Skip to main content

Bucket List: Revisited.


The year 2016 is at an end. It has undoubtedly been a turbulent 12 months of highs and lows, and has thrown at us many, many (mainly political) surprises. On a personal level, 2016 featured the best seven weeks of my life over summer as well as possibly the lowest few weeks too across the year- but let’s not dwell on them right now.

In July 2015, I wrote a Bucket List and, last year, I feel I was preeeetty successful in completing some of them.  Okay, so I may not have completed no.1 on the list (I am indeed studying French but perfecting it maaaay take some time) but I certainly did eat a stack of at least four pancakes- at an iHop in Orlando, Florida. Raspberry and white chocolate- I remember it well. Did it live up to my Bucket List expectations? Oh, yes.
I also managed to tick off the slightly more extreme third thing on my Bucket List- a trip to New York. What a city. I definitely intend to return one day in the future.
One day I was in New York City, the next I was at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, Orlando.
I don't think I've ever felt so at home somewhere in my life. Surrounded by fellow Harry Potter adorers (or 'Potterheads', as they tend to go by the name of), walking around a brick wall into Diagon Alley, I was in my element. Both 'worlds' (Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade) were so beautiful presented  and exceeded my extremely high expectations. I didn't think it was possible to take over 100 pictures of a theme park but apparently it is...
In August, my family and I had a Shakespeare intensive 48 hours. On one day, we visited Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon and the other day I finally saw a production at the Globe Theatre in London. I had seen Macbeth before (with James McAvoy as the titular man, no less) but had never seen anything at the ultimate Shakespeare haven.  Five pounds for three hours of Shakespearean loveliness? A good investment, I think.
Over summer, I also travelled across Europe solely by train; in other word, I went Interailling. Whilst it was an exhausting 18 days, I visited places I probably would never have otherwise gone to that turned out to be sublime and also managed to tick off to sites that I have always wanted to go to (the Reichstag, anyone?!).  I would recommend it to anybody that ever gets the opportunity to go Interraling.

 Other Bucket List successes include finally conquering the Lord of the Rings films (and falling in love with it) and getting an article (or three!) published in a newspaper.

 In the 18 months since I wrote my Bucket List, I have completed 12 of the 39 things on the list, which I'm pretty pleased with. Some are certainly  going to take a good while to complete (perfecting my French for starters)  so I've still got many things to aim for.

 I wish you all a brilliant 2017.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: 'The Band' at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

Full of charm, wit and heartwrenching emotion, the Take That musical is simply divine. The musical follows the lives of a group of 16-year-old schoolgirls who have bonded over their adoration for 'the band'. The girls’ dream becomes reality when they have the opportunity to see the boy band live but tragedy strikes and their friendship breaks apart. 25 years on, a competition win could rekindle the girls once more. Featuring all the Take That classics from ‘Never Forget’ to ‘Rule the World’, this is a musical no 90s fan can miss. www.thebandmusical.com 'The Band' are made up of the five winners from BBC One's Let It Shine AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Yazdan Qafouri and Sario Solomon who make up pop group Five to Five. The sublime quintet is on stage for the majority of the production, touchingly representing the fact that, deep down, the boys are there wherever the girls go. Each performer offers vocals just as strong as the other a
Post a Comment
Read more

Interview with ‘Sick’ scriptwriter and performer Shey Hargreaves

From hunting down a patient’s lost teeth to witnessing someone turn down potentially life-saving treatment, scriptwriter Shey Hargeaves’ experience of working for the NHS was eye-opening to say the least. Reflecting on her time in a hospital, Shey shares tales of resilience and humour in her hour-long show Sick . “It’s scary!” Shey exclaims as I ask what it has been like leading a one-woman show for the first time. “You're totally on your own out there. But, it's quite nice because you're in control. That means you can play off the audience more. I think that makes for quite a warm, responsive kind of show.” The stories behind Sick are authentic accounts from the four-year period Shey spent within the NHS. Having completed a Master’s in Scriptwriting at the University of East Anglia, Shey was looking to find work when she came across a receptionist position for an Emergency Medical Assessment Unit in 2013. “If I had to be in a reasonably low-paid job and pay t
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Rocky Horror Show at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

I wonder if writer Richard O’Brien expected The Rocky Horror Show to enthral audiences of hundreds more than 45 years after it debuted at the tiny Royal Court in London. Exploring themes of gender identity and sexuality in a tribute to mid-20 th century science fiction, O’Brien’s outrageous and energetic Rocky Horror Show is an immense amount of fun. The show follows the eye-opening encounters of newly engaged couple Brad and Janet, who unintentionally become the guests of a death-defying extravaganza one stormy night. Stephen Webb marvels as scientist Frank-N-Furter, commanding the stage of the tour’s remarkable cast throughout his confident portrayal of the wild Transylvanian transvestite. Philip Franks excels as The Narrator, modernising the 1973 musical with a remark on Brexit proceedings and responding with sharp wit to engagement from the audience, and former Strictly Come Dancing professional Joanne Clifton puts on an equally compelling performance as Janet. Clifton’s
Post a Comment
Read more