Dream it...Do it.

Photo credit: trainingfest / flickr

Always keep an open mind...

Photo credit: musicandlyrics / tumblr

#73: Clean out closet

There are few things more satisfying than knowing your house/flat is throughly clean, your wardrobe edited and your clothes organised. The hard part is actually finding the time and doing the cleaning out. Post break up this can be a particularly hard task if you stay in the place you shared with your Ex because a half empty closet is one of the starkest reminders that your Ex has literally moved on.

Photo credit: alex Hinds / Shutterstock

I suddenly found myself with more closet space than I could ever imagine as the removal of the Ex's clothes effectively doubled my wardrobe. Worse, I also had to take care of the unclaimed, discarded clothes that were left behind for me to deal with after the Ex formally moved out.

I admire the bold ones who throw their Ex's clothes in a bag and leave outside for them to pick up. Frankly, I always liked the idea of tossing clothes and shoes out a window.

I, however, nicely boxed up my Ex's entire belongings and even labeled the boxes -- because that's the kind of person I am. I'm sure the new GF found my labels very helpful in arranging the lovebirds' new place...but I digress.

Photo credit: alankcrain / flickr

Having cleaned out my Ex's clothes, it was then over to my own. Having lost so much weight, I found I had clothes that were 3-4 sizes too big and even with my Ben & Jerry's addiction I was unlikely to expand into any time soon so out they went. It's strange now opening the cupboards and seeing more empty space than clothes, but I'm sure I'll find a way to fill it up in time. (Another item on my list is to get new clothes/update my wardrobe after all. Now I have room for it...)

#72: Sunday drinks and dinner at a cozy pub on a cold, rainy day.

There's something reassuring and cosy about grabbing a drink with a friend in a local pub, sitting near an open fireplace when it's cold, rainy and windy outside. In London there are sadly not enough open fires in pubs (for obvious reasons), but the further you get in the country the more rare a pub without a fire becomes.

Photo credit: Milka-Kotla / Shutterstock

With spring approaching fast (but not fast enough), I realised I was quickly running out of time to tick this one off the list. Well, here's hoping that spring shows up soon and I don't have to revisit this one until November...

#71: Go to Columbia Road Flower Market.

Hands down, my favourite thing to do on a Sunday is to go to Columbia Road Flower Market, but I haven't been in a long time. There's an amazing Italian restaurant, named Campania, that does a great coffee and equally amazing eggs and prosciutto cooked breakfast.

Then a wander down the small street where there are 60+ flower/plant traders yelling for your custom. www.columbiaroad.info

Website

#69: Watch a foreign film

As an American, the fact that I have watched, and enjoyed, subtitled films (not movies) continues to make me laugh somewhat, because when I was growing up, there was no such thing as a non-American/English movie. You mean not only are there people in the world who don't speak English, but they make their own movies? What?!? Why would they want, or need, to do that? Aren't they happy with Harry Potter, Toy Story, Titantic and ET?

As I've gotten older, I've seen some great foreign films and realised that other countries often produce more interesting movies than the Hollywood machine. (If you haven't seen it, check out Downfall, an amazing story of Hitler's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII). So for my list I thought I would search out more interesting, foreign, movie fare.

So step in, In the House, a French film with Kristen Scott Thomas. Having seen her recently in a play, I thought I'd go double or nothing on the cinema front.

Time Out said: "There’s fun to be had from the pomposity and pretensions of Luchini and Scott-Thomas, yet the surrounding frolics also hint at the hidden agendas behind the stories which fascinate us, and indeed how those stories play up to a distanced, even unhealthy curiosity about the lives of others. Plenty to ponder then, but you can also simply enjoy its gossipy fizz. A witty, naughty, insight-packed provocation which never takes its seriousness too seriously."

Hollywood wishes it could make movies this interesting.

#68: Go to a film festival

London is full of cultural events showcasing different areas of the arts, especially film. For years I've heard about how great the BFI's lesbian and gay film festival was and this year a friend got tickets and invited me to go.

The Londonist website writes that this "annual celebration of LGBT cinema from around the world … promises a diverse selection of talent from both well-known directors and emerging voices". A Gay Times blog says: "The programme is stuffed with treats. Divine, David Bowie, Spanish romps, Asian thrillers, Swedish boys sharing baths, black and white re-runs, cutting-edge documentaries, and, of course, the latest from James Franco's on-screen gay tourism endeavours."

Straight or Gay (Lesbian, Queer, Bi, or Trans), last year more than 21,000 people attended the event. It's easy to see why.

#67: Order the Tasting Menu at a nice restaurant

Order the tasting menu at Asia de Cuba. Very tasty indeed.

Photo: Asia de cuba

It has to be said: I like my food. Anyone who knows me knows I enjoy a nice meal, be it at a friends house, a good local restaurant or, on rare occasion, one of London's most well known foodie places. That said, I've never really ordered a full tasting menu before. I always thought it was something for a special occasion, but I never pulled my finger out and made it happen until now.

So having the tasting menu at Asia de Cuba was a real treat. It felt decadent and extravagant but also made me feel special and that I was worth it.

But that might also have been the company as well...

#66: Take a day off work, just because.

...Because it had been too long since I've seen my lovely god-daughter:

One of the hardest parts of my break up was not only the loss of my partner, but also the loss of my Ex's family, which I had been an extended part of for so long. It was good to see my former 'sister in law' and my god daughter, who turned one recently. Taking the day off work meant I could enjoy it properly.

All too often work gets in the way of what really matters...

I'm on my way

Photo credit: mango pictures / flickr

#65: Get xx new Twitter followers

I decided I'd make an effort for a brief time to try increase my twitter followers to a certain number. I don't know why. It's a bit like asking 'Why climb a mountain?' and answering 'because it's there'. However, I soon realised that there's actually no 'there' there. So I now spend much less time on Twitter.

(I can be found on Twitter at @breakuplist)

#63: Have a champagne lunch

Yes, please!

#62: Change my hair

There is something cathartic about the post-heartbreak hair change. With the hue shift, dramatic crop, or straightening, a post-breakup new haircut/do is almost a cliche. After a bad ending, people get the urge to change their look and there's something symbolic and cathartic about it: out with the old (dead ends, deadweight), in with the new flirty, ballsy freedom. After becoming single one can revamp their image and attitude with a new look for a fresh start and new identity. It's a powerful way of marking a major change in life. Though it's drastic, it is most definitely not permanent.

Photo credit: yln0002 / flickr

Jennifer and the world's most famous hair.

#59: Stay in bed all day

Some days you just need to give in to yourself and your needs and not force yourself to get out and face the real world. I'm not saying this is a good thing to do all the time, but I had this on my list as a kind of 'get out of jail free' card, to use when I just couldn't face leaving the comforts of my bed.

I've since realised that there could be other, very good, reasons why staying in bed all day should be on my list.

Photo credit: mast3r / shutterstock

Regardless of how or why I did it, this task is done.

The storm

Photo: Pinterest

#58: Visit Harrod's Pet Kingdom.

Photo: bestGSD / Flickr

Harrod's Pet Kingdom: Kind of disappointing tbh. Back in the day you supposedly could get exotic animals like tigers and monkeys here. Today, it should really be renamed Dog Kingdom. Good if you're looking for a £110 dog coat but there wasn't much else. Not many things for other pets (like cats)...