earlier in the year, but as Christmas approached settled (on Peter's advice) with a simple rectangle with a ribbon sewn into the hem. I've got about 40 now, and they are a pleasure to use (and used up a nice bit of my fabric stash too). I did manage to break both the needles in my overlocker making the denim one though, oops. 15 meals with friends (achieved in August) No more, and now we're in tier 4 there won't be any for a good while. I did get a takeaway cup of tea with a friend yesterday, and we sat in our separate cars, parked two metres apart, talking through the window. What a very 2020 experience. 14 meals from home grown produce (stopped counting in September) More pies, including a special Christmas day pie, which had various things in from the garden. 13 evening lectures (7/13)
No more in December. I've enjoyed watching various webinars and recordings through the year, but given how much time I spend looking at a screen for work, I've not wanted to do too much of this, and part of this goal was to get me out and meeting some more local people. Let's see what 2021 brings. 12 donations to the foodbank (achieved in December) This was more of a reminder for me to throw some extra things in my trolley each month, but with things being as they are, most of these donations have been online, and it seemed a bit daft keeping track of them. Still, foodbanks have been needed more than ever this year, sadly, so it's been good to be in a position to donate. 11 solo days out for me (2/11) No more for me - but this is something I need, so I'll be making more of an effort next year. 10 loaves of bread made (0/10) Still none! Plenty of pancakes though... 9 bike rides (achieved in July) No bike rides in December, although I'm starting to feel the pull towards the trails again. Not while it's so icy (and not while we're in tier 4 either so we might be waiting a while). 8 organised runs (2/8) No. I have been for another run with our little running group though, which was nice. I need to build back up slowly I think. 7 new places visited (4/7) Not really been the year for it, has it?? 6 attempts at cheese making (0/6) I'm hoping this will get more likely once I've got a kitchen... 5 'No Quibble' weekends away (0/5) Not really the year for this either... We do hope to get away somewhere, preferably for a proper holiday, in 2021, but we'll see how the world is by then. 4 pairs of socks made (1/4) I'm delighted with my single pair of socks! 3 days volunteering (0/3) 2 LAND centres visited (1/2) 1 holiday (0/1) No, no and no. Well. That wasn't really the year any of us had planned, was it? Who would have thought that even things like meals with friends would have been put on hold? Looking back, I'm surprised how many of my 20 things involved being out and about. I did at least achieve some of them - letters written, books read, household things made, meals with friends, eating produce from the garden, donations to the food bank, and bike rides. Not too bad I don't think. I won't be doing this again. I'm sure in a normal year it would have been a lovely way to keep track, but this year with the world changed so much, it's just served as a regular reminder of all the things I wasn't doing. Of course some of them I could have done anyway - I certainly could have joined in with the sourdough craze -but somehow priorities changed. I did like the discipline of regular updates though, so I'll see whether there's anything else I'd like to track this year. Although perhaps it's best not to tempt fate...
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Hello!Sit down and make yourself comfortable. I'm Jenni, and I write here about our new foray into country living, which includes growing food, knitting, baking, wandering around the fields, and seeing which local cafe serves the best cake. Categories
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