No 20 - Spend the Night in a Haunted Hotel or Castle

Well this was a great take on number 20.  On the 11th October 2013 a bunch of us girls from work spent the whole night awake at the very haunted Bodmin Jail for charity.  All in aid of Wild Futures - the organisation who run the Monkey Sanctuary in Looe.

We got there at 10pm after a bracing meal in the Bodmin Wetherspoons (which was terrifying in its own very Cornish kind of way!)

We then had a guided tour of the jail by staff from the jail and a local paranormal group.  Then all the lights went off and we were guided through a night of spooky table tipping, spiritual possession, messages from the beyond and strange tickly encounters in the Naval ward.  I'm still not convinced myself of any actual ghostly action, having read up so much on the tricks employed by false mediums I have become quite the sceptic in recent years. However what was undeniable was the grim and ghoulish atmosphere of the prison and the immense effort of the organisers to make it an amazing night.  Loved spending the time with the girls and a truly unique experience.

I also raised £250 for Wild Futures which allowed me to adopt Gucci a tiny Capuchin monkey at the sanctuary and support their cause.  Good times.

No 34 - See more live shows and music - Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty

On the 10th November myself and the girls from work got dressed up and went to the theatre to see Matthew Bourne's new and raved about ballet of Sleeping Beauty

It was stunning and it was so nice to be there with ladies who mean so much to me and who were equally astounded and enthralled by the music and dancing and everything that was on show.

I was moved and impressed and also incredibly amused by Ellen whispering in my ear after a couple of minutes "When do they start talking?"  As uncouth as I am I did realise it was entirely musical without dialogue - and that tickled me all through the time we were there.

I would love to see more Ballet and this will definitely be included in my future list updates.

No 34 - See more live music and shows - Ugly Kid Joe & Duff McKagan's Loaded

Easily my favourite gig of all time!!

I was a big Ugly Kid Joe fan years ago - I must admit largely initially inspired by their inclusion in Wayne's World.  But I then got into a load more of their music and have always had a smidgen of a crush on Whitfield Crane since my teens.  They were amazing live and totally rocked the whole club - and YES I bought the T-Shirt!

The club incidentally was C103 - previously JFKS at which I spent most of my Friday nights while at University because it was the best Rock Night in Plymouth and totally defined my Uni years.  It is now closed down but not forgotten and I'm so glad that this gig was one of my final moments in there as it was such a fitting goodbye.

The warm up act were ok but to be honest they kind of blurred into oblivion once UKJ and Duff McKagan got into it.  I had never heard any of Loaded's stuff but was aware of the historical nature of seeing one of GNR members doing their stuff and they were so incredibly polished and cool I just couldn't take my eyes off them.

The only thought left in my head at the end of a great night was - I'm not worthy!!!

No 34 - See more live shows and music - One Man Two Guvnors

OH MY WORD this was hilarious!! I don't think I've ever laughed so much in the theatre at any point in my life - it was fantastically funny.

This is an old farce that has been updated but still holds true to the old Commedia dell'arte traditions.  

James Corden takes some flack in the media and is also being horrendously over-exposed in other media areas so much so that there is bound to be some backlash eventually - but this show has cemented his comedic genius in my mind.  He was truly hilarious and the amount of ribbing and ad-libbing that went on had me in stitches and I left the theatre with my face aching from laughing so much.  The point at which he stole a sandwich from an audience member to be horrified by the fact that it was houmous and spinach could not have been set up and was a damn good laugh.

No 3 & No 11 - Complete The Half Marathon & Raise Money for Charity

On the 29th May 2011 I set off to do the one activity that in it's own way inspired this whole thing.  I was sat watching the full marathon in 2009 seeing all these people of various shapes, sizes and ages running, jogging, walking the miles for charity, for themselves, for the fun of it.  And I thought "Well I can do anything I put my mind to". So I decided I could do a Half Marathon!

In my Broadreach T-Shirt I got ready and set off with hundreds of other runners, lots of whom looked extremely fit and like this was just going to be a walk in the park.  After the first 3 miles I realised that my fitness levels were ok but I was not going to be able to keep up with the main crowd for very long.  I had a few bouts of walking vs jogging and then succumbed to doing the second half at a brisk walk. 

The people along the way were very supportive and I am glad I kept going.  I finally completed the 13.1 miles waaaay behind most of the runners, but for me what was most important was that I had persevered and done it! My friends and colleagues were waiting on the finish line and I ate the BEST cheese pasty I think ever created!  I also benefited greatly from the free sports massage they provide, and I think this is what saved me from being unable to move for days afterwards.

I raised over £300 for Broadreach House - thus also hitting number 11 on my list of Raise Money for Charity.  And very pleased with myself I was for doing something athletic which is so different to my normal lifestyle as a whole. And I got a medal!!!

No 34 - See more live music and shows - Derren Brown Svengali

The night before the Half Marathon I booked tickets to see Derren Brown's Svengali show.  I absolutely love Derren and have a couple of his books and seeing him in action was mind-blowing!
I still don't know how he did any of it - although theories abound!
I can see how some is done through psychology and the power of suggestion - but I still don't know what was suggested to me.
The night is shrouded in secrecy so I can't even tell you what happened even if I could explain it, but suffice it to say it was brilliant and I'd be happy to see him again anytime.

Addition - No 34 See More Live Shows & Music

This is something which I genuinely love and do not set aside enough time for... so now I shall.  Whether it be gigging bands, or theatre or big musical events, whatever expands my horizons!