We’re off up north to celebrate the new year and then have a hectic first week of January looming so I doubt I’ll get much time for reading or blogging. I won’t do a full review of 2010 here but the one question I’ve seen a few bloggers answer that I find endlessly interesting is: what did you do/experience for the first time this year? So, in no particular order:

1. Started a blog. Obviously. You’re reading it. I’m enjoying it so far. I have interacted with some very lovely people, met people in real life through it, flexed my writing muscles and read more because of it.

2. Went to Manchester. At least I don’t think I’d ever been there before February. Not that I remember. I think I like it. And it has some very nice people.

3. Grew courgettes. With a little help from Tim and our allotment buddy Swish, I planted half a dozen seeds and we grew so many courgettes we had to give some away! And we can eat a lot of courgette in this house. Total success.

4. Exhibited a photograph in an exhibition. One that was curated and had a preview night with wine and nibbles and everything. It was really cool to be a part of.

5. Got asked to be someone’s bridesmaid. The wedding itself is next year but just being asked was incredibly exciting for me because I was honestly starting to think I’d never get to be a bridesmaid. (The bride’s my sister, by the way, so I was already pretty darned excited about this wedding.)

6. Made a tau neutrino from felt. As you do. Summer fun work thing. I was quite pleased with my handiwork actually. It’s on my desk at work. (Except actually it’s not, it’s in a crate, because I packed up my desk last week ready to start my new job at a new desk in the new year. It’s a lot of new all at once. Exciting and scary and another reason I may be too busy to blog much for a while.)

7. Volunteered at an astronomy fair. I spotted a notice asking for volunteers to man a physics fun stand at a fair in Devon and in a moment of crazy I offered my services and Tim’s. Science outreach is hugely important but I’m not the most outgoing person so I may not do that to myself again.

8. Employed a builder to work on my very own house. Or rather, our very own house. We knew we’d have to get work done when we bought this place and it’s very satisfying to have got a big chunk of it done. We still need to do some decorating before I post any photos. Which leads me on to…

9. Painted a ceiling. Which is very tiring, it turns out. Thankfully I had help from Tim and my Dad. In fact they did more than me. But I did do some of it, honest.

10. Watched It’s a Wonderful Life. I know. How could I possibly have gone almost 30 years without watching the epitome of Christmas films? I finally sat down in front of it on Christmas Day and it has immediately won top place in my favourite Christmas films list. Unsurprisingly.

I could probably cheat and add a whole bunch of blogging-related firsts, because it’s all been new to me this year! And a few more owning a house firsts as well. But that would get boring pretty quickly. So instead, feel free to tell me your 2010 firsts in the comments, I hope you have had a good year, and all the best for 2011.