to do lists

Okay, bloods are done, medical is done, x-ray is next Monday... I'm getting there slowly. Actually I got there this morning a lot quicker than I expected to, not having been on the bike for about 6 weeks. I do believe (gasp, horror, surely not?) I might even be somewhere in the vague vicinity of being fit! Now there's a turn up for the books it must be said.

About 6 months ago Melina wrote on facebook about her 30 things to do before she turned 30 - these could be random little things or life changing events. Well obviously I missed the 30 by 30 boat by a long margin but figured that 40 by 40 was achieveable if I started then (ie with 18 mths to go rather than a year). On my list are big things like get residency here, the above visa process being a part of this plan, but also there are the small things too - like the long list of classic books and films that I really think I ought to have read/seen by now. I've made serious progress on the book front, need to be a bit more proactive with the films though somehow - joining the library today will hopefully help with both.

Also on my list though is confidently swimming in the sea when it's anything other than flat calm (calm being a rarity here!) - well more to the point getting to the point where I don't panic when I end up underwater (legacy of an unfortunate collision with a boogie board and some hefty surf a few years ago) and managing to 'catch a wave' and body surf in towards the shore. I'm getting there, slowly it has to be admitted, but after almost two years up here I finally waded out into water that was chest deep this weekend and tried to catch the waves rather than just jump up and hope not to get knocked over! I rather envy those who've grown up here and take to the sea like, well a duck to water (or maybe something a little more graceful!) - when your seaside experience as a child is a few days a year with the North or Irish Sea looking more grey than Mediteranean blue you become much better at building sandcastles rather than swimming in the surf!

However my sandcastle expertise does come in rather handy these days it must be said all the early childhood centres hereabouts have nice big sandpits - about as far removed conceptually from the trough of sand at my childhood playgroup as Ninety Mile Beach is from Whitley Bay!