Before you're thirty says Google

I will be 28 in exactly 10 days.....28! How did that happen? I feel like I'm still 16! I must say that is far to close to 30! I remember my mum turning 30, I remember that my grandad gave her a gun shaped lighter because she said everyone should be shot at 30......I remember thinking about what my life would be like when I hit the big three zero, I thought I would be married , have at least one child and have a pretty house somewhere....Oh now wrong I was!

During the wee small hours of one of my night shifts I got thinking about what I am supposed to have achieved by 30 and with the help of the gospel of google I found this......

Here, we cut out the non-essential experiences and present the definitive list of 30 Things You Really, Really Should Do Before You're 30.

Dye your hair/have an unwise haircut/shave your head: Often as part of an unwise identification with a particular style of music, such as punk, goth or Nu-metal.

Move out of your parents home: obviously! Maybe even be on the propety ladder.

Women: purchase your first pair of Manolo Blahnik or Jimmy Choo shoes. Men: purchase, then dispose of, some deeply unsuitable footwear: Cowboy boots, winkle pickers, brothel creepers ...

Lose a fight: After 30 you should be able to settle things amicably.

Attend a wedding/funeral of a contemporary: Both important reminders of the fleeting nature of time.

Start writing a novel/film script/slim volume of deeply embarrassing poetry: ... which will haunt you from the bottom drawer.

Spend a night sleeping outside: Whether it's on a Greek beach, or in a London doorway after a particularly damaging night out.

Stay up for 48 hours: Believe me, you will never be able to do this after you've turned 30.

Have your heart broken: If this hasn't happened by the time you're 30, you're clearly emotionally subnormal.

Kill an animal: A bird, a fish, a terminally ill family pet.

Drive a sports car extremely fast while wearing sunglasses: Get it out of your system before the grey hairs appear.

Lose a week's wages in a casino: See above.

Make your first million: Wishful thinking, perhaps, but if you plan to be seriously rich, it's good to start early.

Have a pregnancy scare: An important part of the emotional maturing process.

Have a one-night stand: See above.

Have an office romance: See above.

Have sex somewhere peculiar: Aeroplane lav, boss's desk, pod on the London Eye, the central hall of Tate Modern ...

Be naked in public: Streaking, skinny-dipping or just simple forgetfulness.

Have, at the very least, a flirtation with a minor celebrity: It's important to be able to point at the television screen and say: "I've snogged him/her." NB this does not apply to Blue Peter pets.

Give up a well paid job to find yourself: ... before succumbing to a life of soul-eroding wage slavery.

Have a quarter-life crisis: Probably as a result of the above.

Do a McJob: Something deeply menial but soul-improving.

Be so short of cash you have to sell something: Record collection, family heirloom, kidney, sexual favours.

Work your way around Australia: It takes a while, and you can't get a permit to do casual work once you're over 30. Other continents are also acceptable.

Grow out of cannabis: Youthful experimentation is all very well, but a fuddled thirtysomething with a passion for Pink Floyd and a hunger for Frosties is just embarrassing.

Get arrested: For a minor offence, obviously: something like disturbing the peace, which suggests you're not a terminal conformist. At the very least, you should have been breathalysed.

Get a tattoo: Absurd if you're over 30.

Start your own dotcom: ... and see it fail. You'll have a chance to bounce back into a proper job.

Drink yourself unconscious: And wake up with only the haziest, shabbiest memories of the night before.

Have embarrassing photographs of you posted on a website by friends: Possibly as a result of the above.

It made me laugh, I still have a few to tick off yet!.....Next will be my bucket list!........

My first award!

What a nice end to a hard day....I have my first blog award! ;-)
It may be a small thing to you but to me it mattered....Especially when I was considering deleting my blog as I thought it was boring! Who would want to read about my life???? Well thank you The Girl of Make Believe you made my day! ;-)

Rules:

1) Add the logo to your blog

2) Link to the person from whom you received this award

3) Nominate 5 blogs

4) Leave a message on their blog – letting them know that they are ‘One Lovely Blog’

Nominees:

madnessandbeauty because she motivates me to have my own adventures!

Letters from a College Student because you are so funny!

Missing Bacon Butties because your are witty and you don't know it!

Bookends because your story of ant survival made me laugh so much!

About What I Said because you are so honest!

To the people I am yet to meet....

Remember in school when you had to stand up in class and say something about yourself in order to "break the ice" I am feeling that sense of dread now, that deep in the pit of your stomach dread that makes you feel nauseous, but I am also excited.........Are you?

I feel I should maybe introduce myself, I would really like us to be friends, to enjoy this trip of a lifetime together, even if we only spend two minutes together and never see each other again. I hope I leave a good impression.... My name is Dolly, I am a 28 (in October) year old Nurse from Manchester, England. Well, I say I am a nurse......I have given all that up recently because of the stress, observing the unhappiness of others I have worked with who have nursed for years, my own unhappiness and the lack of management support has driven me out. Therefore, I am returning to University in September to pursue another career but I don't know what that is yet. Maybe you will inspire me? Maybe I will inspire you? Who knows...

Maybe I am running away from something, maybe you are too? Maybe I will find what I need on this trip, maybe you will too?..... Yes, I am shy. Yes, I am reserved. Yes, I am a deep thinker. Yes, I am generally not a positive person. Yes, I have confidence issues.....but when I let my guard down, I am fun loving, caring, intelligent and funny ;-) Just a little warning though, I am the emotional type.....I cry at chick flicks, talk in my sleep, love a nice peaceful bath, I love my Friends and Family to bits and will probably miss them like crazy, so I will probably tell you that a bit to much.....I am way to honest about my feelings, maybe you're not?.....

I have never done things the right way round in my life, I stayed at home when everyone else went away to uni, when everyone else moved out, I stayed were I was waiting for something to happen. I got a job when everyone else went travelling, I remained single and planned to return to uni when everyone else was settling down......So this is the first time I have really been away from home.....

In my head I plan to be adventurous, outgoing and interesting... In reality I'm not sure this is the going to be the case.... I have travelled a bit, though I was 18 but I was so homesick and I couldn't wait to get home. I am the home comforts type, when we are going to be camping, I am unfit when we are going to be trekking....but I need I challenge, I am bored with the fact that I am standing still when everyone else is moving forward. I am wasting my life, when I want to live it to the full!....Maybe you can relate to that?

Apologies in advance for my short temper and obsessive cleanliness, but may I point out that I am also generous, a clear thinker, a peace maker, great in emergencies and your on hand medical professional ;-).....I really hope we become great friends and not just travel companions.....

My Nan says "Strangers are Friends you don't yet know" Here's hoping she is right ;-)

I look forward to meeting you soon,

Dolly x

The Cat-Dog...

Dear Dillon,

I hate to be the one to break this to you, because obviously my friend doesn't have the heart...but you are in fact a cat! Therefore, if the usual rules applied you should be self reliant, independent, unpredictable and mysterious. If usual rules applied...being a self confessed dog person, I should hate you. However, I have recently discovered that you are in fact a Cat-Dog, you play fetch, wag your tail when happy, you like to have you belly tickled and you come when someone whistles at you, the only thing you don't do is bark.....

Dilly my friend, you may actually be the only cat I have ever liked!

Life...

My Itinerary...

Guess what?? I have my final itinerary (at last) I'm getting excited now!


I fly from London - Kenya - Uganda - Rwanda - Tanzania - Malawi - Zambia - Namibia - Botswana - South Africa - Thailand - Laos - Vietnam - Cambodia - Oz - LA - London!

Its all so crazy but I'm hoping it will be everything I want it to be and more! Going Gorilla Trekking & Volunteering in a School! Roll on November!

Next finalise flights and get my Visas!! ;-)

Decisions, Decisions....

So I have three options to include in my impending travels and I can't decide which one I want to do the most......

See the Gorilla's in Uganda,


Volunteer teaching in Cape Town,


Or Visit Beijing and Shanghai.



Anyone any ideas??......

Happiness...

Seen as though I feel like I have done nothing but moan in my last few blogs, for the past few days and I been thinking about all the things that make me happy, even if it was just for a second......So here goes.......

Clean washing.
Sunday roast.
The smell of the rain.
Sunshine on my face.
Sun beams breaking through the clouds.
Postcards from my friend.
Conversations with my nan.
My mum's eyes when she gets excited.......Oh and her over dramatic wave.
A baby's laughter.
Smiles from Miss Molly.
The smell of winter.
Flowers.
Carousels.
The fairground.
Crunching ice under your feet.
Snowball fights.
Lying in a field on a hot summers day.
Having picnic's in the park. Ice cream.
Chocolate.
Playing fetch with a excitable dog.
Driving down old English country lanes.
The beech.
Pubs in the winter with an open fire.
Campervans.
Cuddles on the sofa.
Driving and singing very obviously to a great song.
Feeding the ducks.
Relaxing into a hot bath.
My hair after its been washed.
Giving someone a massage.
My bed.
Good food and great company.
Musicals...Especially on the Westend!
Laughing till it hurts.
A great book.
My slippers.
The beep of a text message.
My pink backpack.
The way my dog wiggles her bum when she is excited.
Trying on the perfect outfit.
Dancing to a great song.
Hitting that perfect note.
Sitting in my nan's back garden.
Walking on crunchy leaves.
The Woods.
Live music.
Sitting by the river.
A great view.
Taking my shoes off after a long day.
Driving home from work with the windows down. Sunday mornings when no one else is around.
Candle light.
The chill of a church.
The countryside.
Daffodil's.
Finishing a painting.
Capturing that great moment with my camera.
Chick flicks.
Soft skin.
That clean feeling after a shower.
The smell of soap.
My hand cream.
Having the day off.
Blogging.

I dunno......

Today was the day! The day I was supposed to go off on my travels....I was on Flight BA269 leaving in ten minutes. Hmm....don't know how I feel about that.

Do I regret postponing my flights until November? Dunno. Did I postpone it out of fear of the unknown? Dunno. Will I be homesick and want to come home? Dunno. Will I run out of money? Dunno. Will I be too quiet and not make any friends? Dunno. Will I be safe? Dunno. Will it be the best decision I have ever made and change my outlook on life forever? Dunno.

All I know is roll on November! ;-).......

Put the knitting down!.You're a modern woman!

Isn't it funny how the smallest little achievement can give you the greatest satisfaction.....

As I write this my mum is lovingly knitting a cardigan for a friend of mine who is having her first baby in a few months. She offered to do it in an attempt to try and keep my expenses down and thought it would be a nice handmade gift her.

As I try to be a so called "Modern Woman" I am completely unable to knit anything....Zilch! The thing is I felt I had not had any input into my friend's gift, so I asked my mum (who made it look so easy) if I could try and knit some of it. So my mother obviously excited at my interest, attempted to show me the tricks of the trade.......

Who knew it could be so difficult! Biting my tongue in concentration and feeling her sudden anxiety that I might at any moment drop the whole row, she tried to show this Twenty Something how to knit.... As she moved my hands in a somewhat unnatural fashion, it occurred to me that I had suddenly aged by about sixty years and should NEVER, EVER attempt to knit anything ever again in my life.....But I was determined to knit just one measly little stitch...

On my fourth attempt at a "purl" and without my mum moving the wool, I completed my first ever stitch unaided and "cast off".... It was a proud moment in my life!.....I feel I am now ready to knit the man of my dreams an ugly pullover and be a homemaker after all! HeHe!.......