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Thursday 3 January 2013

WordPress Daily Prompt: Kick it

What's the 11th item on your bucket list?



Statue in solothurn cemetary



I have a bucket list? (searching in Internet to find out what it is). OK, I found it. Living in a country with just seven million population sharing 3-4 different languages not including english, you tend to lose touch with the rest of the world.

It seems I have to put item eleven on the list which means I have a lot to catch up with. I always wanted to do my own web site, been there done that, fought with html and css and more or less won. At least enough to play with my blogging sites. Even constructed a site for our village first aid society of which I was a member in my Florence Nightingale days. Learnt a few languages:  three because Switzerland speaks French, German (Swiss German) and Italian (the fourth Swiss language romantsch I left out as it is only a couple of thousand that speak it somewhere deep in the mountain villages). I learnt Russian because I wanted to and tried Arabic, but have not yet given up on that one. Just a little difficult when they all speak their own dialects split into many arabic countries.

I wrote a book of short stories. Now that was a task that nearly put me into the bucket. Writing the stories was the least of the task. Then I decided funds did not allow me to pay a company to publish it, so I did self-publishing. I had to type everything on the computer in a Word version (instructions from the self publishing company). I even managed that, incorporating links from the chapter headings to find the right page. Then the work got tough. I had to proof read everything I wrote. You think that is easy? I can tell you I read it at least one hundred times and still found a mistake somewhere. Eventually I decided enough and hoped that no-one would find anything. I would think that would cover at least ten bucket list entries, leaving me with bucket list no. 11.

Where can I go? At my age I do not think about going anywhere really. I have visited all Scandinavian countries on a Baltic sea cruise at the age of 18, including Leningrad. Where is Leningrad?  Today it is known as St. Petersburg, I am from the dark ages of pre perestroika, when Russian towns had patriotic names. I spent four days in Marrakesch (Morocco), been to Paris three times on holiday and went on holiday to Portugal. I think I know countries abroad more than my birth country of England. Been a couple of times to German and Italy (Switzerland is sandwiched in between those two countries, as well as France and Lichtenstein (where is Lichtenstein – it looks like an extra bit of Switzerland on the righthand side, but do not tell the Lichtensteiners). So I will not be travelling.

I gave birth to two sons so many years ago I have to look at photos to remember what they looked like as children.

Position No. 11 still remains empty.

It would be nice win a Pulitzer prize for photography. My camera is always with me. Mr. Swiss (my other half) does not mind with I have the aim and shoot camera with me. We just have problems when I take the DSLR camera, then he prefers to stay at home. He keeps losing me. If the powers that be decide that my numerous photos of cats, insects, flowers,  mountains, local towns and villages do not qualify, then I would settle for a Pulitzer prize for my book. If my one and only self published book is not good enough, then let us keep position 11 for the book I have not yet written.

On the other hand, after finding out what a bucket list is, I have decided to keep postion 11 waiting for a few years. I am not ready to go yet. I still have my second DVD to finish learning the remaing 5 lessons of my Tai Chi sequence (the first seven have been completed). I have also ordered a mini iPad which has not yet arrived. It seems Apple have delivery problems. Everyone seems to have one on their wish list. No, there are too many unfinished tasks.


3 comments:

  1. My understanding of a 'Bucket List', is a list of things to do, or places to visit before one dies (or 'kicks the bucket', hence the name). For me the list would mainly consist of places I've always wanted to visit but have not yet had chance to do so.

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  2. Well it seems to me that you have done quite a bit already. I don't have a bucket list either I prefer to just take opportunities as they arise. Happy new year to you.

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  3. I haven't even started a bucket list yet, if I ever do!. I just take each day as it comes.

    You sure have done a lot of interesting things Pat, many more to come too by the sound of it. LOL

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