The Forty Project

I recently turned 40…

And my partner gave me a rather interesting gift:

An array of coloured labels

Rather than buying me something (I have enough stuff), she has thoughtfully given me a series of forty challenges and experiences to do over the course of the following year.

Each card contains a clue to a gift or experience or a challenge for me to complete: A selection of challenges

I'm going to blog about each activity as I do it, and some of the challenges will spawn sub-projects, so I'm going to be pretty busy over the next year. That's partly the point, as my teenage daughter is moving to Dubai with her mum and step-family, so my partner thought this would be something to keep my mind off things in the long gaps between visits. Besides, we also have a 1 year old son, so it's going to be interesting fitting everything in around him!

Here's the full list of activities (in no particular order):

  • Have a spooky experience

  • Visit a gin specialist

  • Follow a geocaching trail

  • £50 to spend at Superdry

  • Ring 40 bells

  • Go nutting*

  • Write a short story about one of the following: Release, Indelible, Encroachment, Conviction, Untouchable.

  • Become cut off from the mainland on a tidal island*

  • Complete a cycle challenge

  • Have a pint in the oldest pub in the UK

  • Master how to make five cocktails

  • Plant five vegetables beginning with B

  • Eat five liquorice wheels in one go

  • See stonehenge at dawn

  • Visit the enchanted forest*

  • See some live music

  • Experience entertainment in an open are cinema

  • Complete one of the UK's most interesting mazes*

  • Eat fish and chips on the beach*

  • Do something for charity, or volunteer

  • Sail, or otter spot on the Norfolk Broads

  • Go glamping*

  • Make a type of bread that you haven't made yet

  • Eat exotic food*

  • Take photos of 40 pairs of feet (with or without shoes) (ongoing)

  • Visit the UK's tropical islands*

  • An animal experience

  • Sleep in a windmill or lighthouse

  • £20 to spend at B13 8DD*

  • Write letters to five people who have most impacted your life

  • Sleep in a vehicle*

  • Learn to play one tune of your guitar

  • Drive a steam train

  • Visit Winifred's Well*

  • Make something creative with your hands

  • 5x Giles to Decide

Some may seem vague or trivial but they each have some significance to me, and some(*) are just hints at an activity that has already been planned out. There are plenty that will need some thought and planning on my part, particularly the ones where I get to decide on something (maybe have a surfing lesson, skydive??), so feel free to drop me a line with any suggestions you may have ;-)