365 Days of Adventure

Adventure 24 ~ How To Sing Overtones

/ intrepidjane

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to report that not only have I submitted my tax return but I’ve also paid my tax bill! (That rap really worked 🙂 )

I feel so good, I could sing.  So I’m going to do just that! Todays’ adventure sees me trying my hand at overtone singing (sometimes called harmonic singing or throat singing).

I followed a 5-minute You Tube tutorial for beginners. To optimise acoustics, I took myself into the bathroom. I had to keep the light off because it is attached to a very noisy fan – that’s why it’s so dark 🙂

I recorded my first attempt. You have to listen very carefully but you can actually hear the overtones (they are like a whistle above the “drone”of my voice). A little more practice  (and a “tighter” aperture) might be required but the tutorial did seem to work!

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 23 ~ Capital Gains

/ intrepidjane

You can probably tell from today’s blog post title that my tax return is still on my mind! Progress has slowed a little due to the arrival of a very heavy cold – and that cold had a wee bit of an impact on today’s adventure.

Curious?

I am just going outside and may be some time 🙂

JT

Adventure 19 ~ How To Be Like Ray Mears

/ intrepidjane

Ray Mears is an expert in wilderness bushcraft and survival. Today, I am going to make Ray proud by trying my hand at learning a useful survival skill : using my watch as a compass.

winter sunYou can see that it’s rather a grim day here in Northern Ireland today. Fortunately, I could just about see the sun!

You can see how I get on in the video (and I’ve put some explanatory notes below the video just in case you want to try it for yourself 🙂 )

How I’m doing it works in the Northern Hemisphere. Use 1pm for bisection in Daylight Saving Time. When you bisect the angle to establish the N-S line, North is the direction heading away from the sun. For full instructions (including for the Southern Hemisphere), look here.

I am just going outside and may be some time 🙂

JT

Adventure 13 ~ Kettle-Boiling Challenge 1

/ intrepidjane

Have you ever asked yourself what you might be able to do in the time it takes to boil a kettle? If you’re anything like me, the answer to that question is probably a resounding “no”.

Today I’m trying my first kettle adventure (and a boiling kettle certainly adds pressure to the experience, I can tell you!)

Today’s challenge is to do with words . I’ve posted the results , along with actual kettle-boiling time, below the video.

Kettle-boiling time : 1 minute 25 seconds

Liquid : 0.5 litre room-temperature water

Number of words (excluding repeats) : 26

Performance hindered by : all the swear words I knew beginning with the letter “B” that I wouldn’t let myself say! Blocking any word blocked the overall flow of words.

Big lesson : conscious self-regulation can impede performance!

I’m just going outside and I maybe some time 🙂

JT

Adventure 12 ~ Gutting A Fish

/ intrepidjane

One of the key ideas underpinning my 365 Days of Adventure project is that adventure can be found everywhere if we look for it . We don’t have to go to foreign places or do “way out things” to feel the sense of aliveness that adventure can bring.

When we come to the realisation that adventure can be found  in the everyday routine of life, when we are open to experiencing so-called routine with the mindset of an adventurer, then we are conditioning a constant connection to the pulse of our own aliveness.

Today I’m having grilled mackerel for lunch. I’m a huge mackerel fan and eat it at least once a week. It’s routine for me. And yet today will be an adventure for me because I’m going to gut a fish for the very first time.

I’m writing this before I gut the mackerel because even thinking about preparing the fish in this way has made me feel very differently about my food. I somehow feel more connected to the creature that has given its life for me. I’m not sure how this is going to go.

(I’ve posted a picture of my lunch underneath the video 🙂 )

fishI found this adventure to be a very earthing experience.

I felt great gratitude as I ate my food today. I thought of the fish and of the sea. I thought of my place within the system of all living organisms. I felt connected.

I’m changing my mind about something. I’m not quite sure about what yet. I’ll keep you posted.

I’m just going outside and may be some time 🙂

JT