For eight years now I’ve been tracking my year in numbers – measuring the twelve months that have just passed according to all the things that are *actually* important to me (as opposed to all the things we’re told by the media and society to measure ourselves by). These metrics are the elements that I value the most in life: time spent in meaningful ways with family & friends; connecting with others; travel & new-to-me experiences; art & creativity; helping/serving people; and personal challenges/growth.
I always find it fascinating to put this post together at the end of each December. It’s an interesting process of reflection on the last 365 days and more often than not I’m happily surprised by what the numbers show, whilst simultaneously recognising that they don’t really mean anything at all because I know I’ve done my absolute best throughout the year and that is all that truly matters.
I’ve switched the categories up a little bit this year – letting go of some and adding a couple of new ones in, but the essence is the same.
Here it is: 2024 as it was for us in numbers…
# Of (Big) Trips Taken: 1
Only a quarter of the number of big trips I went on in 2023, but that’s because this year the focus needed to be on university visits and open days for Ella, so there were more mini adventures and weekends away instead. That’s ok – it was a different way to travel; it meant I got to see more of the UK than I usually would; and the one big trip I did get to do was extra special.
BARCELONA
In July I spontaneously (and somewhat uncharacteristically) booked a solo trip to Barcelona just five weeks in advance. I’d been trying to figure out how to navigate working throughout the summer holidays whilst all my girls were home, whilst also attempting to factor in some time-off, and I wasn’t getting anywhere with creating a way of doing it that actually worked for everyone. Then it hit me that I hadn’t actually had a break since September 2023, when I visited Lisbon. I’d quite literally done some kind of work – emails, clients, supervision sessions – every single day for an entire year. With that realisation, I looked ahead in my diary to the autumn and eventually found four consecutive days that were clear – a complete rarity. I’ve wanted to visit Barcelona for years – it was the obvious choice with it’s short flight and warm sunshine – so I immediately organised some flights.
It was wonderful, and exactly what I needed it to be. There were challenges, as always (delayed flights, getting lost trying to find my Airbnb late at night in the dark…) but they’re all part of the experience and they’ve become stories that I now tell. It wouldn’t be proper travelling without some kind of adventurous mishap!
I spent my time there wandering the labyrinthine back streets, seeing the popular sights, soaking up the sunrise at the beach, people-watching, having my breath taken away by the beautiful light that infiltrates down into the very pores of the city, and being wowed by the otherworldly majesty of the Sagrada Familia. I also enjoyed being able to stop to take photographs whenever I pleased, and quiet, uninterrupted evenings reading my book. It’s definitely somewhere I want to return to one day (because let’s face it, even walking 25-30k steps a day I was never going to see everything).
One of many secret little courtyards that I stumbled across whilst exploring Barcelona
# Of (Mini/Day) Trips Taken: 31
So many more than last year!
SOLO: 18
Sixteen solo trips to London, one to Liverpool and one to Birmingham. Three gigs & concerts, four exhibitions and two theatre trips. Six work events & talks, and three meet-ups with friends who I don’t get to see anywhere near often enough. Thirteen different venues, one fancy dinner, two kindly gifted press trips, and a ridiculous amount of time spent travelling by train. The only months I stayed home were March and December.
I’ve heard some incredible speakers – Elizabeth Gilbert, Hazel Gale, Shauna Quigley, Bessel Van Der Kolk and Ryan Holiday – share their ideas about trauma, stoicism, archetypes and god (with a little ‘g’); attended a light show in a church; seen some wonderful examples of travel, portrait and wildlife photography; immersed myself in the bright lights of New York City and Havana via a brilliant performance of Guys & Dolls; wandered city streets for hours with my camera, lost in deep conversations; danced and sung along to favourite music artists; been to candlelit concerts; and spent lots of time with my wonderful Mum.
It’s been a whirlwind year for eye-opening, heartfelt, inspiring experiences, and I’m endlessly grateful that I’m able to have the freedom to be able to go and do these things and make these memories. I very much hope that 2025 brings more opportunities to explore creativity, learn new things and connect with people.
Mum at the Accidentally Wes Anderson exhibition in London in January
Candlelit concert in Liverpool – this was such a gorgeous venue
Guys & Dolls at The Bridge Theatre in London in April
WITH THE GIRLS: 12
Eight university open day visits with Ella to Dublin, Exeter, Brighton, York, Lancaster, Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham. Four were day trips and four involved overnight stays and/or weekends away. Two flights, three different Airbnbs and, astonishingly, over 100k steps walked each (at least). Plus four other daytrips with each of the girls that did not involve universities of any kind – one to London, one to Matlock, one to Watford and one relatively local one to Newport in Shropshire.
We made friends with a seal, watched the sun set over the Irish Sea and enjoyed a candlelit concert in Dublin; sauntered down The Shambles, admired York Minster and located Guy Fawkes birthplace in York; and found the narrowest street in the world and visited the place where the last three people in England were tried and hanged for witchcraft in Exeter. We fangirled over Taylor Swift’s amazing Eras Tour dresses on the Taylor Swift Songbook Trail exhibition at the V&A Museum; explored the magical delights of The Lost Cauldron; checked off a summer bucket list item with a visit to the flower fields; and found delight in the unexpected discovery of Cheslyn House and Gardens.
Exploring Exeter in May
Outside York Minster Cathedral in June
Mum and Mimi in the gardens at Cheslyn House near Watford
The Taylor Swift Eras Tour Songbook Trail Exhibition at the V&A Museum in London – I took Lola and Ella
Ella at the flower fields near Newport in Shropshire
Browsing the fascinating shelves at The Lost Cauldron in Matlock
AS A FAMILY: 1
We didn’t have a proper family holiday all together this year. Neil took the girls for a last-minute getaway to our favourite place – Bude in Cornwall – whilst I stayed home to work and look after the cats as I already had clients booked in and the cattery we use was fully booked. I was sad to miss it, but they had a blast while they were there and made lots of happy memories, which is all that really matters.
I love this photo of the three girls in Bude. Neil sent it to me whilst they were away – they look so happy!
# Of New National Trust / English Heritage Properties Visited: 0
Zero visits to any National Trust or English Heritage properties or gardens for the second year running, which I feel quite sad about. We’ve ended up cancelling our National Trust membership for now as we simply weren’t using it and couldn’t justify the extra expense of keeping it ‘just in case’. Hopefully that will change in the future and we’ll become members again one day.
# Of Photos Taken: 5,372
Big camera photos only – I’m not counting phone photos otherwise the number would probably triple.
Almost 1,900 more images captured than last year! Photoshoots and travelling will do that I guess. I’m happy. Sometimes I’ve had to push myself to pick up my camera, and other times I’ve noticed some pretty light or something that inspires me and have literally sprinted up the stairs to get it so I could capture the moment. There are definitely fewer photographs of the girls, which does make me feel sad although I suppose it was inevitable. In contrast, there are more images of me as I turned to self-portraiture as a way of documenting a difficult year.
I hope I can continue this in 2025, and maybe convince the girls to allow me to photograph them a little more often. It’s going to be a pivotal year with Ella heading off to uni and all sorts of other changes going on.
One of my favourite photos of the three girls together from this year – at the time of taking it, Ella was 17yo, Lola was 14yo and Mimi was 16yo
# Of Self-Portraits: 33
I managed a self portrait session every month except one, eventually ending up with an average of three images per session that made the cut (and, let’s be real, hundreds of others that got discarded) which I’m quite pleased with. I’m part of a self portrait community on Instagram that is so wonderfully supportive & encouraging, and I’ve found it to be incredibly helpful as a nudge to get in the frame more regularly and document that I was there too.
These thirty-three self portraits are ones that actually show my face, which is the part of me I least like having photographs taken of – I guess by me taking them myself I retain some element of control, and I only edit the ones I like. I also found other creative ways to get some element of me in front of the camera too including images in the form of shadows, hands and feet.
The images I kept, taken with my big camera, were half impromptu (I saw pretty light, happened to be alone in the house, grabbed my camera and got what I could in the time I had) and half mapped out in advance (ie: I had an idea for a story I wanted to tell through the image I took). It’s very much been part of my therapeutic journey over the last year or two – this project started off as a bit of an experiment and then the more self portraits I took the more I realised how much it was helping me to heal. I was quite literally seeing myself in different lights, showing a range of different emotions as I moved through the events of the year. Documenting the journey of coming home to myself has been a fascinating process, and I will most definitely be continuing in 2025.
(Side note: There have also been many phone selfies. These are rarely just of me on my own, and more usually with one of the girls or a friend. They are just as important to me because I’m capturing moments of joy in real time and freezing them forever)
One of my favourite self portraits from the year
# Of Photoshoots: 3
Considering I haven’t done any kind of marketing whatsoever for my photography business – Moments In Between Photography – I’m very pleased to have had the honour of capturing three different photoshoots throughout 2024.
First was a personal branding shoot in February for my friend Grace, who wanted some images she could use on her website and social media to showcase who she is as a therapist who works with grief and trauma; a yoga teacher; and a brand/website designer.
Grace and Nala, who is in training to become a therapy dog
It’s always such a joy to work with Grace
Then, in August I got to work with her again on a family photoshoot with her boyfriend and their beautiful and energetic golden retriever, Nala. We were so lucky with the weather – after torrential downpours all morning the sun came out and we had a gorgeous walk across a part of Cannock Chase that I’d not been to before.
Look at that view!
I love this image. We played around with lots of different ways to capture them and their love for each other shone through in every single frame.
Finally, in October, my friend Kelly got in touch – she was approaching a milestone birthday and wanted an extended family photoshoot to mark the occasion. We’d planned an outdoorsy autumnal location, but this time the weather didn’t want to play, so we relocated indoors and had a lot of fun capturing the chaos and the love there instead. Their girls have grown up SO much since the last time I took photographs for them.
The utter joy and chaos and laughter and love of raising a young family
The rain finally stopped for five minutes, so we scooted out into the garden for a few extended family shots with the grandparents too!
# Of Client Therapy And Supervision Sessions: 346
My therapy work has continued to be extremely busy throughout 2024 and I’ve seen on average an extra three clients each month compared to last year. I say it every time, but it really is such an honour and privilege to be able to work with the people who choose me to help them through whatever it is they’re finding challenging in their life.
My youngest client this year was just ten years old, and, at the opposite end of the scale, the oldest was 60. They, and everyone in-between, have taught me as much as I’ve taught them. I’m deeply proud of every single one of them for showing up, facing their fears and being all-in with me so that they can get themselves to where they want to be. Every single day is different, which I love.
I’ve no idea who I’ll get to meet and have the joy of working with in 2025, but I’m already looking forward to it.
# Of New Additions To Our Family: 1
My cousin (who I held and looked after when she was a tiny baby), had a baby girl of her own! That makes her my first cousin once removed (and yes, I most definitely had to Google it to work that out). She was born in May, on the same day as Mimi’s birthday. I’m yet to meet her but I hope to in early 2025.
# Of New Cities/Countries Visited: 3
No new countries this year, sadly, but I did spend time in three new-to-me cities – two in the UK and one European: Exeter; York; and Barcelona. I loved each of them for very different reasons, and would happily revisit all three of them again.
I have to say that out of them all, Barcelona was my favourite. I adore Spain, and getting the chance to wander around the wildly artistic architecture, tiny back alleys and history-and-culture-filled streets of this coastal city that’s bathed in warm, golden sunshine has been on my travel bucket list for a while.
I have no idea yet what travel adventures 2025 will hold. It’s going to be a year of big changes and I suspect that a lot of things are going to be more about going with the flow rather than planning too far in advance. Either way, I very much hope there will be more cities AND maybe a new country when I report back this time next year.
Park Guell in Barcelona
# Of New Experiences: 52
It’s been a busy, busy year. The winter months never fill me with joy (I am solar-powered, through and through) but nonetheless January saw me prom dress shopping again, with Mimi this time (1). I also squeezed in two trips to London – one to see the Accidentally Wes Anderson exhibition (2) with my Mum, which I LOVED, and one was a press trip to go to the LIFE experience at St Martin In The Fields church (3). I’ve been to immersive art exhibitions before but nothing like this one – it was incredible.
February saw me finally being diagnosed with autism (4). I’ve not written about it, or really spoken about it with many people at all yet – I think I’m still processing it and to be honest I’m kind of hoping that most people skip over actually reading this sentence! I’m sure I will share in time, it might just take a little while. Another press trip gave me my first taste of the Imagine Children’s Festival (5) at the Southbank Centre (and, as a slight detour on route, a quick visit to the Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel (6) underneath Waterloo Station). A spontaneous trip to a concert hall filled with candles in Liverpool (7) resulted in me getting all emotional at another Ludovico Einaudi tribute pianist (last year it was at an old church in Birmingham).
In March I attended my first ever writing workshop (8) with the wonderful Rachel Larson Weaver, and, after some planning and a lot of courage, I got a new tattoo (9) – technically not a new experience I know as I have two others already, but it’s my first one in fourteen years and at the age of 40! This month also saw me back in Dublin for the first time in twenty years, this time with a daughter in tow. We went to see the Book Of Kells (10), and a classical Taylor Swift concert (11) which was far better than you might imagine, and we made friends with a wild seal (12) whom Ella named Martin. I watched the sunset in Howth (13) and the sunrise in Portmarnock (14), both of which were very special ‘firsts’ for different reasons.
LIFE experience at St-Martin-in-the-Fields church
Sunset at Howth
April involved two more London excursions. The first was to see Guys and Dolls for the first time ever (15) with one of my best friends – it was an immersive performance (16) so the audience were standing up surrounding the stage, the set moved and the actors were in amongst us all – it was fantastic. The venue – The Bridge Theatre – was new to me too (17) and I’m already excited to find out what they’re going to perform next once this show finishes it’s current run. Just a week or so later I was back in London again, at the Barbican (18) this time – another new-to-me venue, seeing Elizbeth Gilbert speak in person (19). I love her words and her work, and came away feeling inspired.
In May it was Mimi’s turn to sit her GCSEs (20) and she also got her ears pierced (21) as part of her birthday present. I attended ‘An Artful Conversation’ and met a whole heap of photographers and creatives that I’ve followed for years on social media, in person (22). Plus I visited and explored Exeter (23), which, in all our years of driving past the city on our way to Cornwall, I’ve never actually been to properly before.
Summer was full of new experiences, and seemed to fly past extremely quickly. In June I got to explore York (24) with Ella, and on our return journey we travelled on the highest motorway in England (25) which sounds far more interesting and impressive than it probably is. I was lucky enough to be taken out for dinner by a colleague and we ate at The Wigmore (26) in London. I would very much like to go back again one day because the meal was delicious and the restaurant was very aesthetic.
At the beginning of July it was Mimi’s turn to experience Year 11 prom (27) – she had a brilliant time and looked absolutely beautiful in her dress. Another uni open day led to my first time visiting Lancaster (28), and at the end of the month Neil and the girls went away on holiday without me for the first time ever (29). Ella also became the first of the girls to have a dental procedure – she needed a couple of stubborn baby teeth removing (30).
August was Mimi’s first time staying at my Mum’s for a few days (31) – Ella went last year. Cheslyn House & Gardens was a new find (32), Lola got to see Buckingham Palace (33) and I went to the V&A Museum in London (34) for the very first time – how it’s taken me 41 years to do so I have no idea! The end of the month was also Mimi’s turn to receive her GCSE results (35) and we’re very proud of how hard she worked.
Exeter Cathedral
Mimi all ready for her Year 11 prom
Outside Buckingham Palace – look how happy Lola is, she’s beaming!
September brought a lot of changes, with Mimi starting to study her A Levels at college (36). Once everyone was settled back into their academic rhythms, I squeezed in my first (and definitely not the last) visit to Barcelona (37). I experienced so many firsts whilst I was there – the Sagrada Familia was the hands-down winner though (38) – I’ve never seen anything like it before. It was breath-taking. Once back in the UK ( and back in work-mode), I saw Bessel Van Der Kolk speak (39) at another new-to-me venue – The Troxy in London (40).
October saw me being lucky enough to witness the awe-inspiring splendour of the Northern Lights (41), on an ordinary Thursday in Stafford. It feels very special that I got to share that ‘first’ with the girls too. I saw a favourite music artist – Chance Peña – perform live (42) at my first visit to the Shepherd’s Bush Empire (43). I spent a day exploring the pretty town of Matlock (44) with Ella, who also attended her first college house party (45). Meanwhile Mimi had her first dental procedure (46) and Lola headed up north to spend a few days with a friend from school who had moved away during the summer holidays. It’s the first time she’s been away from home for longer than one night (47) and she had a fantastic time.
Things slowed down a little in November and December. I went to see Ryan Holiday (48) speak live, quickly followed by another music gig – this time it was Harrison Storm (49) at an intimate and very cool venue called Omeara (50). Lola got bitten by the musical theatre bug when she went on a school trip to see Ghost: The Musical (51), and then Ella turned 18 and officially became the first of my girls to reach adulthood (52)!
It really has been an incredibly full-on year in so many ways and I feel very lucky to have been able to have experienced so many new things.
Street art in Barcelona
Ella celebrated her 18th birthday!
# Of Books Read: 23
My aim is always to read one book a month as an absolute minimum. Last year I gave myself the target of reading 23 books in 2023 and (somehow) I managed to overachieve and exceed that goal, finishing 26 books in total, which I was delighted with. This year my target was 24 books in 2024. I didn’t quite manage to reach it this year – I ended up just one book short, managing 23 altogether. I’m ok with that – it’s almost two books every month and I think that’s very respectable.
Here’s the full list of all of the books I read in 2024:
- Torch by Cheryl Strayed
- Conversations With Friends / Beautiful World, Where Are You? both by Sally Rooney
- Hopeless / Losing Hope / Reminders Of Him all by Colleen Hoover
- Accidentally Wes Anderson by Wally Koval (coffee table)
- One Day by David Nicholls
- Pocket Travel Guidebooks to Dublin / Barcelona both by Lonely Planet (travel)
- The Power by Naomi Alderman
- The Summer Of Impossible Things / We Are All Made Of Stars both by Rowan Coleman
- Instructions For Travelling West by Joy Sullivan (poetry)
- Truly Madly Guilty / Big Little Lies both by Liane Moriarty
- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
- The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
- The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho
- The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk (non-fiction/work related)
- Pax by Sara Pennypacker
- All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapato
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
It’s a somewhat eclectic mix of genres, as usual: 18 fiction books (some bestsellers, a few lesser-known titles and authors, and no YA fiction this year, interestingly); 2 travel books, 1 non-fiction/work-related book; 1 coffee table book; 1 poetry book and 0 memoirs. I like that I read a range of writing, and I’d like to expand on that and read an even wider variety in 2025. I’ve never read any of the classics, so perhaps they’ll be on my list of books read this time next year…
My top three fiction in 2024 were: ‘One Day’ – a re-read from fifteen years ago when it was first published, and I loved it even more second time around. The TV adaptation is also excellent – if you haven’t seen it, please go and watch it immediately. ‘The Ferryman’ – an interesting combination of dystopian (which I love) and sci-fi (which I do not – if you don’t either, please don’t let it put you off!) that really worked. It was thought-provoking and surprising and actually kind-of relevant to my work too. And finally, ‘Pax’ – I don’t know what genre to file this under other than ‘heart-warming/gut-wrenching’. It’s going to stay with me for a long time.
Others that were particularly memorable (for different reasons) were ‘The Power’ and ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’ – both worth reading although I wouldn’t necessarily call them ‘enjoyable’. They’re definitely more books designed to make you think.
I’ve set the goal of reading 25 books in 2025 and I’m already curious to find out what they might be.
All 23 of the books I read in 2024…
# Of Live Music Gigs: 4
Live music is a huge passion of mine – I love going to concerts and gigs of all kinds, from classical to modern music, from huge stadiums to tiny & intimate venues, and from big names to less well-known artists. I’ve been lucky enough to go to four different events this year – one less than last year.
The first two were both candlelit concerts. One I went to on my own, a spontaneous evening up in Liverpool in February to listen to Ludovico Einaudi’s music played by a classical pianist at St. George’s Hall, which was an absolutely beautiful venue. The second one was mostly for Ella (and I enjoyed it too!) – a Taylor Swift tribute collection performed on strings at St Andrew’s Church in Dublin in March.
The latter two were both during the autumn months, and both were indie/folk artists who’s music I’ve been borderline obsessed with for a couple of years now. I saw Chance Peña at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London in October, and Harrison Storm at Omeara in November. I’m not sure I could pick a favourite out of the two – they each played my favourite songs, the atmosphere at both was good and I enjoyed them equally.
I’m already looking forward to hopefully seeing more live music throughout 2025.
# Of Sunrises And Sunsets Watched: 177
Six more than last year! No matter the season, I’m usually up before the sun and still awake after it sinks below the horizon, so I try and capture both the rising and the setting of it as often as I can, whenever circumstances allow and if the sky puts on a show. There have been some absolutely beautiful ones this year and, of course, I have some favourites – partly because they were especially beautiful on a visual basis, and partly because of the memories I made in the moments that are connected to them…
March 2024. Sunrise at Portmarnock Beach near Dublin, shared with a very special friend.
September 2024. Sunrise at Barceloneta Beach in Barcelona
Summer 2024: Sunset at home
# Of Blog Posts Written: 24
Including this one! 24 blog posts in 2024 seems very fitting, and honestly the number surprised me a little – I didn’t think it would be as high as that. It works out at an average of two posts a month, which is definitely more than I thought. I’ve been consistent with my monthly Little Loves and my seasonal Moments In Between posts. Plus I wrote seven more pieces, mostly all travel-related. (Although I’m still to write-up my trips to both Lisbon and Barcelona, so I am a little bit behind!). I also created three travel vlogs (Paris, Lisbon and Dublin). I’m determined to write (and maybe film) more in 2025 – I have so many travel tips and photos to share from the places I’ve been, so many more stories to tell, and so many things still to learn about filmmaking. 25 blog posts in 2025 is my aim.
#Of ‘Likes’ On Instagram Photos: 3,300
According to the ‘Top Nine’ app, I received 3.3k likes over 75 posts (an average of 44 likes per photo) on Instagram. Pretty similar to last year. Apparently this gives me a ‘Top Nine score’ of 94 (whatever that means!) and puts me in the top 1% of accounts who have up to 5k followers, because I get 11% more likes per post than average. Allegedly. My follower numbers have only grown by 10 in total (haha!) since last year though, which is pretty appalling. Whilst these stats are interesting, they really, really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I mostly just like how representative this little grid is – they aren’t necessarily my personal favourite images, but there are photos of each of the girls, one group shot, a self portrait, and some travel images – a good selection of memorable moments from the year.
My ‘top nine’ photos from 2024
I’m already curious to see what next year’s grid will look like. If you aren’t yet following me on Instagram and would like to, you can find me here: https://www.instagram.com/picturetakermemorymaker
# Of Cinema Trips: 3
One less cinema visit than last year, which is disappointing – especially considering I get a free ticket every month as a perk from my life insurance provider! I usually love going to the cinema to lose myself in a good film, there simply haven’t been that many that I’ve wanted to see this year. I took Ella and Lola to see ‘Wonka’ at the start of January, which was brilliant. I enjoyed it far more than the Johnny Depp version. Lola and I watched ‘Inside Out 2’ when she had an inset day in June, and I sobbed. The first movie in the series is brilliant (and I’ll never forget meeting Joy and Sadness at Disney World In Florida in 2017), but this took it to a whole other level. If you haven’t seen it, please watch it immediately. It’s incredibly clever. Finally, I went on my own to see ‘It Ends With Us’, an adaptation of the book by Colleen Hoover, in August, which I enjoyed.
Neil took various combinations of the girls to see ‘Twisters’ (Ella), ‘Despicable Me 4’ (Lola), and ‘Beetlejuice’ (Ella and Mimi) throughout the year too.
No movies watched at home either, which seems like a missed opportunity. Must do better in 2025! I have lots on my list…
# Of Items Ticked Off My ’50 Things Before I’m 50′ List: 3
My 40th birthday in May 2023 marked the end of my ’40 Things Before I’m 40′ project, and the start of a new one – ’50 Things Before I’m 50′. Being fifty years old seems like a looooong way off, and yet, I’m already 18 months into that decade and I’m not quite sure how that happened? I have written a list of fifty things, I’ve just not created a blog post around it yet. Some items have been carried over from the previous project, as I didn’t complete them. The vast majority are completely new though, and perhaps reflect the shifting dynamics of my world at home with the girls as they grow up and become more independent, meaning I have more space to explore.
Ten years to complete fifty challenges and adventures seems like a reasonably achievable aim – it works out as five items per year. In the first year and a half I’ve ticked off three, so I’m already a little bit behind schedule but that’s ok. What I’ve learned from my previous challenge is that these things tend to move in their own unique way, and letting them happen is as important as making them happen – you can’t plan everything.
NEW TATTOO – completed March 2024, age 40 years old
I already have two tattoos. The first one is from when I was travelling in Australia over 20 years ago, and the other one I had done in 2010. I’ve wanted more for a very long time – all only smallish ones that have significant meanings and memories connected to them. I finally worked up the courage to do it (after years of dithering) early in the springtime, which felt fitting seeing as the design is of flowers. More specifically, the favourite flowers of each of the strong women who came before me – a sweet pea for my Nana, a poppy for my Grannie, and a daisy for my Mum. Then there’s my favourite flower, a peony, in the middle, surrounded by all the others. I absolutely love it.
A terrible mirror selfie/phone photo but it’s harder than you think to take a photograph of your own arm! I love my new tattoo.
VISIT BARCELONA – completed September 2024, age 41 years old
There are many Spanish cities that I want to visit and explore one day, but Barcelona has always topped the list, mostly because of the Sagrada Familia and the fantastical architecture scattered throughout the streets.
Since 2017 I’ve been lucky enough to take occasional solo trips: Colorado in 2017; Atlanta in 2020; Chicago in 2022; plus Paris and Lisbon both in 2023. They’re usually planned out quite far in advance. This year was different – I only booked my flights to Barcelona five weeks before I travelled so it was far more spontaneous.
I’m so glad I took advantage of the pocket of time I had – I loved it there. It’s an absolutely beautiful city, the Sagrada Familia took my breath away, the architecture was incredible and I would happily go back again one day because there was so much left unseen that I didn’t have time to explore.
The MNAC (National Art Museum of Catalonia) in Barcelona
SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS – completed October 2024, age 41 years old
The magical phenomena of the Northern Lights is something I have longed to see since I was young. My original intention was to travel to Iceland to see them because of a/ the frequency that they occur and b/ the incredible landscape. However, there has been some fairly significant resistance and procrastination tactics around actually deciding to go on such a trip because I reeeeeally hate being cold, and, from my understanding, to get the best display you have to go in either February or October which is precisely when it happens to be at extreme subzero temperatures. It’s been an ongoing dilemma that I’ve gone back and forth with for years.
So when the Aurora Borealis put on a show in October, I was thrilled (especially after I’d been devastated to miss them when they showed up around my birthday in May). The geographical location suddenly didn’t matter in the slightest – they were incredible. I got to share the experience with the girls too, which made it even more special. We were leaning out of bedroom windows and standing in the middle of the street in our pyjamas post-10pm, and it felt like a big adventure even though they’re teenagers now. Hearing them alternate between delighted exclamations of wonder and hushed reverence at the beauty and scale of it all… I hope with my whole heart that it’s something they remember forever.
Plus it means I don’t have to go to Iceland in the wintertime – I can travel there in the summer months to experience the midnight sun (another item on my bucket list) instead – much more my kind of thing!
Aurora Borealis, Stafford, October 2024
Looking Forwards To 2025
And that’s it! My 2024 in numbers. It’s felt like a tough year in many ways (which seems to be a fairly universally held conclusion) and yet, looking back through everything I/we did, I can confidently say that we made memories that will stay with us forever, connected with each other in new ways and have learnt more about ourselves as a result of the experiences we’ve had.
2025 is going to be an interesting year. There are a great many unknowns ahead and I’m going to do my absolute best to embrace them with open eyes and an open heart. Navigating whatever the next twelve months holds will no doubt bring both challenges and accomplishments, chaos and calm, shadows and light, and I’m here for all of it. Life is so, so short and I truly believe that we are here to experience as much of it as possible, as fully as possible, whilst we can.
