Change of task

I will soon complete one of the tasks by moving into my own flat, unfortunately it does mean I have to ditch the exercise bike as I don't have space.  Therefore task 21 will now be:

• Have a 40th birthday party.

The final 40

I've decided on the following.  Maybe not too exciting but hopefully achievable:

1. Visit Scandanavia
2. Learn a foreign language
3. Visit another continent
4. See the Northern Lights
5. Watch Citizen Kane to the end
6. Achieve Grade 4 Piano Forte exam (after a break of about 25 years since grade 3 taken)
7. Take an A level
8. Drop from 40" to at the most 36" waist
9. Read every Wallander book
10. Swim in the North Sea
11. Visit Paris
12. Write a Haiku
13. Attend a Tai Chi lesson to see if I enjoy/find it useful
14. Do a fund raising event for charity. (Not sure what yet)
15. Get a tattoo on my right arm
16. Go on a road trip exploring Britain with no destination in mind
17. Take a mini break on the Yorkshire coastline during winter
18. Have no outstanding debit
19. Buy or rent a place of my own
20. Get a photograph published in a photography magazine
21. Reach 1000km on my exercise bike (currently at 5)
22. Complete at least one more 60 point module towards my OU degree
23. Write a piano composition
24. Create a piece of video art
25. Read more about postmodernism so I can concisely explain what it is
26. Ride a horse
27. Appear on a TV quiz show
28. Understand and complete a cryptic crossword
29. Get a letter published in the Guardian
30. Go to a music festival (not something I've done since my early 20s)
31. Visit a jazz club
32. Listen to Wagner's Ring Cycle from beginning to end
33. Go to the ballet
34. Take a break in Edinburgh
35. See all 100 of Channel 4's 100 Greatest Films
36. Listen to all 100 of Channel 4's 100 Greatest Albums
37. Re-watch all of the West Wing
38. Make a curry from scratch
39. Climb to the top of York Minster
40. Make a piece of Photoshop art.

Time to fire the starting gun.  799 days to achieve my list.

Some more for the list

I've added:

• Ride a horse
• Appear on a TV quiz show
• Understand and complete a cryptic crossword
• Get a letter published in the Guardian
• Go to a music festival (not something I've done since my early 20s)

Five more added:

1. Visit Scandanavia
2. Learn a foreign language
3. Visit another continent
4. See the Northern Lights
5. Watch Citizen Kane to the end
6. Achieve Grade 4 Piano Forte exam (after a break of about 25 years since grade 3 taken)
7. Take an A level
8. Drop from 40" to at the most 36" waist
9. Read every Wallander book
10. Swim in the North Sea
11. Visit Paris
12. Write a Haiku
13. Attend a Tai Chi lesson to see if I enjoy/find it useful
14. Do a fund raising event for charity. (Not sure what yet)
15. Get a tattoo on my right arm
16. Go on a road trip exploring Britain with no destination in mind
17. Take a mini break on the Yorkshire coastline during winter
18. Have no outstanding debit
19. Buy or rent a place of my own
20. Get a photograph published in a photography magazine
21. Reach 1000km on my exercise bike (currently at 5)
22. Complete at least one more 60 point module towards my OU degree
23. Write a piano composition
24. Create a piece of video art
25. Read more about postmodernism so I can concisely explain what it is
26. Ride a horse
27. Appear on a TV quiz show
28. Understand and complete a cryptic crossword
29. Get a letter published in the Guardian
30. Go to a music festival (not something I've done since my early 20s)

To 25

Five more added:

1. Visit Scandanavia
2. Learn a foreign language
3. Visit another continent
4. See the Northern Lights
5. Watch Citizen Kane to the end
6. Achieve Grade 4 Piano Forte exam (after a break of about 25 years since grade 3 taken)
7. Take an A level
8. Drop from 40" to at the most 36" waist
9. Read every Wallander book
10. Swim in the North Sea
11. Visit Paris
12. Write a Haiku
13. Attend a Tai Chi lesson to see if I enjoy/find it useful
14. Do a fund raising event for charity. (Not sure what yet)
15. Get a tattoo on my right arm
16. Go on a road trip exploring Britain with no destination in mind
17. Take a mini break on the Yorkshire coastline during winter
18. Have no outstanding debit
19. Buy or rent a place of my own
20. Get a photograph published in a photography magazine
21. Reach 1000km on my exercise bike (currently at 5)
22. Complete at least one more 60 point module towards my OU degree
23. Write a piano composition
24. Create a piece of video art
25. Read more about postmodernism so I can concisely explain what it is

Reaching 20

I've now got the following:

1. Visit Scandanavia
2. Learn a foreign language
3. Visit another continent
4. See the Northern Lights
5. Watch Citizen Kane to the end
6. Achieve Grade 4 Piano Forte exam (after a break of about 25 years since grade 3 taken)
7. Take an A level
8. Drop from 40" to at the most 36" waist
9. Read every Wallander book
10. Swim in the North Sea
11. Visit Paris
12. Write a Haiku
13. Attend a Tai Chi lesson to see if I enjoy/find it useful
14. Do a fund raising event for charity. (Not sure what yet)
15. Get a tattoo on my right arm
16. Go on a road trip exploring Britain with no destination in mind
17. Take a mini break on the Yorkshire coastline during winter
18. Have no outstanding debit
19. Buy or rent a place of my own
20. Get a photograph published in a photography magazine

Found quite a few websites to inspire me:

Life of Pie - 40 before 40

Bleeding Espresso

40 things to do before I'm 40

Forty things before 40

Further tasks

Thought of a few more:

1. Visit Scandanavia
2. Learn a foreign language
3. Visit another continent
4. See the Northern Lights
5. Watch Citizen Kane to the end
6. Achieve Grade 4 Piano Forte exam (after a break of about 25 years since grade 3 taken)
7. Take an A level
8. Drop from 40" to at the most 36" waist
9. Read every Wallander book
10. Swim in the North Sea
11. Visit Paris
12. Write a Haiku

Got a few more

1. Visit Scandanavia
2. Learn a foreign language
3. Visit another continent
4. See the Northern Lights
5. Watch Citizen Kane to the end
6. Achieve Grade 4 Piano Forte exam (after a break of about 25 years since grade 3 taken)
7. Take an A level
8. Drop from 40" to at the most 36" waist

The beginning

I reach forty in 2 1/2 years so have decided to draw up a list of activities and achievements to reach before then.  So far I have:

1. Visit Scandanavia
2. Learn a foreign language

Hopefully I will have drawn up a list of 40 by the end of the month.