January 14th 2020, the final day of my Day Zero Project. I'm not at all surprised that I didn't do them all, but I am surprised that I didn't do some of the easier ones. Never-the-less it was fun to compile the list and slowly tick them off.
Here is a roundup of all the ones I completed. You can see the full list here.
001. Read 101 books
I read book no.101 at the end of December.
004. Decorate the kitchen
I went from a magnolia sort of colour to one called Natural Hessian, which is an equally pale shade of beige. Most people didn't noticed the change, but I prefer it, it looks fresher and really suits the kitchen.
005. Decorate the entrance hall
After lots of sanding, the removal of a door, turning murky brown walls green, and lots and lots of gloss work, the hall has been transformed. I just need a coat rack (and plans are afoot) and new doormats and I can call it finished.
006. Decorate our bedroom in a gorgeous deep bluey green
I deliberated over the exact shade of bluey green for ages, and then when I revealed the final choice to Andy he was less than enthusiastic. So we went for pink. It took me a while but I love it now it's done.
012. Kondo the cupboard under the stairs
This was only recently ticked off the list. We cleared out loads of old crap, some left by the previous owners, and now I have a cupboard I can actually walk into! The cats aren't impressed as there is a lot less to climb on and explore.
013. Sand and repaint the side entrance door
The difference this makes is amazing, we had a dark wooden door before with a tiny window, it's lighter and brighter, and just looks much more inviting.
017. See a ballet / opera
In May 2019 my Mum and I went to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden to see three short sequences - Within The Golden Hour, Medusa, and Flight Pattern. They were very different from each other and was a perfect introduction to ballet.
021. See a psychic
I had a one-to-one reading with a chap called Ryan Gooding early in 2018.
027. Visit the Forbidden Forest at Warner Brothers studios
October 2018 saw me step foot into the Forbidden Forest for the first time. It was dark, misty and I swear the floor was moving beneath my feet. Thunder and lightening accompanied us as we met Buckbeak and Aragog. To see it all close up was fascinating.
028. Go on a picnic
My sister-in-law organised a picnic for my birthday in 2018 at Framlingham Castle.
029. Grow something edible in the greenhouse
I've grown mixed lettuce leaves, lambs lettuce, 2 varieties of spring onions, garlic chives, cucamelons, and a few raspberries and strawberries. Also spinach, radish, and rainbow carrots, lettuce leaves, tomatoes, and potatoes.
033. Sell something I’ve made
This happens regularly, I make things to sell at Cake & Craft sales that I help to organise at our local hospital. I was delighted to receive this photo from a lady who purchased one of my first batch of pom pom wreaths.
034. Go on a boat
A day on the Norfolk broads on one of the hottest days of 2018.
038. Read a book every month with that month in the title
I really enjoyed this challenge. My favourite book was Sunflowers in February, I wouldn't recommend March, or July's People, as I found both really hard going, but the rest are definitely worth a read.
041. Find and master a dessert recipe that will become my signature dish
I found a recipe for Malteaser cheesecake on Pinterest and made it for Andy's birthday, I got up early so it had time to set and smuggled it over to his parents house later that day. It was delicious!
I made it for a family gathering on Christmas Eve, and then again when visiting my brother and his family a few months later.
042. Make elderflower cordial and gin
I made gin one year and cordial the following year. Both were delicious. Neither lasted very long.
047. Create a bee friendly area in my garden
This will be an ongoing project as I intend to keep adding bee friendly plants and shrubs, but I have started by creating an area with a bee bath and lavender to entice the bees to a sunny spot.
048. Bake and decorate a chocolate cake for Andy's birthday
Having discovered that Andy isn't actually that keen on chocolate cake I decided to make him the Malteaser cheesecake instead, which also gave me the opportunity to tick two things off the list.
050. Find seaglass
I picked up my first bit on a beach clean in June 2018, and since then I've found a good handful.
052. Get a tattoo
I got three, all on the same day. It's not as drastic as it sounds, they're all tiny.
054. Take part in a beach clean up
I've actually done this three times now, the first of which you can read about here, and the third time here, as part of a Photo An Hour day.
058. Climb a tree
In my garden, so it's a bit of a cheat but I'll keep my eyes peeled for another good climber. The problem is a lot of low branches are cut off to stop such activity!
059. Go camping
In July 2018 I camped at Cliff House in Dunwich with a group of friends. It's a superb campsite right on the cliffs with easy access to the beach. The weather was perfect for camping, allowing us to sit on the beach until the early hours, before being lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves.
060. Photograph the same landscape across 12 months (and make it into a calendar)
You can see all the photos here. I didn't make a calendar as I received two for Christmas.
065. Find a lampshade and curtains for the landing
Lampshade yes, albeit a really dull one, curtains no. It would look more finished with curtains but as we're not overlooked we don't really need them. It might be one of those things that never actually gets done...
068. Create a gallery wall in the dining room
It's still a work-in-progress but it has been started and has plenty of room to expand.
070. Make five more loans via Lend With Care
1. Ol Pol, Cambodia
2. Luis Enrique Morales, northern Ecuador
3. Carmen Cecilia Nero, southern Ecuador
4. Naseem Bibi, Lahore
5. Robina Kousa, Lahore
077. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
Done. The question is where do I put it so a) I'll remember it and b) I won't lose it?
078. Answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind
I can't say my mind feels freer, but some of them did make me stop and think, my answers, if you'd like to read them, are here (at the end of the post).
081. Watch 26 movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet
I wouldn't recommend Certain Women or Queen of the Desert, and it was hard to watch Jake being such a weirdo in Nightcrawler. I loved Fantastic Beasts, La La Land and Mr Right, Passengers and Sully. In fact I think Sully was the best of them all.
083. Spend a day at the beach
In the summer of 2019, I spent a day on Aldeburgh beach, swimming, digging holes, and making sand castles with Andy's family. I haven't been swimming in the sea for years!
086. Read a book set in my hometown
A friend of mine used to live on Britannia Road, so I know the area well. It was really enjoyable to be able to picture the house and garden, and the town being described in the book.
087. Visit a lavender field
I couldn't believe my luck when I found a lavender farm in Suffolk, so I went along and it was charming.
089. Create a new family tradition
Every year I force my family to submit to a Christmas family photo, and I hope it's something we continue to do. It takes a little cajoling, and the same people moan every year but everyone likes the resulting photos, so I ignore their protests, and refuse to feed them until they submit to my will.
091. Make and decorate biscuits with my niece
We made fridge magnets instead.
Here is a roundup of all the ones I completed. You can see the full list here.
001. Read 101 books
I read book no.101 at the end of December.
004. Decorate the kitchen
I went from a magnolia sort of colour to one called Natural Hessian, which is an equally pale shade of beige. Most people didn't noticed the change, but I prefer it, it looks fresher and really suits the kitchen.
005. Decorate the entrance hall
After lots of sanding, the removal of a door, turning murky brown walls green, and lots and lots of gloss work, the hall has been transformed. I just need a coat rack (and plans are afoot) and new doormats and I can call it finished.
006. Decorate our bedroom in a gorgeous deep bluey green
I deliberated over the exact shade of bluey green for ages, and then when I revealed the final choice to Andy he was less than enthusiastic. So we went for pink. It took me a while but I love it now it's done.
012. Kondo the cupboard under the stairs
This was only recently ticked off the list. We cleared out loads of old crap, some left by the previous owners, and now I have a cupboard I can actually walk into! The cats aren't impressed as there is a lot less to climb on and explore.
013. Sand and repaint the side entrance door
The difference this makes is amazing, we had a dark wooden door before with a tiny window, it's lighter and brighter, and just looks much more inviting.
017. See a ballet / opera
In May 2019 my Mum and I went to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden to see three short sequences - Within The Golden Hour, Medusa, and Flight Pattern. They were very different from each other and was a perfect introduction to ballet.
021. See a psychic
I had a one-to-one reading with a chap called Ryan Gooding early in 2018.
027. Visit the Forbidden Forest at Warner Brothers studios
October 2018 saw me step foot into the Forbidden Forest for the first time. It was dark, misty and I swear the floor was moving beneath my feet. Thunder and lightening accompanied us as we met Buckbeak and Aragog. To see it all close up was fascinating.
028. Go on a picnic
My sister-in-law organised a picnic for my birthday in 2018 at Framlingham Castle.
029. Grow something edible in the greenhouse
I've grown mixed lettuce leaves, lambs lettuce, 2 varieties of spring onions, garlic chives, cucamelons, and a few raspberries and strawberries. Also spinach, radish, and rainbow carrots, lettuce leaves, tomatoes, and potatoes.
033. Sell something I’ve made
This happens regularly, I make things to sell at Cake & Craft sales that I help to organise at our local hospital. I was delighted to receive this photo from a lady who purchased one of my first batch of pom pom wreaths.
034. Go on a boat
A day on the Norfolk broads on one of the hottest days of 2018.
038. Read a book every month with that month in the title
I really enjoyed this challenge. My favourite book was Sunflowers in February, I wouldn't recommend March, or July's People, as I found both really hard going, but the rest are definitely worth a read.
041. Find and master a dessert recipe that will become my signature dish
I found a recipe for Malteaser cheesecake on Pinterest and made it for Andy's birthday, I got up early so it had time to set and smuggled it over to his parents house later that day. It was delicious!
I made it for a family gathering on Christmas Eve, and then again when visiting my brother and his family a few months later.
042. Make elderflower cordial and gin
I made gin one year and cordial the following year. Both were delicious. Neither lasted very long.
047. Create a bee friendly area in my garden
This will be an ongoing project as I intend to keep adding bee friendly plants and shrubs, but I have started by creating an area with a bee bath and lavender to entice the bees to a sunny spot.
048. Bake and decorate a chocolate cake for Andy's birthday
Having discovered that Andy isn't actually that keen on chocolate cake I decided to make him the Malteaser cheesecake instead, which also gave me the opportunity to tick two things off the list.
050. Find seaglass
I picked up my first bit on a beach clean in June 2018, and since then I've found a good handful.
052. Get a tattoo
I got three, all on the same day. It's not as drastic as it sounds, they're all tiny.
054. Take part in a beach clean up
I've actually done this three times now, the first of which you can read about here, and the third time here, as part of a Photo An Hour day.
058. Climb a tree
In my garden, so it's a bit of a cheat but I'll keep my eyes peeled for another good climber. The problem is a lot of low branches are cut off to stop such activity!
059. Go camping
In July 2018 I camped at Cliff House in Dunwich with a group of friends. It's a superb campsite right on the cliffs with easy access to the beach. The weather was perfect for camping, allowing us to sit on the beach until the early hours, before being lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves.
060. Photograph the same landscape across 12 months (and make it into a calendar)
You can see all the photos here. I didn't make a calendar as I received two for Christmas.
065. Find a lampshade and curtains for the landing
Lampshade yes, albeit a really dull one, curtains no. It would look more finished with curtains but as we're not overlooked we don't really need them. It might be one of those things that never actually gets done...
068. Create a gallery wall in the dining room
It's still a work-in-progress but it has been started and has plenty of room to expand.
070. Make five more loans via Lend With Care
1. Ol Pol, Cambodia
2. Luis Enrique Morales, northern Ecuador
3. Carmen Cecilia Nero, southern Ecuador
4. Naseem Bibi, Lahore
5. Robina Kousa, Lahore
077. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
Done. The question is where do I put it so a) I'll remember it and b) I won't lose it?
078. Answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind
I can't say my mind feels freer, but some of them did make me stop and think, my answers, if you'd like to read them, are here (at the end of the post).
081. Watch 26 movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet
I wouldn't recommend Certain Women or Queen of the Desert, and it was hard to watch Jake being such a weirdo in Nightcrawler. I loved Fantastic Beasts, La La Land and Mr Right, Passengers and Sully. In fact I think Sully was the best of them all.
083. Spend a day at the beach
In the summer of 2019, I spent a day on Aldeburgh beach, swimming, digging holes, and making sand castles with Andy's family. I haven't been swimming in the sea for years!
086. Read a book set in my hometown
A friend of mine used to live on Britannia Road, so I know the area well. It was really enjoyable to be able to picture the house and garden, and the town being described in the book.
087. Visit a lavender field
I couldn't believe my luck when I found a lavender farm in Suffolk, so I went along and it was charming.
089. Create a new family tradition
Every year I force my family to submit to a Christmas family photo, and I hope it's something we continue to do. It takes a little cajoling, and the same people moan every year but everyone likes the resulting photos, so I ignore their protests, and refuse to feed them until they submit to my will.
091. Make and decorate biscuits with my niece
We made fridge magnets instead.
