50 Things to do Before I'm 50

As a child, some of my strongest memories are of the summertime. When Wimbledon came on the TV, it coincided with the sweet possibility of having school lessons outside and sour milk at break time.  Children's programmes were cancelled..(...that's what my mum told me anyway) and it was the beginning of the wait for the end of term and the long summer holidays.  I'm not a huge tennis lover, I only follow the institution that is Wimbledon. It has been part of my summer for as long as I can remember. I particularly love the first week when there is the possibility of an epic David and Goliath battle on one of the outside courts or an intense fast paced doubles match. Many times I've envied the spectators lucky enough to soak up the atmosphere of the place.  Wimbledon was an obvious choice for my list. I didn't manage to get tickets in the ballot so we bought a package deal with tickets for number one court on the second Saturday. We were also allowed access to all the

 I've had varicose veins for years, They are itchy, sore and painful, especially at the end of the day: And hideous and unsightly! One of the pitfalls of a lifetime of working on my feet. I did go to the doctors but the NHS turned me down for surgical treatment because my legs weren't ulcerated and rotten so that was that. Private elective surgery is for the posh and the wealthy, not for the likes of me certainly! Or is it? Why the hell not? Once the idea had taken hold I did some research into private surgery and decided to take the plunge. This year is very self indulgent and narcissistic! Obligatory surgical gown selfie!  These photos don't really show quite how horrible and disgusting my varicose veins were. Not to mention how tired my legs became and how desperate I was to put my feet up at the end of the day just to get relief. The operation was scheduled for 9th July. I had a local anaesthetic and was discharged in the afternoon. It was surreal