A Nutty November and a Few Things Off The List

I did say I’d tell you more about my very busy November, where I managed to knock several things off my Bucket List all at once, so here goes.

First of all, I decided to sign up for (and intended to complete) NaNoWriMo. I signed up a couple of times several years ago and never made it past the first few words, let alone created the first draft of a novel. I also wrote a short story at least five years ago for a competition and the characters just stayed with me and I had an idea kicking around my head, just asking to be written down. So, I did it, and I actually finished the first draft. 50,000 in only 30 days (I’m still beaming about that right now!). One thing off my bucket list then, although I have no idea whether a) it’s good enough to do anything with b) whether I would get off my butt and do something with it if it was. I think it’s ok, but have sent it out to my trusty beta-readers for their opinion!

Another item on my list was to watch The Mousetrap, Agatha Christie’s play that has run and run and run in London. I guess as it’s been running so long I had the will to go and see it but took it for granted that it would always be on, but I was in luck as this year is the 60th anniversary of the production, so it went out on tour. I actually saw the play with my friends in Southampton, so that was a bit more convenient! I had actually spoiled myself a couple of years ago as to who the villain was (thanks Wikipedia!), but had forgotten until it got a good ways in, but even that didn’t spoil it. I really enjoyed the play as I do like a nice Christie mystery, and it turned out that I’d actually heard of quite a few of the cast – it was a bit like a Corrie/Eastenders reunion, but it was very good :0)

My third item off the list was a kicker – to have a track day in a fast car. Ok, so it wasn’t a whole day and ok, the first session was a bit more Driving Miss Daisy than Live and Let Die, but in 2011 I won a £200 Red Letter Days voucher and spent it on an Aston Martin driving experience at Silverstone, which I took on 25 Nov last year. I was so lucky with the weather – it had been raining like billy-o, but it was dry when I got there and after the driver briefing off we went down to the cars. I love the Aston Martins – this was a V8 Vantage and they look gorgeous, drive beautifully and it’s reassuringly hard to tip them over (no matter how hard I might have tried…). It so happened that the car I was in was number 007, so I was inwardly chuckling the whole time!

The experience wasn’t long (I drove longer to get there than I was actually on the track), but I would totally do it again because it was the best fun EVER!

So, I know it seems like an age away now, but that was my month, how was yours??