the wandering boomerang

A nectar list is simply a list of all the cool, important, memorable things you’ve done in your life. I think everyone should do this! My memory is awful and I’m a big fan of lists, so I really enjoyed doing this.

‘Collect moments, not things’ is one of my favourite quotes. It makes you rethink what you spend your hard-earned cash on! Everyone’s nectar list will be so different, which makes them so interesting. When I’m old and grey, I can show my kids and grand-kids this list and they’ll think their granny is kick ass!

I printed my list and framed it and I will keep adding to it from now on! I am also thinking it would be nice to have a photo collage of my nectar list.

‘I’ve come to know that memories, are the best thing you ever have” Ben Howard

Here’s mine…

Collect Moments Not Things…

• Drove A Quad Bike Round The Island Of Ko Tao
• Swam In Rockpools In Ireland, Hot Springs In Australia And Secluded Beaches In Asia
• Watched The Sunrise Over Angkor Wat
• Zorbed Down A Hill On My 22nd Birthday
• Sky Dived On My 21st Birthday
• Micro Lighted Over The Coast Of South Africa
• Inter Railed Across Europe
• Cliff Jumped Into Crocodile Infested Waters
• Did A Bungee Drop In Seattle
• Scuba Dived In Thailand And Bali
• Snorkelled In Maya Bay
• Travelling From Island To Island On A Thai Long Tail Boat, Phi Phi
• Lying In A Hammocks In A Secret Treehouse, Ko Phanghan
• Witnessed Bioluminescence At A Beach Cove In Thailand
• Went To Oz All On My Own
• Swam Behind A Waterfall In Lombok
• Rode A Tandem Bike Around One Of The Gilli Islands With My Mum
• Travelled On A 30 Hour Bus Journey From Thailand To Cambodia To Laos
• Danced Till Sunrise At Two Full Moon Parties
• Made Mud Pies With My Granda
• Climbed To The Top Of The Mourne Mountains
• Graduated With A First And An Award
• Visited Concentration Camps In Berlin and Poland
• Saw The Colosseum Lit Up At Night In Rome
• Drank Wine Under The Eiffel Tower
• Smoked Weed And Ate Hash Brownies In Amsterdam
• Been On Two Safaris In South Africa
• Ran From A Cheetah
• Booked A Very Spontaneous One Way Ticket To Australia
• Planted Watermelons And Pumpkins In Australia
• Took a Road Trip And Camped On The Great Ocean Road
• Jet Skied In Bali
• Had Water Fights In The Rain
• Drank Champagne At The Top Of Cave Hill, Belfast
• Watched 4th July Fireworks On Top Of A Roof In Seattle
• Went To A Baseball Game
• Got A Bamboo Tattoo
• Fed Deer in Phoenix Park, Dublin
• Have had Friendships That Have Lasted Over Two Decades
• Been Splashed By A Whale In Florida
• Visited The Roman Baths In Bath
• Spent A Night In The Outdoor Hot Tub While It Snowed Around Us
• Went On A Shark Cage Dive But Only Saw Tuna 😦
• Surfed In Donegal And Portrush
• Drank Guinness In Temple Bar, Dublin
• Fell in love on a watermelon farm
• Trekked Bareback On Elephants In A Jungle
• Boarded A Sinking Boat En Route To Phi Phi Island
• Walked Through The Marble Arch Caves In Enniskillen
• Watched (And Laughed) At Kiera Getting Stuck In Quicksand
• Had A Close Call When We Rolled Backwards In A Pick-up Truck To The Edge Of A Cliff in Thailand
• Had Wild Kangaroos Jump Alongside Me In Dongara
• Fed Crocodiles In Darwin
• Fed Wild Monkeys In Thailand And Bali
• Flew First Class From The London to Dubai
• Saw Wild Penguins At St. Kilda Pier
• Drank Cocktails On A Rooftop Bar In Melbourne
• Experienced Xmas In Oz And Had An Aussie Barbie
• Sang Galway Girl In Galway
• Got A Four Hands Massage In Kuta, Bali
• Had A Water Fight In My Home Town – Glenlola Collegiate Versus Bangor Grammar
• Danced With My Mum At A Festival
• Rode Horses Along The Donegal Coast And Up The Dublin Mountains
• Danced On A Bar In Crete
• Watched The Sun Go Down Over The Rice Fields In Bali
• Celebrated New Year’s At A Street Party In Dingle
• Did The Fire Slide At Full Moon Party
• Watched Fire Shows On Beaches In Thailand And Bali
• Walked Across Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge
• Hunted For Giants At Giant’s Causeway
• Rode In A Tuk Tuk Around Bangkok
• Saw London From The Top Of The London Eye
• Backpacked For 14 Months Around Asia And Australia
• Drank Butter Beer On Privet Drive At Harry Potter Studios
• Slept Under The Stars On A Roof Garden, Sydney
• Watched A Gaelic Match At Croke Park
• Swam Beside A Turtle Scuba Diving, Thailand
• Swam In Infinity Pools, Ko Phangyan And Kuta
• Rode Bikes Around Melbourne City Centre
• Touched the Berlin Wall
• Woken By Monkeys Running Around Our Apartment, South Africa
• Drank Beer In A Medieval Tavern, Prague
• Stood In Anne Frank’s Annex
• Sat On The Iron Throne, Titanic Studios, Belfast
• Swam In The Irish Sea On Christmas Morning
• Hiked Across A Glacier In Iceland
• Saw The Northern Lights, Iceland
• Swam In The Blue Lagoon, Iceland
• Stood In A 5000 Year Old Passage Grave, Newgrange
• Did The Giant Swing and Zipline At Todds Leap
• Climbed To The Top Of Djouce, Wicklow Mountains
• Bathed In A Roof Top Geothermal Pool Overlooking The Danube, Budapest
• Swam In Geothermal Baths Dating Back To The 1600’s, Budapest
• Wakeboarded In The Titanic Slipway In Belfast
• Attempted Kite-surfing, Northern Ireland
• Saw Van Morrison Concert On Cyprus Avenue, Belfast
• Watched Bosnian’s Jump Off Stari Most Bridge, Mostar
• Sailed The Adriatic Sea, Croatia
• Chased Dolphins, Sailing Croatia
• Watched the fireworks in Copenhagen, New Years Eve 2015
• Walked 140m Below Ground In The Salt Mines, Krakow
• Visited Auschwitz And Birkenau
• Slept In A Medieval Castle, Co. Tipperary, Ireland
• Walked to the very top of Ireland, Malin Head
• Watched the Northern Lights dance over the Newry sky, N.Ireland
• Moved to Dublin
• Kayaking through the Big Lagoon, Bacuit Archipelago –  El Nido, Palawan
• Swimming through a cave to a secret beach, Bacuit Archipelago –  El Nido, Palawan
• Zip lining from one island to another on Christmas day – Corong Corong beach, El Nido, Palawan
• Watching the sunset on Christmas Night – Corong Corong beach, El Nido, Palawan
• Canyoneering and waterfall jumps in the jungle –  Kawasan falls, Badien, Cebu
• Snorkelling with turtles in Turtle Bay –  Moal boal, Cebu
• Swimming with whale sharks – Oslob, Cebu
• Watching fire flies on the beach, Panglao Island Resort, Bohol
• Massages on the beach with the sound of the waves crashing beside us on Christmas night, corong corong Palawan
• Forest bathed at the Ring of Gullion
• Ate veggie haggis in Edinburgh
• Did an underground tour of the old streets and alleyways of Edinburgh
• Had Fika in Stockholm
• Swam in the Irish Sea at Sunrise
• Surfed in Ericeira, Portugal
• Climbed the Moorish Castle walls, Sintra, Portugal
• Watched the sunset over Lisbon
• Sang ‘Bangor Town’ at a Foy Vance gig
• Saw Billy Connolly at long last
• Swam in the sea at forty foot on Christmas Day
• Had a snowball fight in Bratislava
• Ice skated through trees and under the stars in Vienna
• Broke a world record for skinny dipping in the Irish Sea with my mum and 2500 other women.
• Watched the Gondolas pass by in Venice
• Walked around the rainbow coloured house of Burano
• Watched the sunset over Florence
• Enjoyed a thunderstorm in Siena
• Swam in the sea at Cinque Terre
• Bathed in the natural hot springs of Saturnia
• Drove through the Tuscan countryside
• Propped up the Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Cycled atop of the city wall of Lucca.
• Travelled Belgium and Italy by train
• Ate vegan Belgium waffles in Bruges
• Made it to 30 countries by 30 (29 years and 9 months to be precise)

To Be Continued…

Enjoy your adventure, and return safely,

the wandering boomerang 🙂

Here are some photos of my nectar list memories…