Various ramblings by the small hobbit

Due to the kind assistance of friends who have requested cards over the last few months, my pile of them is reduced, but there are still some available (including a further six which I found in another box), so if you would like a card, or if you've already received one and would like a second, then do let me know.

Comments will be screened, so please leave your address - unless I already have it - and cards will arrive at some point, depending on the vagaries of your and my postal systems and when I can get to the post office for non-UK cards.

Second Quarter

10 - Obtain refund on our Oyster cards
We used to use our Oyster cards (issued by Transport for London) on tubes and buses when we went up to London.  However, we no longer go there nearly as often, plus it's easy to simply use a debit card for the tube.  And since we have bus passes buses are free and often the more direct route.  Refunds are available online, but our cards are so old it doesn't work.

11 - Change phone provider
Something I've been putting off for ages due to the hassle - let's see if I can finally get it sorted!

12 - Visit Jersey
That's booked and we go next month.  I'm including it because it's definitely something different for 2025 as I've never been before.

13 - Frame cross stitch
I've stitched a couple of Klimt pictures which really deserve to go on show, so it's about time I did something.

Second Quarter Plus
Two things which will take more than three months, so April to September

14 - Read book on Brueghel
I was given a lovely books of Brueghel paintings for Christmas 2023 which I've only dipped into a few times.  It's not the sort of book to be tackled over a month, but one to enjoy the paintings, so that's my plan.

15 - Tackle stitching projects
I have a large number (16) of mostly cross stitching but also a couple of felt craft kits, some of which I've been given as presents, some I bought, and some are free gifts with my magazine, but all of them I'd like to do.  I'm going to aim for completing three of those in the next six months, taking into account not knowing how long each one will take, plus already doing two SAL and cards for various occasions.

Drink at least one litre of water a day 

Some days this has been a bit of a challenge, but I have been successful every day.



Every day I fill my one litre bottle (present from Daughter) and drink my way through it.  And if we've been out for a meal, I make sure I drink a glass of water so I can reduce the contents of the bottle accordingly.

Some days it's still a bit of a struggle - and I wouldn't say it's become a regular habit yet, but I shall keep going.

Halve my current list of OpenLearn courses

When I first set, this target, I had 19 courses on my list, this increased to 23 at the end of January, and has now reached 26.

However, I have been making good progress, in January I completed 6 courses, in February I completed a further 6, and now having finished a further course yesterday, I have completed 13 courses this year, and therefore half of 26!  Obviously, some courses are very short, but that is not relevant.

I now have 12 courses left on my list (and before anyone points out 13 + 12 = 25, not 26, this is because one course was well above my level of physics understanding, so although I read through and absorbed some of the information, I didn't 'complete' it.  It can now legitimately be removed from the list.)

My intention was never to clear the whole list - new courses come out, or current courses point to something else, but I'm pleased with how things are looking at present.

Having originally decided to split my year into six things every quarter, plus the overall goal of achieving 25 things in the year, I then found two things I wanted to add, but felt it would be better to start them now, rather than wait until April.  So since it's my list, to be run my way, I've now added them as Two Things to be achieved in the first half of the year, because they may well reasonably take more than three months anyway.

8 - Reduce pile of greetings cards
I was sorting through my greetings cards to see what I needed to buy for this year and realised I had a large number of odd cards from previous packs.  And the best way of reducing the number is by sending or giving them to people.  Currently I have 28 blank cards, plus 2 birthday cards (probably inherited from my mother) and 3 Easter cards.

9 - Listen to Delius
AnnaFan writes Lord of the Rings AUs on AO3 and her current story is a music college AU.  Every chapter has a piece of music mentioned and a couple of weeks' ago this was Delius North Country Sketches which I listened to as I read the chapter.  I liked it and realised I'd never really listened to anything by Delius, so for the next few months I plan to listen to a number of his works.

Replace my current mobile phone

Like my laptop, my phone was showing signs of aging (well, so am I, but I'm not being replaced with a new model!) and some of the apps had stopped working, plus the banking apps were not going to be usable for much longer, so having sorted my new laptop it was time to do the same with my phone.

I went to look at some of the latest models, with the intention of sticking with Samsung, and having decided that that's what I was indeed going to do, and staying with the bottom of the range model - because I really don't need all the bells and whistles and would only get confused if I had them, I came home and ordered it, again through John Lewis.  The phone is pale green, but you can't actually see that as I've again gone with a bright red cover.

I had it up and running before my trip to London and so far I'm quite happy with it.  

But no more electronic changes for the moment!

Today's challenge is to set some goals.  I'm still setting my goals in April, since I find it a more realistic time to do so, and therefore I'm using this post to review my current goals at their eight month point:

Goal 1: To do something new each month
September was a busy month generally, so the best I can offer is visiting the church's antiquated boilers, which was an experience.  October we went on holiday and visited Chester and Llandudno, both new places.  November I tried a new online book club.  And December was ridiculously busy, so there wasn't much time to include new things.  I had been going to go to a decoupage class at our local library, but due to problems on the roads the tutor didn't make it.

Goal 2: To do a monthly review
This is going very well and may well influence what I choose for next year's goals.

Goal 3: To complete a bigger knitting project
As previously mentioned, the really impressive projects cost more than I can justify.  I finished my sleeveless top ready for next summer and I've just started a jumper, although that may not be completed by the end of April.





I am also planning on having some more minor goals, and am therefore doing 25 things in 2025.  My first six 'things' are listed here

Up to now I've been setting my goals in April, but over the years it has become harder harder to find three appropriate goals and this year I've been attracted by themusecalliope who is starting 25 Things in 2025.  Their idea is to make a list of 25 things at the beginning of the year, which will be attainable at some point during the year.  I like the idea a lot, but there's no way I could come up with a list of 25 things which were anything other than trivial by today, so I've decided to go with dividing the year up into 4 blocks of three months (plus one initial thing) which will give more of a structure for the year and allow for adding new things over time as they occur.

So this is my master list, which will be updated throughout the year both with my quarterly things, plus a date when they've been achieved.  Tomorrow I'll do the post for the first quarter.

25 Things in 2025

1 - Complete 25 things in 2025 and do a post (however brief) about each one of them

Quarter 1 - January to March

2 - Drink at least one litre of water a day  Completed 28 March 

3 - Replace my current laptop  Completed 10 January

4 - Replace my current mobile  Competed 22 January

5 - Use library plus  Completed 24 January

6 - Facilitate family birthday celebration  Completed 20 March

7 - Halve my current list of OpenLearn courses  Completed 2 March

First Half - January to June

8 - Reduce pile of greetings cards

9 - Listen to Delius

Quarter 2 - April to June

10 - Obtain refund on our Oyster cards

11 - Change phone provider

12 - Visit Jersey  Completed 16 May

13 - Frame cross stitch

Quarter 2 Plus - April to September

14 - Read book on Brueghel

15 - Tackle stitching projects

June Additions

16 - 30 Days Wild

17 - Book Leger holiday for 2026

Quarter 3 - July to September

18

19


Quarter 4 - October to December

20

21

22

23

24

25