35 things to do before I turn 36

Goodness, come May I am well and truly in my MID THIRTIES.

When the hell did that happen?

In my head, I'm still that 26 year old who left Australia with a backpack strapped on and so much hope and excitement in her heart.

So much has happened in those ten years. So much that I had to write a book about it! 

When I first arrived in London, this bustling hive of a city where even going to shops and taking the tube to work was a giddy adventure for a while, I had so much I wanted to do I didn't really know where to start, so I just dove in head first. I loved living like that.

But as the years have passed and my life here has undoubtedly become more domestic and started to grow roots (not that that's a bad thing), it's been very easy for things to pass me by and to put things off until later when I might have more time, money or energy. I feel like a madwoman sometimes, mentally possessed by ideas and projects and things I desperately want to do and get off the ground, and physically surrounded by detritus of my mental chaos, books, letters, receipts, plans, everywhere.

I want to get a handle on things. I want to recapture some of the free-spirited fun of my twenties, but start feeling organised and like I have a plan, as would befit a woman in her mid-thirties. Gulp! 

No matter what age I have been, I hasten to add, I have yearned to be organised, socially useful, present and making the most of things. So with that in mind, I've come up with a few (well, 35) things to do in the next five weeks that will contribute greatly to that feeling! 

So, here we go. 

Declutter my phone - back up, organise and delete photos; back-up poems written in notes, etcRun 10k (either on my own or with my running group)Write more lettersMake a wedding album (finally!) Read an Edith Wharton novel (I know, terrible!)Plant my cavolo nero, courgette, radish, french beans, kohlrabi and tomato seedsKeep bloggingKeep meditatingBecome a member of Kew GardensDeclutter my study and reorganise my bookshelvesGet another parkrun PBBuy some smart and comfortable work shoes that I can wear in spring, summer and autumn (I'm covered with winter shoes!)Treat myself to another oracle deckGet a haircut/colourPitch that *top secret thing* to *you know who*Get my favourite (broken!) statement necklace fixed/restrungGet a trolley to keep my makeup inGet a pedicure (well overdue!)Learn how to make a potato fondantClean out my tea cupboard (and treat myself to some new ones!)Subscribe to the London Review of BooksOrganise my vintage photo collectionFind another yoga class (and start going regularly)Book our anniversary holidayCall the ATO (boring but necessary)Buy a new teapotGo out for dumplings See a live comedy showRedecorate and declutter bedroomGo to the National Portrait GalleryGo to Maltby Street marketsTake a hiphop or Beyonce style dance classFinish my current journal and start a new oneBuy a new jacket in a bright colourTry a new restaurant 

If I manage to do all of them, it's going to be a fun and productive month!