52 Week Challenge - week by week through 2013

[julesapple]

They aren't astonishing or even very exciting challenges, but still - I'm quite proud of myself for achieving them.

Right! Are we ready for 52 Week Challenge 2014? I can't believe the year is nearly over - where does it all go?

[veggiechicken]

Week 49 Challenge - completed
Take clutter to a charity shop
Not exactly demanding, you may think, but ..........
First, it needed to be a charity shop that I could park outside as some of the things were bulky, awkward to carry, heavy and there would be several trips to unload the car.
Second, it had to be one where the assistants were welcoming and not one of the ungrateful snooty ones. I have blacklisted a couple of shops, where they are unable to say "Thank you" when you donate items - or mutter as you leave "Not more books". And they're correct - they will not be receiving any more books from me.
Anyway, a new Bobath shop has opened nearby with parking outside and they take electrical items without instruction leaflets (as some require. One charity will not accept candles without user instructions)
Next week, they will have another load of my clutter

[veggiechicken]

Right! Are we ready for 52 Week Challenge 2014? I can't believe the year is nearly over - where does it all go?

Here's a Challenge for someone - to run the 2014 thread
I'm standing down as 2014 is going to be one big challenge and I'm going to be busy

[veggiechicken]

Week 50 . 9th - 15th December

On the Final countdown...............where have I heard that before

[Tripmeup]

Well, I did get started on the club accounts/finances so whilst I am not finished, progress is being made..
This week is simples...Buy at least 3 Christmas pressies!!

[Hazel at the Hill]

Right! Are we ready for 52 Week Challenge 2014? I can't believe the year is nearly over - where does it all go?

Funnily enough I had the 'what happens next?' conversation with my mum and big sis last night - I don't have enough similar-but-different challenges to carry into 2014 (although some I wish that I'd had chance to do this year), but I would like to continue to challenge myself it some way.

I might take the most interesting twelve from this year, and take them into 2014 as a month long challenge each (e.g. learn to draw; do some knitting; make sweeties). Not sure about that. The alternative is to take a currently under-loved cookery book from the shelf and cook a recipe a week out of that.

Whatever I decide, I'll continue to blog about it.

I have enjoyed this immensely, though, so I might gather further challenges over 2014 and come back to this format in 2015.

[Hazel at the Hill]

........OR we could draw up a master list between us of Challenges that we could all have a go at in 2014 (pick up litter? take down Christmas decs and sort though before putting them away for next year? Declutter a room? Visit somewhere unfamiliar? that sort of thing) and we can tick 'em off as we go, week by week.

[Tripmeup]

My fullest admiration to those who stuck to it week by week and hopefully I am not offending anyone, but particularly to Hazel, VC & Shen who really got into it..

I missed some weeks, was too busy on others etc etc but enjoyed the ones I did do
I think weekly was too much for me, so will have a think about maybe monthly ones next year...

Big thanks to VC for starting this tho and keeping it going....
It's probably the only thread she didn't allow to get derailed

[veggiechicken]

Cheeky
I think you mean " I didn't allow myself to derail"
Speaking of which, what times the next train to Paddington ?

[Sheneval]

VC - The work in the bathroom is now completed although I have still to wash the windows inside and out and clean the blinds.

Nevertheless by replacing the sealant round the bath and sink, freshening up the grouting on the tiles, fitting a new bath panel, doing a small tiling job and fitting a new floor covering, week 49 Challenge completed.

.

[Sheneval]

VC - For week 50 I intend to cover all the paths on my plot; my daughter's plot and grandkids' plot with woodchip, a very large load of which has been dumped just outside the site.

[veggiechicken]

Week 50 challenge completed
Try an alternative way to cook sprouts
The recipe fell into my Inbox and I just happened to have a pile of sprouts, that I'd bought for the dogs as treats
So I stole some from the dogs and tried to follow this recipe from a volunteer at the local CSA market garden:-

'Fry some curry spices - include turmeric - with garlic and ginger in a little oil/butter. Add some coconut - dessicated, creamed or milk. Add a pile of grated sprouts. Warm through, season and add lime juice before serving.'

Unfortunately, as with all good recipes, I didn't have all the ingredients to hand. So my version was -
Heat some butter and add turmeric and ginger powder.
Slice some carrots on the diagonal and fry in the buttery spices.
Add sprouts, halved.
Stir them around and add some water to stop them sticking.
Squirt in some lemon juice whenever you remember.

Despite being a pale imitation of the original recipe, I enjoyed it - although my dinner plate has turned yellow from the turmeric
(How do you prevent/clean that?)

[Hazel at the Hill]

Week 50 Challenge

Clear out the Garage

I wonder if we all have an area that we use as a sort of holding bay where we put stuff until such time as we can think what to do with it?

For me, on a small scale, it's the kitchen windowsill by the back door which ends up as a dumping ground - at the mo it includes a couple of odd hooks left over from some DIY, pair of pliers (ditto), wire ties and a a few plant labels from the Hill, the gate remote, and a nice stone I picked up when I was in the park the other day.

On a larger scale, it's the little attic room which collects 'stuff' - boxes from things I've bought, miscellaneous computer equipment which doesn't appear to be vital to the running of the home office, but I don't like to throw away, company archives from the year dot.

And on a larger scale again, it's the garage.

I'm hoping to get a chest freezer in the new year, and that will involve a re-shuffle in the garage if I'm not going to back into it every time I put the car away, and so I spent a happy couple of hours getting everything out and reacquainting myself with the contents of the various boxes on the shelving.

Before:



I ended up with 4 black bags of rubbish, all the canes and wood stacked/stored correctly, a pile of roottrainers (I don't get on with them!) and pricking out trays which I'll donate to the Hill, and a miscellaneous heap for the charity shop.

I swept the garage out (had a fight with the biggest spider in the world who had hold of the other end of the broom), and neatly put all the 'keeps' back on the shelves.

After:



I have a tidy garage, and space for a new freezer - so that's my week 50 Challenge done!

[Feral007]

Okay, not many done by me this year, but I did manage to get the 3 done that I started somewhere in first term.
From now until Christmas (as well as the usual OMG I have to do that) I'm going to clear out the cars. We have a farm ute and now a paddock basher, which have become a repository for anything in the mobile road cars, that people want out of them. It's got waaaay out of hand. I might make this one until new years tho, as I'm working extra shifts so getting them cleaned and getting it to the tip will be a little time consuming.

[Tripmeup]

Well, I did get started on the club accounts/finances so whilst I am not finished, progress is being made..
This week is simples...Buy at least 3 Christmas pressies!!

Not the most difficult challenge I grant you, but twas done!
This week's is to put up the outside lights/decorations...