20 20s for 2020

PipneyJane

Evening All

How are you doing?  How are your 20:20 Challenges surviving the Lockdown?  We’re healthy and both working from home.    I suspect a couple of Challenges - the party for example - will be difficult to achieve, thanks to Lockdown.  Here is my update:-

1. Knit 20 balls of yarn (that's between 3 & 5 jumpers worth). 7/20 - I finished the jumper I was knitting (5 balls), started the next one (currently 2 balls down) and have still only clocked up one pair of socks this year (ending a ball of yarn in the process).   
2. 20 minutes a day learning French (via Duolingo and TinyCards) for 20 weeks. Not started yet.  Modified to 20 weeks.
3. 20 minutes exercise a day for 20 weeks. 1 week. This is proper exercise.  I am not counting our daily Lockdown Walk.
4. Read 20 books. 3/20.  False Value by Ben Arronovitch, People Like Us Margaret Thatcher and Me by Carolyn Slocock and A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell.  
5. Try 20 new dinner recipes
6. 20 gardening sessions.  2 proper ones so far plus a couple of minutes mucking around with seeds.
7. Explore 20 new places 1/20 - the cathedral at Bayeux.
8. Attend 20 "shows" (concerts/plays/films/BBC recordings/exhibitions) 3/20 - Frank Skinner’s “Showbiz”.  The News Quiz.  The Troy exhibition at the British Museum.
9. Do the 2020 Fashion On The Ration Challenge and keep within the coupon count. 27/66 coupons used.  (1 suit and a packet of 5 knickers.)
10. Phone family/friends to chat 20 times (I'm hopeless on the phone). 5/20.
11. Lose 20lbs.  2/20.  (To be honest, I’m just glad I haven’t put any weight on.)
12. Mend 20 items of clothing (yes, that includes sewing on buttons and taking up hems) 3/20 - hemmed trousers from a suit purchased in 2018 (I’d only worn the skirt and jacket, not the trousers).  Mended the pockets of a different suit jacket, bringing that suit back into rotation.  Repaired the pockets on DH’s shorts.
13. Declutter 20 items.
14. Run 20 miles (but not all at once)
15. Save 20 x £20 out of my “allowance”(£400)
16. Make 20 site visits for work, earning mileage 20 times (it goes to the car fund).  29/20.  
17. Write 20 blog posts.  11/20 
18. Log 10,000 steps on my Fitbit on 20 or more days (harder to do than it sounds). 4/20:  11.1.20 10505 steps, 22.2.20 10603 steps, 7.3.20 13527 steps, 21.4.20 10524 steps.
19. Have a party in the summer and invite at least 20 friends
20. Watch at least 20 programs that have been on the DVR since 2018.  6/20.

- Pip

ajmoney

PipneyJane said:

I suspect a couple of Challenges - the party for example - will be difficult to achieve, thanks to Lockdown.

Hopefully it can happen even if it is a bit late. I know it wasn't the point but if need be you could organise a virtual one.

PipneyJane

Hi everyone!  How was June for you?  Are you coping with Lockdown?  Are you still doing your challenges?  I've made an amendment to mine.  You may notice that I’ve changed challenge 19 from having a party - not going to happen until after the current epidemic has run its course - to singing exercises.  I had a dreadfully sore throat in December and my voice hasn’t really recovered.  It gets hoarse after speaking for a couple of minutes.  A fellow chorister mentioned warm up exercises from Deborah Miles-Johnson, with whom we’ve done workshops.   I’ve downloaded them from Choraline and am working my way through those each morning.  

I can’t remember where I first heard the sentence:  “Do three impossible things a day before breakfast”, but that's it’s the motto that I spent June trying to live by.  I think the point is to start your day having achieved something, so that the rest of the day doesn’t look like such a mountain to climb.  My 3 impossible things are muscle building exercises, learning French via Duolingo and singing exercises.  

1. Knit 20 balls of yarn (that's between 3 & 5 jumpers worth). 20/20 - I finished the jumper I was knitting (5 balls), completed the next one (finished on 13 balls), started a third (currently 1 ball down)  and have still only clocked up one pair of socks this year (ending a ball of yarn in the process).   
2. 20 minutes a day learning French (via Duolingo and TinyCards) for 20 weeks. 5/20 weeks.
3. 20 minutes exercise a day for 20 weeks. Walking 15 weeks, weight training 4 weeks.
4. Read 20 books. 5/20.  These are listed In the sidebar on my blog.  The most recent books: This Golden Fleece, finished while sitting on the patio in the warm June sunshine and Not Quite Mastering the Art of French Living.
5. Try 20 new dinner recipes.  3/20.  I am a cook!  How can this be so difficult to achieve?  I’ve made Chicken a la King, a chicken tray bake from New Idea and Lidl’s Mediteranean Meatball Bake. 
6. 20 gardening sessions.   5 proper ones so far plus a couple of minutes mucking around with seeds.
7. Explore 20 new places 1/20 - the cathedral at Bayeux.
8. Attend 20 "shows" (concerts/plays/films/BBC recordings/exhibitions) 3/20 - Frank Skinner’s “Showbiz”.  The News Quiz.  The Troy exhibition at the British Museum.
9. Do the 2020 Fashion On The Ration Challenge and keep within the coupon count. 33/66 coupons used.  Again, listed in the sidebar on my blog.
10. Phone family/friends to chat 20 times (I'm hopeless on the phone). 10/20.
11. Lose 20lbs.  8/20.  (To be honest, I’m just glad I haven’t put any weight on given the “Covid Calories” everyone is eating.)
12. Mend 20 items of clothing (yes, that includes sewing on buttons and taking up hems) 3/20 - hemmed trousers from a suit purchased in 2018 (I’d only worn the skirt and jacket, not the trousers).  Mended the pockets of a different suit jacket, bringing that suit back into rotation.  Repaired the pockets on DH’s shorts.
13. Declutter 20 items.
14. Run 20 miles (but not all at once)
15. Save 20 x £20 out of my “allowance”(£400) £240/£400
16. Make 20 site visits for work, earning mileage 20 times (it goes to the car fund).  29/20.  
17. Write 20 blog posts.  20/20 
18. Log 10,000 steps on my Fitbit on 20 or more days (harder to do than it sounds).  11/20:  11.1.20 10505 steps, 22.2.20 10603 steps, 7.3.20 13527 steps, 21.4.20 10524 steps, 3.5.20 11,196 steps, 4.5.20 13,956 steps, 17.5.20 14,066 steps, 18.5.20 15,046 steps, 19.5.20 11,567 steps, 30.5.10 10,079 steps, 31.5.20 11,160 steps.  
19. Have a party in the summer and invite at least 20 friends.  Do singing exercises for 20 weeks to rebuild my voice. 1/20.
20. Watch at least 20 programs that have been on the DVR since 2018.  9/20.

Good luck with July.

- Pip

ancientmum

Hi Pip, thank you for the info on singing excercises.  Our choir has moved to on line tutorials and practices.  Oh my! I feel so sorry for the ladies who are usually either side of me.  I'll be giving it a go.

PipneyJane

ancientmum said:

Hi Pip, thank you for the info on singing excercises.  Our choir has moved to on line tutorials and practices.  Oh my! I feel so sorry for the ladies who are usually either side of me.  I'll be giving it a go.

Glad I can help, @ancientmum.  It was only when my choir tried to do one of those “virtual choir” pieces that I realised how bad my voice has got.  I know I struggled a bit in rehearsals before Lockdown, but I couldn’t hear just how terrible my voice is.  I’ve lost my top notes!  (I’m a second soprano, so not good.) 

- Pip

[Deleted User]

is there going to be a 21 x 21 x 21 thread for next year?
I totally failed mine  
like not even completed one...

Primrose

I don't think I'm going to be making any resolutions for 2021.  At my age it's just a matter of surviving and remaining in good health, especially since Coronavirus decided to make a worldwide appearance ! 

Frith

1) 20 extra payments into my mortgage. Lots! 

2) Lose over 20lbs+. Put lots on...

3) Find 20 geocaches. Fewer than 10.

4) Read 20 books. 4.

5) 20 DIY jobs round the house and garden. 
Gutter fixed
new shower hose
front door and upstairs window fixed
shed dismantled
greenhouse converted to avian flu proof hen pen
allotment overhaul
garden overhaul

6) 20 days freelance, and finish the project by the deadline. 9? Deadline extended.

7) 20 Ebay sales. Many. 30?

8) 20 long walks. Probably more than 20.

9) 20 craft things to give instead of Christmas cards next year.
Hmmm. Lemon curd plus handmade soap.

10) 20 new Christmas decorations made for us. (Not necessarily 20 completely different ones).
no

11) 20 cost cutting measures (e.g change suppliers
Electricity supplied switch, mortgage down £108, phone down £3, Thomas Cook refund, Green Grant, warm house Grant, 

12) 20 new meals. 15?

13) 20/20 eye test. done

14) 20 paintings or photos up in the house. 2!

15) 20 mins of Duolingo Welsh 3 times a week. Did 30 mins per day for 6 months.

16) 20 new ingredients that I have never cooked with before. 10?

17) 20 trips out with son 2. 3 (football match and cinema plus national railway museum)

18) 20 jars of preserve. 6

19) 20 steps to make son 2's life easier. radar key, solicitor appointed, tribunal prepared for, new assessments booked, new SEND college place.

20) 20 eco friendly measures. 1 (shopping bags)

tinkerbelluk

Well we're nearly at the end of 2020! and as with everyone I'll be more than glad to see the back of it.  Failed at achieving quite a few of the goals I set, but excelled in others and re-found my love of reading.  I for one will definitely be signing up for 21 in 21 with a new found determination.  Has anyone set up a thread yet? 

As for me, this is what I achieved

Watch 20 new to me films / documentaries - 24 / 20

Read 20 books - 28 / 20

Go for 20 walks over 30 mins -10 / 20 

Make 20 new meals - 8 / 20 

Have 20 date nights - 3 / 20 

20 bike rides - 0 / 20 

Play 20 board games - 13 / 20 

20 meetings with friends or family - 15 / 20 

20 donations to charity / food bank - 21 / 20

Visit 20 places of interest / experiences - 0 / 20 

Save £2020 over the year - £1,876.46 / £2,020 (not include a car sale as this went straight to pay for a new one) 

Lose 20% of my body weight – ummm…..more like gained! 

Listen to 20 new albums on Spotify - 20 / 20  

Have 20 family days - 0 / 20

Try 20 new things - 4 / 20

Sell 20 things on ebay / booty sites - 83 / 20 

Do 20 jobs around the house (that I've been putting off) - 5 / 20 

Spend 20 minutes a day clearing, cleaning, organising - 263 / 366 

Build 20 Lego sets - 5 / 20 

Spend 20 minutes per week organising photos - 49 / 52 

PipneyJane

What a strange year was 2020.  It started normally, then was sideswiped by Covid-19.  It feels like we spend a good six months in Lockdown.  We’re back there now, although it’s called “Tier 4” instead.   There were so many things planned that fell by the wayside because of Lockdown: concerts, international cricket matches at Lords and the Oval, a trip to Rome in June, Normandy in April, multiple football matches (including 2 at the Euros), a day at Wimbledon, the Proms...  Some events were postponed; others cancelled completely.  

There were some good things.  We didn’t get sick.  We managed a few days in Gloucester, before going back into Lockdown.  I’m still employed.  Treasured but fleeting visits with friends, when we were allowed to meet up.  I got my sewing machine repaired just before the first Lockdown.  I have plenty of yarn.  My choir started meeting through Zoom - rehearsing is pretty awful but it’s great to see people. Duolingo tells me I’m on a 219 day streak of learning French.  I started running again on 13th July, doing the Couch-to-5K; a week ago, I ran for 18 minutes. 

Regarding my 20-in-2020 Goals, here’s the Sit-Rep.  I reckon I achieved 9 out of the 20:-

1. Knit 20 balls of yarn (that's between 3 & 5 jumpers worth). 41/20 - I finished the jumper I was knitting (5 balls), completed the next one (finished on 13 balls), finished the third (8 balls), fourth (9 balls) and fifth (9 balls).  Also completed are three pairs of socks.  
2. 20 minutes a day learning French (via Duolingo and TinyCards) for 20 weeks. 31/20 weeks.  Absolutely smashed this, thanks to Duolingo.
3. 20 minutes exercise a day for 20 weeks. Walking 30 weeks, weight training 5 weeks, running 20 weeks.
4. Read 20 books. 6/20.  I used to be a bookworm but instead of reading in Lockdown, we spent more time watching TV.
5. Try 20 new dinner recipes.  5/20.  I am a cook!  How can this be so difficult to achieve?  I’ve made Chicken a la King, a chicken tray bake from New Idea and Lidl’s Mediterranean Meatball Bake, Slow-cooker barbecued pork, Lamb Moussaka. 
6. 20 gardening sessions.   14 proper ones plus a couple of minutes mucking around with seeds.
7. Explore 20 new places 7/20 - the cathedral at Bayeux, Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester city centre, Cheltenham city centre, Great Witcombe Roman Villa, Painswick Rococo Garden, some of the back streets near home.
8. Attend 20 "shows" (concerts/plays/films/BBC recordings/exhibitions) 3/20 - Frank Skinner’s “Showbiz”.  The News Quiz.  The Troy exhibition at the British Museum, Chelsea vs Leeds (after Lockdown).
9. Do the 2020 Fashion On The Ration Challenge and keep within the coupon count. 60/66 coupons used. 
10. Phone family/friends to chat 20 times (I'm hopeless on the phone). 20/20.
11. Lose 20lbs.  10/20.  (To be honest, I’m just glad I haven’t put any weight on given the “Covid Calories” everyone is eating.)
12. Mend 20 items of clothing (yes, that includes sewing on buttons and taking up hems) 3/20 - hemmed trousers from a suit purchased in 2018 (I’d only worn the skirt and jacket, not the trousers).  Mended the pockets of a different suit jacket, bringing that suit back into rotation.  Repaired the pockets on DH’s shorts.
13. Declutter 20 items.
14. Run 20 miles (but not all at once) 20 miles (started running again on 13.7.20 - doing couch-to-5K).
15. Save 20 x £20 out of my “allowance”(£400) £400/£400
16. Make 20 site visits for work, earning mileage 20 times (it goes to the car fund).  29/20.  
17. Write 20 blog posts.  25/20 
18. Log 10,000 steps on my Fitbit on 20 or more days (harder to do than it sounds).  37/20:  11.1.20 10505 steps, 22.2.20 10603 steps, 7.3.20 13527 steps, 21.4.20 10524 steps, 3.5.20 11,196 steps, 4.5.20 13,956 steps, 17.5.20 14,066 steps, 18.5.20 15,046 steps, 19.5.20 11,567 steps, 30.5.10 10,079 steps, 31.5.20 11,160 steps, 13.7.20 11.287 steps, 18.7.20 15,001 steps, 20.7.20 10,005 steps,  22.7.20 14,830 steps, 16.8.20 10,954 steps, 17.8.20 10,952 steps, 24.8.20 11,823 steps, 26.8.20 11,402 steps, 2.9.20 10,757 steps,  7.9.20 10,714 steps, 13.9.20 10,604 steps, 18.9.20 10,946 steps, 20/9/20 11,653 steps, 21/9/20 11,374 steps, 23/9/20 10,069 steps, t5.10.20 10,355 steps, 6.10.20 13,074 steps,  9.10.20 11,012 steps, 11.10.20 10,301 steps, 18.10.20 16,786 steps, 20.10.20 16,212 steps, 21.10.20 10,341 steps, 22.10.20 11,729 steps, 23.10.20 10,298 steps, 6.11.20 10,366 steps, 11.11.20 10,100 steps, 12.12.20 11,181 steps, 30.12.20 10,061 steps.
19. Have a party in the summer and invite at least 20 friends.  Do singing exercises for 20 weeks to rebuild my voice. 2/20.
20. Watch at least 20 programs that have been on the DVR since 2018.  14/20.

How about you?  What did you achieve during 2020?

- Pam