The 52 Week Challenge - Week by week through 2016

[bramble]

My challenge for this week.
As my bedroom carpet wont be arriving until next week I am going to paint all the doors in the house, most of which are white.

[Guest]

Week 3

Is finish cleaning the utility/ conservatory.

TY Hazel for saying about boots. I had over 200+ photos and it was the better way to do it. Although I have had to buy another album

[PyreneesPlot]

Week Two - French novel, ongoing (Chap3).

Week Three - Driving.
In 2006 I had a big car crash and became a very fearful driver only doing so if I absolutely had to which was not often. And of course now we are in France everything is on the other side of the road/car too, and from late 2013 my joints were so bad it was almost impossible to get in the car, let alone drive for a good six months and I pretty much gave up.

So I am now physically able to drive and need to JUST DO IT! (Oddly enough I have no similar fears on the motorbike )

So this morning I did the half an hour drive home (narrow but empty lanes) and on Friday I will drive to/from Tarbes, the big city!! Although OH may have to park

[Lisasbolt]

Week 3.
To be honest it is very easy to be lazy and forget about learning the language of where you live, especially when you live in the countryside and do not see anyone else for days at a time and then it is quite often other English, but i really do not want to be one of those Expats who do not bother with the language.

I have stuck up in the Kitchen a large A4 size blackboard sticky thing, and i will learn a couple of new words a day..............only to forget them in a couple of weeks because i do not use them

[PyreneesPlot]

Have you tried Duolingo, Lisa?
I'm half way through the French course and it is the best online course I've found. I started the Spanish one, too. And am having a punt at Occitan!

[JanieB]

My OH and I intended to retire to Cyprus so I learnt Greek. I've now forgotten most of it it as the first time I could face going back there was last year and it's a case of use it or lose it.

I also speak French but also a case of the above although as I used it far more often in the past I cotton on a lot faster and I learnt it a when I was a lot younger.

I can sort of understand several Latin languages when written down as I did Latin at school. Modern changes tend to be in English as in "football" and "tv".

The weirdest one is German which I spoke until I was 7. Myself and my siblings had a German nanny who was instructed to speak to us in her own language. I understand it when I hear it but I can't speak it. I wonder if I was hypnotised would it be dug out of the depths of my brain.

[Gillykat]

Whoops....I'm late to this challenge I'll do two things this week then two next and will catch up

This week I will....

Sort through books and junk on bedroom bookcases and ebay/skip/donate to charity shop/keep as appropriate. In a one bedroomed flat we have to be ruthless - it's only taken us nine YEARS to realise this!!!

Tidy kitchen cupboards - they're a bombsite and I'm sure a couple of hours will have them tidy and efficient once more.

[skeggijon]

My OH and I intended to retire to Cyprus so I learnt Greek. I've now forgotten most of it it as the first time I could face going back there was last year and it's a case of use it or lose it.

I also speak French but also a case of the above although as I used it far more often in the past I cotton on a lot faster and I learnt it a when I was a lot younger.

I can sort of understand several Latin languages when written down as I did Latin at school. Modern changes tend to be in English as in "football" and "tv".

The weirdest one is German which I spoke until I was 7. Myself and my siblings had a German nanny who was instructed to speak to us in her own language. I understand it when I hear it but I can't speak it. I wonder if I was hypnotised would it be dug out of the depths of my brain.

Ich verstehe mehr als ich spreche

[Tripmeup]

This week I need to get out and do a 5k run...

[noviceveggrower]

Seed update. See I have got my act together a little bit.

Week 1

Monkey Nuts

Week 2

Chilli seeds De Cayenne

Week 3

Jalapeno
Cayenne
Aubergine Black Beauty
Lavender seeds from the VSP

[PyreneesPlot]

Week Three - Driving.

So this morning I did the half an hour drive home (narrow but empty lanes) and on Friday I will drive to/from Tarbes, the big city!! Although OH may have to park

Fail - too wound up to drive there (visiting the consultant) and then lashing with rain on the way back. Wuss.

[skeggijon]

I've really struggled to come up with something new to do this week (imagination issues), but while struggling to decide what to cook for tonight it hit me - we have an Ostrich farm nearby and I've never cooked with Ostrich, so after a quick jaunt, I now have some Ostrich Fillets which I'm going to pan fry with Mushrooms and Bacon.

[veggiechicken]

Week 3 Challenge has been to find a use for the rounds of wood from the felled ash tree.
They roll in a drunken sort of way but need an extra pair of hands to lift them!



They've become mini-cromlechs, around a couple of tree stumps. That's 8 logs down and another dozen or so to go!

[Lumpy]

Blow away built - tick
Raised beds filled - tick
Sorted out the pots - tick

Next Week

Pot up the perennials I bought from the other house
Sow some carrot seeds - the packet said I can in Jan so we will see.
Get the last of the weed control down ready for gravel.

This is the progress so far since mid Nov

[Verinda]

I bought and ate a kaki fruit which was interesting but admittedly not much of a challenge. I promise i'll do better next week