A bit late with this update but nevermind, I forgive me.

1. To make a meal using only ingredients I’ve grown, raised, caught or killed myself.
Hurrah! I did this one! I blogged about it when I did it: I made courgette potato frittata thing, with a side salad, and everything in it, except for a teaspoon of oil, was from our garden or the woods at the bottom of our garden.

I can’t remember whether I’ve said it on here or just to people in person, the goal of these goals isn’t the goal itself (…), but the journey I’m taking in order to achieve it. In order to meet this goal, I’ve had to grow my own veg & herbs, learn about wild foods and, in the case of the eggs in this one, acquire & care for chickens. Learning to make sausages, how to kill & butcher a chicken and perfect slow rise bread have all been part of this goal too. Next month, I’m booked on a cheese making course so I learn how to do more exciting things than just paneer and soft cheeses, and I still really, really want to learn how to fish. So I guess what I’m saying is that while I’ve technically achieved this goal, I’m not going to strike it off the list because I want an excuse to continue on the journey. The goal now though is to make another meal – something different than courgettes & eggs – and ideally including something I’ve caught/killed too, for the variety of experience.

2. To travel to a place on my “top ten places to go before I die” list.
The year so far has been very home focused so we’ve travelled the least in years. This isn’t a problem, I’ve not minded in the slightest. There is still time before the end of the year I guess, but we’ve got nothing planned.

3. Finish writing my second novel.
Stagnation. Still been thinking about the other idea but I’m getting a bit bored of that now so maybe I’ll refocus. Probably not though.

4. Make some sausages at home – wet English style ones and cured ones too
This was going to be my birthday fun day project but I ended up cold smoking cheese instead. Now I’ve cracked the smoking thing though, I really want to make sausages that I can smoke. (Insert smutty sausage-smoking joke here).

5. Spend at least a day fishing out on the North Sea.
Since re-reading “Drop City” by TC Boyle again, I’ve had a major hankering to learn how to fish. Definitely bumped back up my priority list. Perhaps in September.

6. Finally finish learning how to drive.
Done nothing on this. Got the anticipated kicking from people for my comments last month.

7. Make a full outfit’s worth of clothing for myself – including spinning any wool used.
Not really done much on this recently. Very much want to get back into sewing again – might have a day off later in the month, get my machine down from the top room and see what happens.

Haven’t done any more spinning yet after the bruised palm incident but I’ve started crocheting a small blanket using the wool I dyed at the start of June – looks ace – and I’m hoping that’s my gateway drug back into crafting after a few garden-focused months.

8. Learn how to program and make a mini-game/application using Ruby
Really need to get over my hashes hump so I can move on.

9. Climb a mountain or at least a jolly big hill.
Because of Lily, we walk daily and while I’d stop short of calling us fit, because of that, I think this goal is a helluva lot more attainable now than it was at the start of the year. Just got to get it organised really.

10. Participate more in the real world – plan/run a real life green event or scheme.
I’ve put a fair bit of time into trying to organise something but it hasn’t come to anything yet. Bit disappointed with myself on this one. Will keep trying.