30 Things I Want To Do This Autumn

Whenever September rolls around again, I always become particularly aspirational and find myself thinking about all the things I want to do before the year is through. Perhaps it's because September is the start of the new school year, and it's still ingrained within me to learn, get to work, and achieve stuff? Whatever the reason, I feel particularly motivated and creative right now, and have come up with so many goals I want to achieve this Autumn, from carving a pumpkin on Halloween to learning how to use my new camera. I thought it would be fun to share them all with you today, so here they are. These are 30 things I want to do this Autumn...

1. Go for an Autumn walk at least once.

I don't really mind where, as long as it's pretty, the leaves have changed, and I can go crunch through some fallen leaves, and take photos of the pretty Autumn foliage. 

2. Make it to the bonfire, and watch the fireworks.

My town has one of the best fireworks displays around on bonfire night, but I haven't been in a few years. I miss enjoying it with my family, so I'm hopeful I'll find a way to go this November. 

3. Play with sparklers like a big kid.

(Responsibly, of course. If you actually play with sparklers, kids, you will get hurt)!

4. Carve a pumpkin.

In my opinion, carving a pumpkin is a must every Halloween! I'm already looking forward to carving one, and enjoying that amazing Jack o' lantern smell. I also want to buy some mini munchkin pumpkins to decorate the house with, and use for blog photo props.

5. Make pumpkin dog treats for Rosie.

The innards of the Jack o' lanterns we carve alway end up in the bin, so I want to use them to make dog treats instead this year, using one of the dog treat recipes I found on Pinterest.

6. Have Autumn and Halloween-themed movie marathons.

Forget the scary movies, I'm most looking forward to watching Hocus Pocus, and Practical Magic again!

7. Make French onion soup from scratch.

I haven't made it in a few years, but it's delicious, and always goes down really well with my family. It's the perfect Autumn comfort food.

8. Explore a cemetery.

It's been ages since I last explored a cemetery, and I'm itching to visit one. They always look particularly pretty during the Autumn, so it's the perfect season for wandering around graveyards.

9. Visit Pitt Rivers and The Ashmolean museums in Oxford.

I know I've been going on about this for years, but I still haven't made it to either, and I really want to pay them both a visit.

10. Visit Blenheim Palace.

I haven't been since I was five or six, so I'd love to visit it again, and experience it as an adult. 

11. Buy / scavenge some Autumn blog props for my photos.

I seem to be lacking in good photo props for Autumn; everything I own is so bright and colourful! I'll probably start with buying some munchkin pumpkins and gathering foliage, and go from there.

12. Learn how to use my new camera properly.

I was given a new bridge camera for my birthday in July, and I'm still getting to grips with all the features. I'd love to be able to use them all for best results.

13. Work on improving my blog photography and photo editing skills.

To be honest, I'm always working on improving my photography, but my skills need a lot of improvement, especially when it comes to photo editing. I suck at it.

14. Read every day.

I've read more these past few weeks than I have the rest of the year combined, so I want to continue reading regularly, and spend more time off the Internet.

15. Paint regularly.

I find painting so relaxing and therapeutic, so I'm planning to paint as often as I can, and work on improving my watercolour techniques. I'd also like to try gouache paints, so I'd like to treat myself to a set and give them a try this Autumn.

16. Get cross-stitching.

I want to finish the flamingo cross stitch that I cast aside earlier in the year, and get the Christmas sampler I'm working on finished in time for Christmas. I think I can complete both by December if I cross stitch every day this Autumn. Challenge accepted!

17. Learn how to crochet a granny square blanket.

I've wanted to learn how to crochet for years, so I'd love to finally learn how to make a granny square blanket this Autumn that I can then curl up under over the Winter.

18. Fill my wardrobe with clothes in all the beautiful Autumn colours like burgundy, teal, forest green, mustard, plum, rust, and raspberry. I love all the Autumn fashion colours so much.

19. Dye my hair.

I haven't been able to dye my hair since May and my roots are getting ridiculous, so this one is a must.

20. Buy some new ballet pumps.

My last good pair have fallen apart, so I'm in dire need of some new ones.

21. Sit down and reply to all blog comments, and emails.

I'm ashamed for letting it slide and intend to reply to everything ASAP. I want to be reliable again. I've just been having problems being on my laptop for long, as the electricity is making my heart race faster!

22. Take as many blog photos as possible before the decent daylight is gone for another year.

It's hard to take good blog photos during Winter when you don't own blog lights, so I'd rather make the most of the bright Summer daylight before it goes, and take them in bulk now.

23. Give my blog a rebrand and redesign.

I've been dying to do this for years as I hate how my blog looks right now, and my blog name makes me cringe. There's a blog design I really want to buy, but I need my finances to improve before I can afford it, so this one will depend on whether things improve financially.

24. Blog as much as possible.

This will depend on my health, but I'm determined to blog as much quality content as I can, and bring Polka Spots back to life.

25. Prepare some Christmas blog posts ahead of time to make December less stressful. Christmas is exhausting with chronic illness, as I've realised these past few years, so I want to organise what I can ahead of time to lighten the load during December to take the pressure off.

26. Get started on my Christmas shopping.

I want to start putting presents away now to spread the cost, and be all organised come December.

27. Up my survey-answering game so I can afford Christmas presents.

I don't have any financial support right now, so I've been answering surveys online since January to earn a little money for myself. They're mostly paid in gift cards and on a good week I might make £15 from each site I use, but it adds up, and it's a great way to afford presents and treats for yourself without dipping in to your wages. I want to spend more time answering surveys every day, so I can earn more, and afford Christmas presents for my family and friends. I'm going to write a post on earning through surveys soon, if you guys want to know more about how it works.

28. Have another clear out to raise some extra funds for Christmas.

I've had a lot of clear outs this year already, but I'm sure I can find some more stuff to sell to earn a few pennies.

29. Clear out under my bed.

I've got so much crap stored under my bed, and I've been meaning to drag everything out to reorganise for ages. It's in desperate need of a tidy.

30. Continue training Rosie.

My dog still has a way to go with her training, so I'm intending to put the effort in, and keep teaching her things until we've cracked it.

What are you goals for Autumn?

50 Things I Want To Do This Summer

The weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and sandals and sundresses are filling the shops again. It can only mean one thing- Summer is on it's way! 

Living in England, you never know how long the Summer sunshine is going to last- it could be a month, a week, or an hour, so I like to make the most of it when we get it, and try to experience as much as possible before the Autumn leaves begin to fall. This year is no exception; I've already come up with a list of things I want to achieve this Summer, so I thought I'd share them with you today. Please feel free to add any of my goals to your own Summer bucket lists!

These are 50 things I want to do this Summer.

1. Go on holiday.

2, Visit the beach.

3. Go for a paddle or swim in the sea.

4. Get an ice cream from an ice cream van.

5. Go to the wildlife park.

6. See Linkin Park live.

7. Celebrate my 32nd birthday in July. Man, I'm getting old.

8. Treat myself to a new Summer wardrobe.

9. Spend at least one whole day reading.

10. Make a dent in my to-be-read pile.

11. Visit an aquarium.

12. Spend a couple of hours wandering around Bourton-on-the-Water.

13. Visit Birdland in Bourton-on-the-Water.

14. Visit the Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers museums in Oxford.

15. Explore Christchurch and some of the old parts of Oxford on foot.

16. Paint regularly.

17. Continue training Rosie, and particularly work hard on cracking recall.

18. Finish my spectral mandala and flamingo cross stitches.

19. Have a good clear out to raise some extra cash.

20. Go strawberry picking.

21. Have a barbecue.

22. Have a picnic.

23. Spend some time gambling pennies at an arcade.

24, Visit a zoo.

25. Improve my photography and photo editing skills.

26. Buy a new camera.

27. Go out for a cream tea.

28. Eat fish and chips by the sea.

29. Clean up the files, bookmarks, photos, and videos on my laptop, and back up files to my harddrive.

30. Blog regularly.

31. Take lots of blog photos for future posts while we have good daylight.

32. Catch up on all blog comments, messages, and emails.

33. Go for a walk along a river.

34, Have a drink in a beer garden.

35. Get fish and chips from Rick Stein's fish and chip shop in Padstow.

36. Visit somewhere new.

37. Go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

38. Make frozen dog treats for Rosie to help cool her down on hot days.

39. Buy Rosie a paddling pool or ball pit to see how she reacts.

40. Go for a walk in the country park.

41, Take Rosie for a walk somewhere with a shallow stream / river so she can paddle and get used to water.

42, Wander around Cheltenham in the sunshine.

43, Take a tour bus around a city.

44, Take a boat ride. Bonus points if it's to spot animals.

45, Collect seashells and / or sea glass on the beach.

46. Explore a cemetery.

47. Explore some rock pools.

48. Take a day trip to London.

49. Go out for afternoon tea.

50. Learn a new craft.

What are your goals for the Summer?

My Goals and Resolutions For 2017

I've never been one to set myself huge, unrealistic new year's resolutions that I'll never be able to achieve, like shedding half my body weight overnight, gaining fame and fortune, scaling Ben Nevis blind-folded, or trekking solo across Antarctica in my undies. None of that will happen, so where's the fun in setting myself up for failure?

Instead, I prefer to set myself smaller, attainable goals that I should be able to achieve if I put in the effort. Things I want to do or improve on, creative projects I want to try, places I want to visit, experiences I want to have, stuff I need to do to sort my life out, blog goals... that sort of thing. I find I achieve a hell of a lot more that way.

This year, I've set myself quite a few goals, but I'm confident I can achieve them all if I stay focused, make time, and put in the effort. I thought I'd share some of them with you today, so here they are.

Go For An Eye Test and Get New Glasses

I've not had an eye test or new glasses in over five years, and my vision has become worryingly blurry lately (and I've always had terrible eyesight, so that's saying something), so getting my arse down to Specsavers this morning is a priority. I'm looking forward to getting some new glasses and actually being able to see clearly again!

Get A Hair Cut

It's been over three years since my last hair cut, so I desperately need to get myself down to the hair dresser's ASAP, too. My hair is now past my waist and apart from looking like a bedraggled mess, the length is driving me mad, and becoming too high maintenance- it takes an hour and a half just to wash and dry it! It's time to get it cut back in to a bob and make my life so much easier.

Put 110% In To Health Care

Right now, I have no idea what 2017 has in store for me in terms of health care, but what I do know is that I'm going to give everything suggested by my doctors my best shot, because a) I have nothing to lose, and b) I deserve nothing less. I deserve to put the effort in for myself.

Read More

I didn't read anywhere near as many books as I would've liked last year, so this year I want to dedicate more time to reading, and also attempt to work my way through my mammoth to-be-read pile. I'm not setting myself a target, but I'm hoping to finish at least a couple a month.

Craft More

I feel so content when I'm making things with my own two hands, so I want to craft regularly in 2017, and try lots of new crafts, like crocheting, embroidery, jewellery making, needle-felting, decoupaging, and all kinds of other fun stuff. I just want to make things.

Make More Hoop Art

I really enjoyed making Christmas fabric hoop art in December, so I'm itching to make heaps more in both festive and non-festive fabrics. I'd love to make enough to create an epic wall feature above my bookcase.

Paint Again

It's been years since I last did any painting, so I'd like to dig out my art supplies this year, and see if I can improve my watercolour and oil painting skills. I'm not at all gifted when it comes to art, but it was something I used to really enjoy, and that's all that really matters at the end of the day, right?

Improve On My Photography and Photo Editing

My photography and photo editing skills need a lot of improvement, and being a perfectionist, it really bugs me that I can't get them to a quality I'm happy with, or to look the way I want them to. It's the main reason why I often go days without blogging. I can spend days trying to edit a few photos and still not get them right, so I either end up posting shit photos, or don't blog at all. I need to get a new camera, learn to use it better, look in to getting blog lights, and also polish my editing skills. Being able to see clearly might also help.

Keep On Top Of Blog Comments and Emails

I completely failed at keeping up with and replying to comments and emails last year, and I know it's not good enough. I'm actually quite ashamed of myself for letting it slide, but I vow to catch up soon (once I have new glasses and can look at the screen without my eyes burning) and reply regularly once I have. I want to be reliable and far more interactive with you guys again.

Blog Outfits Again

I had hoped to get back to blogging outfits regularly last year, but that never happened, mostly because my next door neighbours had builders working on their extension all year and I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of snapping photos with an audience. I also didn't have the funds for many new outfits, and struggled with liking my appearance after gaining a few pounds, which contributed to the lack of outfit photos. Once the builders have finished next door, I'm hoping to get back in to the swing of things, and share outfits again whenever I feel up to it, because I genuinely miss blogging about them.

Blog Regularly and Improve My Content
Last year, I blogged less than ever before, and I wasn't able to blog about all the things I wanted to, mostly because of photography difficulties, and being too ill to take photos often. I had so many ideas for posts and even wrote drafts for many of them that I was unable to finish. It was so frustrating, and I wasn't happy with my blog last year at all. So, this year, I want to do my best to blog regularly with lots of fresh and interesting content- more fashion, more beauty, more lifestyle, more crafts I make, places I visit, more reviews of products I use, more posts on health care and chronic illness, more favourites, more everything.

Give The Blog A Make Over

The blog is long over due a redesign, and I think it's about time I did a complete over-haul; it's a mess. I just need to decide what I want it to look like... I have a feeling this could take a while!

Rename My Blog

I've hated the name of my blog for years, and I think it's about time I changed it to something that doesn't make me cringe every time I see / read / think about it, and to something that's less of a mouthful. I think 2017 will be the year of the rebrand.

Continue Training Rosie

My one year old Tibetan terrier pup Rosie still needs some more training to shape her in to the perfect family pet, particularly with recall, giving up things she shouldn't have (though she does drop her toys on command), and not jumping all over people sitting on the sofas, so I'm going to step up my game, and commit to guiding her there until we've cracked it. I know she'll get there.

Shop For Christmas Presents Throughout The Year

I want to pick up birthday and Christmas presents for my family and friends throughout the year, whenever I find the perfect gift. I did this last year, and it not only helped spread the cost and make me feel super organised, but it turned out to be a life saver come Christmas time when I had some unexpected financial stress, so I want to keep shopping this way from now on. No more last-minute shopping stress for me!

Stay Out Of My Overdraft

Over the last few years, I've gotten in to a bad habit of dipping in to my overdraft, and in all honesty, most of the time it's been for frivolous things I didn't even need and could've lived without. Now that I've cleared it, I'm determined to stay out of it as much as possible, and only use it for essentials or emergencies, y'know, like a proper adult.

Pay Off My Store Card

I'm hoping to pay off the remaining balance on my Dorothy Perkins store card, and then only use it for outfit emergencies (IE: if I need something to wear for a funeral or wedding, or my last pair of leggings / bra / knickers / other essential falls apart). No more using it for things I want but don't need and can't afford.

Go On More Adventures and Explore New Places Locally
It's unlikely that I'll be able to travel widely or go on holiday this year, but whenever my health will allow it, I want to get out of the house, visit new places (and maybe some old faves, too), do some exploring, and have a little fun. There are so many places I've never visited or explored properly close to home, so I want to work on changing that. I'd just like more adventures, more days out, more random road trips, more concert adventures, more cemetery exploration, more time in the country and in the city... basically just a little more time out of the house living in the real world. More living. Maybe even a trip in to London or down to the beach if I can manage it, but that's probably a little too ambitious.

Some Places I'd Like To Visit in 2017

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Blenheim Palace.

The Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers museums in Oxford.

Christchurch, Oxford.

The Cotswold Wildlife Park.
Birdland in Bourton-on-the-Water.
Broadway, The Cotswolds.
A local bluebell woods, when it flowers in the Spring.

Arundel and Arundel Castle.

And perhaps most importantly, I need to take life one day at a time, make the best of every day, try not to push myself beyond my limits, look after myself, and try not to stress about the future too much.

What are your new year's resolutions?