Top of my bucket list…..

Back in 2018, my big Brother and I started talking about a visit to Australia to watch a couple of matches during the 2021 “Ashes” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ashes series. To those who find the sport of cricket permanently inexplicably mystifying, England v Australia remains the biggest fixture in the calendar. England will only visit every three or four years, and there are five matches in the series, each lasting five days. Americans will obviously not understand that even after five days, a draw is a perfectly reasonable outcome……
One of my ambitions from an early age was to have enough money to watch an Ashes match on The Hill at Sydney’s cricket ground. Up until 1991 The Hill was a grassy slope without seating. It cost the least to get in and attracted the working class. It also attracted the consumption of shedloads of alcohol. So, perfect for me! Sadly, it’s no longer there. Things have poshed-up in the last 30 years.

But I and my big brother Henry were both retired, had a little spare dosh, and each of us had a wife (both, interestingly, called Mrs B.,) who positively encouraged what would be the trip of a lifetime for the two of us. Add that to our desire, both being railway buffs, to take the train from Adelaide to Darwin via Alice Springs https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au/journeys/the-ghan/ during the trip, and you can see how this jaunt came to be top of my bucket list.
Alas, it was not to be. Both Mrs Bs saw declining mobility, money was spent on other essentials, and just when we had to make the big, big decision, along came Covid-19 to assist us with our conclusion.
It was, surprisingly, much easier to deal with than we expected. Every single person on our planet was adversely affected by the pandemic, and so there was no question of feeling the least bit sorry for ourselves.
As for the cricket? It went ahead, though with no visiting English supporters due to Covid restrictions. Australia thumped England, the series ending in an embarrassing 4-0 defeat for the Poms. The last place you want to be when England are humiliated by Australia, is Australia. Ultimately, me and big brother were spared our personal mortification.
Even so, the trip remains top of my list, though with each passing year it sadly looks less likely to come to fruition.
Top of my bucket list

There are so many wishes that I would like to come true in my life. I’d think about ending the war in Ukraine, for example, but on certain conditions making sure some jerk from Moscow would never appear live on TV…
Or I’d dream about getting back to Alaska one day though avoiding dog mushing as I was fed up with this beautiful and adventurous but harsh business.
Or making all poor people rich, or other stupid stuff like this.
To make a long story short, there is plenty of bucket list wishes that I’d fill out the whole page. I’d like to avoid it.
I can still highlight the one that sounds fantastic and, I suspect, a bit naive, but it still looks great to me.

It is 20 years from now. I am 68, still fit for this age, gray-haired but still kicking. To some degree of course. I live in harmony with myself on a tropical jungle-covered island in some kind of cabin or bungalow by the sea. Living alone, I think for some reason. Enjoying fresh mornings, sunny days with rare thunderstorms, and great sunsets. Something like Sri Lanka is the closest spot. For some reason, I believe I live alone, mostly a healthy lifestyle but sometimes taking a bike to get to the nearest beach bar to have a beer or two.
Sometimes my daughters come to visit me, but not often, maybe once a year. Always a big deal to me. We chat a lot, stroll down the beach, sharing news. They talk about things happening out there in the world beyond where they come from. I share my petty news from the island that never has any news except for some weather changes.
It is not even a bucket list wish. It is not that I wish it to really happen; just some vision of what might be, no matter if I want it to happen or not. It is the future, years away from now…
Top of My Bucket List?

I really like writing these Blog articles; some weeks are super easy but others can take time. Occasionally, I have no idea what to write. This is one of those weeks. I don’t have a bucket list, so there’s nothing at the top. I don’t really want to climb Everest or jump out of a plane. I’m sure I would love both of those but it’s not something I need to do before I die.
There is one thing that comes to mind: I have loved ships my entire life. It would be the adventure of a lifetime to take a sail boat/yacht across the Pacific. To visit exotic islands and drink in the sea & air. There is a huge difference between a sail boat and a motor boat. Any sail boat above about sixty-feet can go anywhere in the world. Any modern boat in the 60-80 foot range can be handled by two or three people.

To me, that would be uber-cool: the entire world is available. Go anywhere on an adventure. However, such adventures don’t come cheap. Just the food and drink for three or four over two months would cost several thousand. Fuel for the motor (yeah, they have motors to use in the harbor) and harbor/docking fees would add up. Obviously, you’ll need to have several thousand stashed on board for any repairs along the way.
Some folks actually sell their homes and spend their lives sailing from place to place. They use solar panels and fish for some of their food, taking odd jobs before moving on. That would be great for a while but I think I would get bored after a year or two… maybe not, I don’t know.
Of course, this isn’t really a bucket list thing. I say that because I don’t think this is something I’ll ever do. To qualify as a top of bucket item, I suppose you should plan to do it before you die. Maybe I should set my sights on pizza for lunch instead. 🙂