My British Bucket List

I have never been into resolutions and in fact, I haven’t ever been that great at planning! But I do like to think about what’s in my heart and what true heart’s desires I have. From there, I like to think I help the universe bring these into my life in some form. A perfect example is the fact I am living and working in the UK, which got me thinking...there are so many things I want to do but several of them are very UK specific. Therefore, I decided to compile them in one list, check them out:

1. Go to a Have I Got News for You taping – It was a badge of honour after my first couple years of living in the UK (which was in the 90’s) when I finally “got” British humour. And with that came a love a this clever, funny and always topical British TV show. A panel of comedians with an assortment of guests, headed up by a new host each week answer questions about the week in news. Sarcasm, irony and often looniness (thanks to Paul Merton) ensues. Twice a year I set my calendar a reminder for the exact moment tickets become available and register online. So far unsuccessful, I hope one day I manage to see this show taped at the BBC studios in London.
Likelihood of achievement: fair (with continued diligence and a bit of good luck).

2. A weekend at posh castle in Scotland – the 3 key words in this entry are: posh, castle and Scotland. That’s all you need to know.
Likelihood of achievement: excellent (any suggestions where I might make reservations?)

3. Coast to Coast Walk – according to Wikipedia, this is described as, “a 192-mile unofficial and mostly unsignposted long distance footpath in Northern England. Devised by Alfred Wainwright, it passes through three contrasting national parks.” The walk connects both coasts of the UK at their narrowest point. What scenery that must be and a personal challenge to achieve the goal.  I like the idea of walking it with a sherpa service which delivers my luggage to B&Bs along the way. I liked the idea of it so much, I bought a coffee table book about it. :)
Likelihood of achievement: poor. I currently consider walking the dog for 30 minutes on flat surfaces, “quite a good walk”. Thus the time commitment and training to do such a walk doesn’t bode well for me. But that could change, you never know.

4. A weekend of museums in London – I love museums! I don’t read everything and I remember almost nothing, but nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoy visiting museums; particularly history museums. There are countless museums in London but I’d like to take a long weekend and visit several of them, including: The British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Imperial War Museum, Museum of Natural History and maybe even the Science museum.
Likelihood of achievement: excellent (if I’m willing to accept I probably can’t nor will want to see that many in just one weekend and space them out more).

5. Date a rugby player: in addition to liking the idea of dating a man whose thighs are bigger than mine (which is quite a tall order, I don’t mind telling you), I would like to date a man who can throw me over his shoulder and run around the backyard with me squealing in laughter.
Likelihood of achievement: variable since it largely depends on how I define “rugby player” and if “former” is allowed.

6. A week in a Canal boat – this is coming from a girl who has never gone on a cruise for fear that the motion-sickness would ruin the fun (I prefer riding in the front seat of cars to avoid feeling ill!). However, the idea of cruising the many canals of the River Thames at a slow and easy pace doesn’t concern me nearly as much. Besides, if I had to get off the boat, I could probably make the jump to land as we’re hardly talking “open water”.  I also like the idea of some self-catering on the canal boat but also being able to park (what would the right term be for this, I wonder?) and go into a local restaurant (or for a Starbucks run!) For me, this idea means relaxation, good conversation, reading, games with family or friends who are with me. On the down side, if it’s chucking it down with rain, one may have to conquer severe cabin fever!
Likelihood of achievement: Good, especially if I’m doing it with someone who is happy to “drive” the boat and we don’t have to worry about that side of things.

7, Have a proper “high tea” – I’ve had a lot of cream teas but I’m not sure I’ve never had the kind of “high tea” that, for this American anyway, is synonymous with upper class British life. Cucumber sandwiches (without crusts of course), a selection of beautiful cakes all on a multi-tiered dish. That is something I’d like to do once. And as such, I’d like to do it in a posh (expensive) place such as The Ritz Hotel in London which starts at £42 per person. Maybe I can combine it with #4 on my list. Two birds with one stone and all that. Note to self: jeans are not permitted at The Ritz. Damn.
Likelihood of achievement:  Excellent. Perhaps it’ll have to be something I do with my mom during her next visit. It’s a lot of money but it’d be one of those experiences that we could talk about and say we’ve done.

8. Visit “Victorian Farm” in Shropshire  - Technically, I wouldn’t be visiting Victorian Farm which was shown in the BBC documentary series, but actually the nearby town Blists Hill which is described as an “open air museum” which “attempts to recreate the sights, sounds and smells of a Victorian Shropshire town in the late 19th century and early 20th century”. Because I enjoyed the documentary series so much, I think spending a day here would be fascinating. Would I remember anything, though (which is my issue with museums...retention issues)?
Likelihood of achievement:  A real toss up. Once I’m busy doing the other items on the bucket list and also going off and seeing places abroad, I doubt I’ll ever really make the time to drive up to the midlands to see this. However, when my sister and her family come to visit, that may be something we work into an already planned road trip somewhere (probably something to do with Doctor Who, if I know them).

9. Be swept off my feet by a Scotsman (with good teeth) – if I were writing about fantasies, then this would be combined with number 5 but I’m a (semi) realist and am breaking down the bucket list into separate items. Being swept away could be short term or long term but I tell you what, I’m a sucker for the Scottish accent. If he has good (or even decent) teeth, he’s so in with a chance.
Likelihood of achievement – poor. Insert jokes here about Scottish teeth if you like but that’s not the reason this has such a low likelihood. The reason is I live on the south coast and there aren’t many Scotsmen around, let alone ones with good teeth who would like to sweep this American with big hair and red lips off her feet. Still, hope springs eternal.

10. See a tennis match at Wimbledon – I’m the kind of tennis fan that enjoys the Grand Slams. But other than that, I barely follow tennis (so that probably makes me normal, come to think of it). My mom and I have a new tradition; she comes to visit me in late June and we watch Wimbledon on TV. I’d like to have the experience of seeing a match in person. However, I do not have any desire to go there at the crack of dawn and queue hoping for a ticket, that’s not my style. Instead, I’ll put myself in for the lottery each year until I get some tickets (then pray for no rain!) I got my application in at the end of 2011 as required, so who knows, maybe I’ll have some beginner’s luck and score tix for this year’s tournament. 
Likelihood of achievement – Fair. If I were willing to travel and queue, it’d change this to “likely”. But as I’m not, I’ll have to rely on diligence on my part and fairness on theirs.

Honourable mention: a Regular column in a newspaper or magazine about my take being an American here. “Living the (American) Dream in Ringwood, Hampshire” or something like that. This shouldn’t really be on the Bucket List because this is so very possible and is just a matter of putting myself forward to a few local publications with some article ideas until someone agrees. What stops me is my fear. So perhaps on the bucket list should be overcoming my fear!

What about you? Do you have anything on your British Bucket List? Or if not that, what is on your general Bucket List? I can’t wait to read your comments!