I had a lot of fun today creating (and sending out) my very first newsletter! I used Mailchimp for this , and I capitalised on last week’s “techy” adventure too : I used Canva to create the header image.
I wrote a short article and then added share buttons and links … okay, I added pretty much everything I could work out how to use!
You can take a peek here ~ I think you’ll like the article (it’s a harvest metaphor 🙂 ).
I am just going outside and may be some time.
JT
I’ve had a total head-jammer of a day today, working on my website. I’ve started to really look forward to my daily adventures because they bring me back to the present moment, they close the door on work.
And my haiku adventures are right up there when it comes to creating presence. Within a few short minutes, I find myself immersed in the very essence of nature, checking out my emotional responses to the world around me, immersed in the very essence of myself.
I think I must have had Winter on my mind today : I went out to check the firewood supplies. When I looked at the pile of wood, it made me smile. I got to thinking about how things (including humans) can look old, and yet still be full of life.
You can read today’s haiku here. I read it out loud in today’s video-blog too.
I am just going outside and may be some time.
JT
You know what? I’m really enjoying my poetic adventures : I’m enjoying taking pictures, I’m enjoying learning about nature, and I’m enjoying the experience of super-slow presence.
Whilst I was taking my dog for his morning walk, I noticed how one of the trees (it’s a common lime) is racing towards autumn. Many of the tree’s leaves are already golden ; some of the leaves are already on the ground.
I wondered what it would be like to be a leaf on that tree. I wondered what the “younger” leaves might say to the “older” leaves as the inevitable fall approached.
Today’s haiku (which is an attempt to translate the autumn rustle of leaves into words) is called “Leaf,” and you can read it here. I read the poem out loud in today’s video-blog.
I am just going outside and may be some time.
JT
Now then 🙂 . If you’ve been following my adventures for a while, you might have seen today’s adventure coming!
I’ve had an idea for a book project (and an accompanying experiential programme ~ well, “experiential programme” isn’t exactly the right phrase, but it’ll have to do for now 😛 ) that seems to have taken root way back in my earlier adventures. My summer adventures have accelerated the growing process, and today’s adventure is a step further towards bringing this project to life.
The Invisible Counsellors adventures (adventures 89 – 92) helped me to explore how I might do something worthwhile with all my adventuring experiences. My writing adventures (a gruesome piece of romantic fiction, my children’s story “The Faerie Thorn”, and my haikus) have toned my writing muscle. My webinar adventures have encouraged me to really reflect on the value of living adventurously ~ and to reach out to others who might want to reconnect with their own adventurous spirit.
241 previous adventures have led me to this point : the purchase of a domain name for my book and for it’s associated learning programme (nope, that’s not the right word either : I’m sure it will come to me at some point!)
It felt really good to take this small step today. In fact, it felt like quite a big step ; it made the whole idea feel more concrete. I sense it’s going to be a big part of 2015 for me – and it just couldn’t have happened without 2014, my year of Everyday Adventures.
Sometimes, it’s so good to realise how everything we plant today makes for tomorrow’s harvest. It’s almost September : the harvest is right on time. (Oh yeah… what I also wanted to say is that this is me “putting it out there”, setting the intention, making the commitment – and you can call me on that 🙂 ).
I am just going outside and may be some time.
JT
For today’s poetic adventure, I had to do quite a bit of detective work. With the help of “Birdwatching For Beginners” and BBC Radio 4’s Tweet Of The Day archives, I was able to work out which bird I’ve been hearing at dusk throughout the summer : it’s the long-eared owl!
You can hear the call of the elusive long-eared owl here; you can read today’s haiku about this nocturnal bird here; and you can listen to me read my haiku out loud in today’s video- blog too 🙂 .
I am just going outside and may be some time.
JT
Today’s poetic adventure was inspired by the sea! I live very close to the Atlantic Ocean and made today’s video-blog on the beach at Whitepark Bay (Northern Ireland).
The sea was actually very calm this afternoon, but I always think of the ocean as a powerful and brooding thing, and I think that energy comes out in today’s haiku.
You can read today’s haiku here , and I read it out loud in my video-blog too.
I am just going outside and may be some time.
JT
One HUGE thing that my adventuring has given to me is a playful attitude towards technology! Before I started my 365 Days Of Adventure project, I think I was actually afraid of technology ; I was in awe of all those folks who has “mastered the modern”, and I think that awe (and the belief that technology is “hard”) really held me (and my business) back.
As I look back over the last 8 months, I’ve learned to edit videos, manage my WordPress site (and many of its widgets), set up a mailing list, link my mailing list to a “home-made” sign-up box on my website, set up and run webinars, use Facebook advertising (I was REALLY scared of that, oddly enough!), use Google Hangouts On Air, I’ve launched my first digital product, and I’ve mastered a range of image-making tools too! And I’ve done this all by playing ~ it’s really worked for me, and I’m so glad I’ve done it because I really do think that it’s helped my business no end.
By working through my fears of technology, I’ve now arrived at a very new state of readiness. I’m ready to go self-hosted with my website, I’m ready for the world of plug-ins and customisation, I’m up for learning more about Search Engine Optimisation, and I’m up for developing on-line learning programmes. Yup ~ I’m up for it all because I realised something that’s really important to me : it’s not really about technology, it’s really about playful creativity, connection and self-expression. And those are things that light me right up!
For today’s techy adventure, I tried out Canva (a brilliant image creation website which is mostly free. Today’s blog post image was created for FREE on Canva today 🙂 ). The other websites I mention in today’s video are iPiccy and Pixlr . All three of these sites are incredibly easy to use.
I am just going outside and may be some time.
JT
Yesterday I got nominated to take part in the ice bucket challenge by one of my Facebook friends, so today’s adventure involved me throwing 2 buckets of water (with ice cubes) over myself 🙂 .
I chose to donate to the MND [Motor Neurone Disease] Association.
I am just going outside and may be some time.
JT
For the last couple of weeks “our” farm robin has been very noisy indeed! Listening to BBC Radio 4’s “Tweet Of The Day” I learned why that might be . The robin’s autumn song is distinctive, and it is very different from its song earlier in the year : the purpose of the new song is to defend its winter territories.
Robins often make their hones in hawthorn hedges and, since the farm is surrounded by such hedges, this mighty-small creature must feel at home with us!
I’ve not been quick enough to get a picture of the robin or to record its “tweeting” ~ it’s worth checking out the Radio 4 link to listen in (I expect it will sound familiar to many of you!).
So, our robin has inspired today’s poetic adventure. You can read my haiku about the robin here, and I read it out loud in today’s video-blog too.
I am just going outside and may be some time.
JT
Today’s poetic adventure was inspired by the honeysuckle on the side of my mother-in-law’s house : the agile shrub seems to be attempting to climb its way out of the turn of the season. It’s doing a really good job too : it’s trumpet blooms are still eye-catchingly healthy, and it’s still reaching skywards to the fading sun.
I’m really enjoying using this poetic form. It requires the creation of a dense and compressed essence , and it really helps to know a little about the element of nature you’re describing too (beyond its appearance). So, it’s encouraged me to learn more about the world around me ~ I like that 🙂 .
Today I learned that honeysuckle is also known as fairy trumpets (I can see why!) and woodbine (it winds and binds itself in the hedgerow). According to folklore, if honeysuckle grows outside your house, it’ll protect you from evil. If you bring it inside, it’ll bring wealth into the house. Although you’d think that everyone would want to take it into their house, some people don’t because they believe the sweet, pungent aroma causes “racy” dreams!
You can read today’s haiku here, and I read it out loud in today’s video-blog too.
I am just going outside and may be some time.
JT
Humans Resourced 