Project 60 in Review

Maybe it's just me, but when I think about the completion of Project 60, what I think about most is the ones that got away. The things I didn't get round to, or didn't have time for, or didn't lose weight so that I could do them. 

These include, in no particular order, making pannacotta and Danish pastries. Learning to weave. Doing a brioche scarf in two colours, finishing a pair of socks from the toe up, learning the technique of double knitting.  Riding a zip wire, abseiling, gorge walking, having a flight in a glider and a ride in a hot air balloon.  Going to Gleneagles, glamping, a holiday on a canal boat, going on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, doing the Sydney Bridge climb.

On the other hand, I did do a shed load of new things. Well, 60. Obvs. And that is something to celebrate. 

Looking back, here are some highlights. And lowlights. 

Highlights

Favourite - a close run thing between the trip on The Ghan, and going to the opera at Drottningholm. Both things I've wanted to do for decades and neither disappointed. Both left me with very happy memories; twilight in southern Sweden and an opera house lit by real candles, late summer in Australia, with helicopter trips and camel rides and amazing landscapes to look at every day, and  a night time outback fire with coffee, hand made chocolates and singing. 

Most proud of - getting the stone placed in Makar's Court for George Campbell Hay. At the time I said I wasn't particularly proud of this, but on reflection I am quite. It took determination, stamina, and several steps out of my comfort zone, including setting up a crowd funder, being interviewed by a journalist, and learning to take responsibility for my own choices and not be disturbed by other people's ideas of how 'things should have been done' A hard lesson, but a useful one. 

Most useful - having my colours 'done'. It was an enjoyable experience,  and it's saved me from making some mistakes when it comes to buying clothes. 

The most surprisingly guilt free - buying that expensive statuette in Dunkeld. Never regretted for a moment a single penny of the cost. Very odd, but pleasing.

Most surprising - discovering how easy it is to make jam.

Lowlights

Most underwhelming - Flying 'upstairs' on a plane. 

Most worrying - making lemon curd and wondering if it would ever set this side of the end of the world. 

Most unpleasant - trying crocodile meat, although the green olive tapenade ran it a close second. 

The positives outweighed the negatives by a country mile and although some of the things I did were very low key and domestic I was very relieved to discover that I could make jam and lemon curd and marmalade and bread and battenburg cake and muffins.

Some of the stuff I wanted to do I couldn't fit in because of time and financial  constraints, since the Ph D took, and still takes, a lot of energy, time, and money. But I'm coming to the end of that now, so the plan is to get some of them done over the next few years. With that in mind I have decided to make an effort to try ten new things every calendar year. I'm not  quite sure what to call that as a project, although I have until January to decide. Other plans to do with baking, reading and craft are also on the cards. I'm very aware that once the thesis has gone in there will be a yawning gap in my life which will need filling.