Well, inspired by several friends, at the start of last year I put together this 2025 goals bingo...
So... how did it go? Well... I did get a bingo, but ONLY JUST!
Mostly for my own satisfaction, here's the detail...
1. I DID finish my PG Cert with a good grade (distinction!)
2. I DID visit at least 3 new piers (I actually visited 7):
Weymouth, Swanage, Cromer, Lowestoft (2), Great Yarmouth (2)
 |
| Weymouth |
 |
| Swanage |
 |
| Cromer |
 |
| Lowestoft |
 |
| Lowestoft |
 |
| Great Yarmouth |
 |
| Great Yarmouth |
3. I DID get the record player up and running and actually use it
4. I did NOT bake at least 3 new cakes. I only baked two :(
A lemon and blackberry polenta cake (it was fine) and a carrot cake for spen birthday (I don't like carrot cake). I have given up on being motivated with baking for 2026 :)
5. I did NOT publish at least 2 new zines :(
But I was really pleased with the one I did publish! And lots of people have said they enjoyed it. It was nice to make something entirely stupid and fun for a change, rather trying to make something smart or worthy. More of that for 2026.
7. I DID cook at least 20 new recipes! (Couldn't have done with without Meera Sodha) And here they are...
- [x] 1. Meera Sodha’s broccoli spaghetti with Zhoug (fine, not worth having again)
- [x] 2. Meera Sodha’s celery and shiitake congee (fine, not worth having again)
- [x] 3. Vegan pea and ham soup (Uh, I lost the recipe? But it was good?!)
- [x] 4. Meera's Parsnip gochugang gnocchi (made it twice, first time incredible, second time sucked. I should try again)
- [x] 5. Experimental sticky chilli beef mince rice bowl (It was great, but do I remember what I did? No.)
- [x] 6. Meera sodha’s aubergine kofta (I did not like this one)
- [x] 7. Grated tofu bbq sando (good but too much effort)
- [x] 8. Thee burger dude Tofu banh mi (too much effort but definitely worth doing again)
- [x] 9. Gyoza salad (Can't find the recipe. But I ate this loads. Not sure it's really 'cooking' though)
- [x] 10. Tofu in tomato cashew sauce (This was BAD)
- [x] 11 Meera sodha pickled pea orzotto (I liked this but forgot to make it again)
- [x] 12 mushroom ‘scallops’ (extraordinarily weird)
- [x] 13 lemony garlicky butter bean soup (Delicious!)
- [x] 14 lemon asparagus orzo (Delicious!)
- [x] 15 Meera Sodha tandoori cauliflower (Delicious, made it loads)
- [x] 16 Meera sodha Nam Jim aubergine salad (An all timer, I will continue to make this often)
- [x] 17 Meera Sodha miso butter greens orrechiette (Not great)
- [x] 18 Meera Sodha coconut tofu green bean curry (Delicious but I never got round to making it again)
- [x] 19 Meera drunken noodles (Pretty good, should make again)
- [x] 20 Mexican corn salad but for rice and with smoked tofu not feta or bacon (A healthier variation on a favourite)
- [x] 21 Pain con tomate (Iconic summer lunch)
- [x] 22 Crispy rice salad (Delicious!)
- [x] 23 Meera Sodha black bean tofu (Needs work for next time)
8. I did NOT hang some art on my walls :( (My walls are still not painted)
9. I DID actually sew on those elbow patches (amongst other sewing tasks)
10. I DID visit York.
11. I DID plant something in the garden. Like one thing. Badly. then left it to die and Spen tended it. I am not naturally green fingered.
12. I DID NOT visit Hebden Bridge. Ran out of time :(
13. I DID NOT read at least 12 books. I read 5 and then I learned that fanfic exists. So uh... I have probably read at least 12 books worth of sexy yakuza fanfic. But definitely not 12 real books. Oh dear. I DID read:
- [x] 1 Donella Meadows: When species meet*
- [x] 2 Earthsea the first four books by Ursula K Le Guin*
- [x] 3 Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design by Kat Holmes
- [x] 4 What Design can’t do by Silvia Lorussio*
- [x] 5 The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
*started last year
14. I DID keep doing visual diaries all year
15. I DID NOT play a board game at least once a month, but I got close?!
- [x] January: Trendy, Cosmic Encounter and No Thanks with spen, Beth and Angus. Galaxy trucker and Ghost Blitz with Spen, Kath and Fuad.
- [x] February: Yogi with Spen and Vaishnavi, Lacuna with Catherine, Wilmots warehouse with V and friends, No Thanks with Spen, Nadia and Cal, Concordia with Camille, Cathy, and Spen
- [x] March: Arboretum with Spen
- [x] April: Wavelength and No Thanks with V and friends, Town 77 with Spen
- [ ] May: fail!
- [x] June: Spots and V’s experimental sausage game with George and V
- [x] July: Arboretum with Spen
- [x] August: Mah Jong with honor and friends
- [ ] September: fail!
- [x] October: Perspectives with V and friends
- [x] November: Piece of cake, Acropolis, Botswana with Beth and Angus, Botswana and Wavelength with Spen, Dav and Justin.
- [x] December: Lure with Spen
 |
January |
| |||
 |
August |
 |
| October |
 |
November (not exactly a boardgame but we ALSO did an escape room) |
16. I DID table at at least 1 zine fair (Rose tinted spectacular in Newhaven, Margate zine fair with Kier)
17. I DID NOT visit at least 5 spas (only two — Rena Spa at Leonardo Royal London St. Pauls and Aire Spa Sevilla)
18. I DID go life drawing at least once — I actually went three times, in June, November and December.
19. I DID NOT save up enough money to get new windows in 2026. And it seems unlikely that I will do so this year either, but I must persist
20. I DID finish Link’s Awakening and start a new video game — however all I played this year was Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (which was such fun I made the aforementioned zine and got obsessed with Yakuza fanfic) and Yakuza 0, which I am still on (though nearly done with).
21. I DID maintain my Duolingo streak in chinese, but I am definitely phoning it in a bit and need to TRY HARDER
22. I DID NOT complete at least as far as section 20 of the London Loop. But I did a bunch!
- [x] 12 (3/1/25)
- [x] 13 (3/1/25)
- [x] 14 (9/2/25)
- [x] 15 (22/7/25)
- [x] 16 (8/11/25)
- [x] 17 (31/12/25)
23. I DID leave the UK for a bit (I went to Seville in March!)
24. I DID go to at least three gigs, but only barely.
- [x] 1. Flamenco in Seville (does that count? There was live music!)
- [x] 2. Baths in May
- [x] 3. Pan Amsterdam in June
- [x] 4. Reggie watts in August
 |
(I've seen Reggie enough times that I totally failed to take a picture of him, only this ice cream) |
So... I definitely didn't ace my goals, but I did A LOT, and many were partially completed. I also accomplished some unexpected things NOT on the goals list...
I wrote 150,000 words of (quite good?!?!) fanfic
I visited two heritage railways (and got really excited about heritage railways)
I got a new job
I did 2 livestreams (this one was fine but this one was, IMO, amazing)
So... what's in store for 2026? Well, here's the plan...
Wish me luck!!!
