It’s exactly the sort of situation I find myself unprepared for as a parent – guiding your teenage child through the minefield of daytime gambling with a confident and sophisticated air. Nobody rushed to help us, or offered to teach us the rules, and all of a sudden I felt about 12 years old.

We mooched about for a little while, feeling suitably awkward, and wondering exactly how it worked. It was predominantly men, but there was one middle aged woman sat alone at the blackjack table, looking like she might at least have a vaguely interesting back story. Altogether there were about seven people inside, all on their own. You will not be surprised to hear that the atmosphere in a Bristol Casino on a sunny, weekday afternoon was not terribly reminiscent of Casino Royale. I researched the best UK casinos, fantasised briefly about a night out at the exclusive Ritz Casino, checked my bank balance and instead found myself in Millennium Square in Bristol at two o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon, wearing jeans. I included this on the list because I have watched and read so many James Bond films and books, and imagined that all casinos would be just like this – dashing men in suits, cocktails, me three stone lighter and wearing a floor length ball gown, that sort of thing.

‘Buy a house’ and ‘publish a book’ may have been a little ambitious.Ī couple of months ago I did manage a trip to Bristol with Bee to tick off one more – place a bet in a casino. Still, I have three years to go, so I will have to make sure the extra ten I’ve yet to add are simpler to achieve than some of the existing items. I was 37 in April, which means I should have done at least 16 or 17 by now. I made the list when I was 35, meaning I had to accomplish them at the rate of eight per year. Slightly more concerning is the rate at which I am ticking them off. I’m not so worried about that though, as I have purposely left space for random things that I knew I would forget about.

For a start, I only have 30 things on the list, which doesn’t feel quite comprehensive enough for a list of 40 things. I had a check up on my list of 40 things to do before 40 the other day and had a mild panic.

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