Jane Talbot

Adventure 280 ~ Create An Audiobook Version Of The Faerie Thorn

/ intrepidjane

damian hamillHere’s the thing : I’ve only got 85 days  of adventuring left. Time’s flying and there’s still stuff I want to get done, stuff I want to complete. I’ve realised that I like completing things, and I’m beginning to realise exactly how much I’ve actually completed this year!

Whilst I’ve really enjoyed the smaller one-off adventures, the adventures that have taught me the most have been those that have become larger projects : my composing adventure (The Call, a choral piece for 3 voices), my writing adventure (The Faerie Thorn) and my poetic adventure (my haiku collection).

So now I’m shifting my focus a little, Why? Because I want to finish these projects. Because I want to share the outcomes of my adventurous undertakings. Because I want to break new personal ground. This means that over the next couple of weeks, whilst I will respond to the daily adventure impulse if the call is strong enough, I’m going to pay attention to the deeper impulse, the core impulse, the primitive, insistent impulse that has been emerging throughout my 365 Days Of Adventure project.

Actually, as I write these words, I’m not sure if I know exactly what I mean by “core impulse”,  but I can feel a deeper, wordless call. I recognise it. It’s been calling more insistently for the last couple of weeks, and it’s getting stronger by the day. I am listening. I am calling back. I am beginning to hear the resonant echo.

For today’s adventure, I took another step towards completing my writing adventure : I spoke with my friend Damian Hamill (the guy in the picture) who is originally from Northern Ireland (the setting for The Faerie Thorn) and who does voice-over work. I’ve sent him the manuscript and he’s going to turn my manuscript into an audiobook. Damian also talked me through all the options I have in terms of making my audiobook available for purchase and I’ve researched those options (and made a decision!).

I like the idea of collaborating, and I’m looking forward to hearing Damian’s interpretation of the characters in my story.

I’ll keep you posted 🙂

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 279 ~ Reach Out For Book Review Help

/ intrepidjane

haiku book invitationIf you’ve been following my adventures, you’ll probably know that I’m getting ready to embark on a self-publishing adventure. My haiku poetry collection is nearly complete, and I’m just about to pull the whole project together to make it ready for publishing.

It’s more than just a poetry collection. The book is also a process of personal discovery and personal development. It’s geared towards helping the reader reap the rewards of the haiku-writing process for themselves.

Through my haiku adventures I’ve become more present to the outside world (particularly to nature) and more present to myself (and my own nature). I have felt the world slow down, I have felt more alive. I have gained a clarity about what life really means to me by engaging with the world through the haiku form.  I am more productive. I am less hassled. I feel more creative : I’m generating new solutions to old problems. Problems seem smaller. I have a different perspective. I am remembering who I really am. I am remembering my place in the world.

I’ve put the month of October to one side so that I can spend the time putting the finishing touches to my book . As my book moves towards completion, it will be peer-reviewed by people from the mindfulness community, by people from the therapeutic/coaching community, by other writers and poets, and by people with a strong connection to nature (who work with nature to facilitate healing).

And this is where you come in! (Yes, you 🙂 ). For today’s adventure, I’m reaching out to you. I’m looking for 2 people to read my book and to work through the processes I have included in my book. You’ll get to learn about the structure and purpose of haiku poems; you’ll get to learn how to connect with the world around you (and with yourself); you’ll get to learn how to explore the essences of the natural world (and the essence of you); you’ll get to learn how to develop exquisite levels of presence; you’ll get to write poetry; and you’ll get to reflect on your experiences.

If you’re feeling a little disconnected from the world and yourself right now, this opportunity could be for you! If you’re feeling a little burned out and world-weary, this could be for you! If you’ve forgotten the beauty of the everyday, this could be for you! If you’re stuck in the past or you’re busy worrying about the future, this could be for you! Oh – and if you’ve always wanted to write poetry (but you didn’t think you could), this is definitely for you!

If you’re interested in trying my process out (and reading my book), please contact me by email in the first instance and we’ll take it from there. It’s completely FREE – all I ask is that you give me your honest feedback 🙂 .

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 278 ~ Create A Poll For My Audio Download Cover

/ intrepidjane

Today I thought I’d have a bit of  fun learning how to insert an opinion poll into my blog! So, I’ve created 4 images that are in the running for being the cover for the audio download of my original Irish faerie story, The Faerie Thorn. All you have to do is to tell me which of the images works best for you (or if none of them works for you, that’s okay too!). If you have any additional comments or thoughts that may help me to craft an image that is attractive to you, just drop me a note in the comments box!

Click on each of the images to enlarge them 🙂  and then check the appropriate “button” in the poll box below.

Image 1

Image 1

Image 2

Image 2

Image 3

Image 3

Image 4

Image 4

 

 

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 277 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [29]

/ intrepidjane

acornToday, I returned to Portglenone Forest with my dog. The floor was damp with mulching leaves; the fallen acorns had been ravaged by local predators; and the beech nuts had been squelched open by heavy-footed walkers. I had the sense that Time had picked up its pace, like a runner in a race that had caught sight of the finishing line : the Winter threshold is almost visible,

There’s a part of me that’s quite sad that my haiku adventures are coming to an end. I planned to write 30 for my self-publishing adventure, and today is haiku 29. The process of writing haikus has brought me closer to the outside world and brought me closer to my inner world. I feel more present, more aware and more connected. I’m noticing much more and I’m appreciating much more. And I’ve slowed right down.

The writing process has helped me to explore, and realise,  my creative potential, and it’s encouraged a sense of growing confidence in some capabilities that I’d forgotten I possessed! Haikus have woken me up. That’s the best way of putting, I think. Haikus rouse you from the sleep of remembering and bring you into the aliveness of presence. I didn’t realise that 17 syllables could have such power!

I’ve chosen to write a haiku about the acorn today – its associations with potential and growth seem fitting for this part of my haiku journey. You can read my poem here, and I read it out loud on today’s video blog too.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 275 ~ Learn Some Basic Welsh Phrases

/ intrepidjane

Welsh dragonGoodness knows where the impulse for today’s adventure came from! If you’ve been following my adventures, you’ll know that I don’t plan ahead, I just wait for an impulse to arise every day. When the impulses arises, I follow it.  The impulse to learn some Welsh took me by surprise, but I followed the impulse and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

In my attempt to learn some basic phrases, I stumbled across a guy called Jingle Jeff on YouTube. I thought he was fabulous – even though his show is obviously meant for toddlers, it was perfect for me!

You can see how I got on in today’s video blog.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 274 ~ Prepare Elder Seeds For Sowing

/ intrepidjane

elderberriesI’ll tell you something : I was actually looking forward to an elderberry wine-making adventure. I’d found a recipe and done all the research about equipment. I was hearing reports of bumper crops in Scotland and in Northern Ireland too. I was all set.

Only thing is though, the elders on the farm are in really exposed spots and didn’t even yield enough to make a sherry-glass of wine, let alone a bottle or two.

So, for today’s adventure, I decided to make an investment for future generations, should they wish to make their own wine 🙂 . Today, I learned how to prepare elder seeds for sowing at the end of Winter. This way, my grandchildren may be able to produce something lovely from the “wine trees” that I planted for them today!

Using my “Tree Bible”, Tree Planting And Aftercare, I learned that the flesh of an elderberry is filled with chemicals which inhibit germination. So stage one of the preparation is to either let the flesh rot off (by keeping the berries in a plastic bag) or to use a blender to help the natural separation process along.

The blender method was surprisingly straight-forward. I placed the blended mix in water and this helped to separate the flesh from the seed : the seeds floated to the top and the flesh sank to the bottom.  Once I had cleaned the seeds, I was  ready to mix the seeds with moist sand and place them in a stone-lined pot. I covered the pot with protective mesh, as I did for the oak, beech and horse chestnut seeds. This mixing of seed with sand and then leaving outside is called “stratification”.

As Winter progresses, I’ll keep my eye on the seeds. As soon as I observe chitting or splitting of the seeds, I’ll knowing they’re ready for sowing!

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 273 ~ Create A Word Cloud

/ intrepidjane

adventure word cloud Yesterday, I received an Ezine that contained a very eye-catching world cloud, and I wondered if I could create something similar! A little bit of light Googling yielded an array of free web resources, and today I tried my hand at creating a word cloud using Tagul. *

The first word cloud is me just saying “a word or two” about what I’ve gained from my 365 Days Of Adventure project so far 😛 . I enjoyed using Tagul because it was easy to use: you can change fonts, you can modify text and background colour, and you can even change the shape in which the words are contained!

I tried feeding one of my haiku poems into a fitting shape too : it’s wonderful how the essence of the thing I am describing is captured. Honey fungus is the master of proliferation – and that is really conveyed by the word cloud!

honey fungus word cloud

I am just going outside and may be some time.

* All images on today’s post were created at Tagul.com

JT

Adventure 272 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [27]

/ intrepidjane

Holly Breen WoodYesterday I took my dog for a walk in Breen Wood, near Ballycastle. It’s one of the few surviving ancient woodlands in Northern Ireland ; oak trees have been on this site for more than 200o years.

Many local forests (such as Portglenone) were plundered in the seventeenth century but not this one. People think that it wasn’t touched because of its association with fairies (its name means fairy palace in Irish) : if the forest was harmed, whoever cut the wood would have expected bad luck (or worse!)

The feel of Breen Wood is very special – and completely different to the feel of Portglenone Forest. It feels as old as it looks. It is dense, lush and holds a “far-away” quality to it.. almost like you just stepped behind a curtain. I also think it has its own micro climate. Autumn is not as advanced in this place – but it’s definitely creeping in.

As you’d expect, there are a lot of oak trees. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen so many oak trees in my life! But what I didn’t expect was the proliferation of holly – it was everywhere. Not many of the holly trees were in berry, but I did find one.

oak leafReading a bit about the holly tree, I discovered that only female trees bear fruit, and the green berries will turn red as we move closer towards Winter. I also discovered, when researching the lore of the oak tree, that the holly and the oak are locked in an eternal symbolic battle cycle. The “Oak King” symbolises the waxing year, and the “Holly King” symbolises the waning year. As the holly berries begin to turn red, heralding the arrival of the darkest months of the year, the oak sheds its acorns and prepares to sleep before the Battle Of Mid-Winter. The Oak King always wins the battle for lengthening days – and he always loses the Battle Of Mid-Summer, sacrificing himself so that life can be renewed.

Today’s haiku is about the holly tree, and you can read it here. I also read it out loud in today’s video blog.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 271 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [26]

/ intrepidjane

conker horse chestnutYesterday’s seed collection and planting adventure inspired me to write a haiku about the horse chestnut tree. As I stood underneath the tree, I noticed how its leaves look like large hands and how the casings of the conkers looked like medieval battle flails . Flails are spiky metal balls on chains, used to wield heavy blows and cleave into armour.

Because a knight could swing a flail, it could deliver a much more powerful blow than it’s cousin, the mace (and it could also reach over, and around, armour and shields).

I have tried to include the idea of the tree having hands, and being loaded with weapons, in today’s haiku. Having read that the conkers are ready for planting when the casings are just splitting open – I squeezed that information in too!

You can read today’s haiku called “Horse Chestnut” here. I also read it out loud on today’s video blog.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 270 ~ Collect And Plant Acorns, Beech Seeds And Conkers

/ intrepidjane

Wow! What a fabulous adventure I’ve had today 🙂 . I managed to collect some beech nuts, acorns and conkers; I used the sink-float viability test* for my beech seeds (with surprising results!); and I learned how to plant these seeds too.

I used Tree Planting And Aftercare as my reference source : it taught me how to plant directly into pots. I used a traditional deep sowing technique for the acorns (to protect them from mice and birds) and regular sowing techniques for beech seeds and horse chestnut fruit. I forgot to mention in my video that the protective top layer of compost and “hidden” gauze marker get removed in Spring for the acorns.

The germination rate for beech is about 60%. It’s about 80% for oak and chestnut. With my seeds offered optimal conditions, I’m hoping for an exciting Spring!

*After I planted the seeds, I also learned that this viability test can be used with acorns and conkers.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT