My favourite thing about June is taking part in #30DaysWild, a challenge run by The Wildlife Trusts encouraging people to do one ‘random act of wildness’ each day in June. This year is our fifth year taking part. It’s a brilliant way of helping encourage us outdoors a little more and getting us to take a closer look at nature. Each year we learn new things about the natural world as a result of taking part and enjoy some fun outdoor activities. Here’s what we’ve been up to for our first week of #30DaysWild 2021:
Day 1
We started off this year’s #30DaysWild with a breakfast picnic in the garden as part of the #bigwildbreakfast before heading out to Grey’s Court. We were a little too late in the year to catch the wisteria at its best but the gardens were still beautiful and we enjoyed exploring them. We also enjoyed our second picnic of the day there.
Day 2
Our second day started off with a dance workout in the garden. I quite enjoyed the view of the trees and skies during our cool-down stretch. The first roses are now starting to bloom in the garden. This one is a Joie de Vivre rose which we planted in memory of Jessica. Its name describes her personality so perfectly. It was also the rose of the year in 2011, the year she was born.
Day 3
Halo Children’s Foundation organised a trip to Go Ape which Sophie thoroughly enjoyed. It was lovely to see how confident she was doing the treetop adventure and to see all the children from Halo having fun. I have to admit I wasn’t sorry though to be staying on the ground with Thomas, watching him having fun balancing on logs and running around.
Day 4
We had a very rainy start to the day but thankfully it stopped just in time for our visit to Uppark in the afternoon. Thomas had lots of fun pointing out all the different colours of flowers that he could see. Our visit brought back memories of our last visit with the girls. Sophie had fun rolling down a hill, which Jessica would definitely have approved of. She could never resist rolling down hills whenever we came across one on a day out.
Day 5
We spent the day visiting family. While we were at Nanny’s, I took the opportunity for some time to myself and headed to the churchyard to sit with my dad at the spot where his ashes are interred. It’s been a long time since I last cried for my dad, but it was one of those moments when I really missed him. It’s good sometimes to have that space just to grieve and I needed it that day. While sitting there, I noticed the pretty dew drops in the grass. Later in the afternoon, we spotted a mayfly which settled on my great-nephew’s pram at my brother’s birthday barbecue.
Day 6
Sophie found a bird’s egg in the garden which we thought was a collared dove egg. She decided to put it in the fairy garden. More of the roses are now blooming in the garden, including the Pretty Jessica roses. We made a den in the garden with blankets and a tablecloth and Sophie and Thomas enjoyed having a tea party in their den with the toys. While they were enjoying their tea party, I made some lemon balm tea which was lovely – very light and refreshing.
Day 7
I spotted a couple of damselflies getting friendly with each other on Thomas’s toys out in the garden. After Sophie came home from school, we headed out to Langley Park. Sophie had fun climbing trees and collecting fallen rhododendron flowers. There were so many different colours that we couldn’t resist making a rainbow with them.
Day 8
A quiet day at home watching the wildlife in the garden. Sophie has named these two visitors – we have Rebecca the squirrel and Jessica the robin.
Day 9
Another quiet day as I’ve been feeling wiped out following my second Covid jab yesterday. We took some of the roses from the garden to Jessica’s forever bed. Sophie found a feather on the way to her dance class. I’m not sure what kind of bird it is from though. We also took a closer look at some of the wildflowers in the garden, including this spotted cranesbill.
Have you been joining in with #30DaysWild this year?
It looks like you have been having some fantastic fun outside.
Good on Sophie for climbing so high. She is braver than me.
It’s nice you got some time to sit with your dad where his ashes are. Sending love and hugs.
I hope you are feeling better now after your vaccine. x
Thank you Kim, feeling much better now.
I love the idea of a breakfast picnic. You’ve certainly made the most of being outdoors. You can’t beat it!
It was nice that you got to sit with your dad. I hope it brought you some comfort.
I have my second jab in a couple of weeks, I’m hoping I do as well as I did with the first one. Hope you are over the worst now. x
Thanks Jayne, feeling much better now. Hope all goes well with your second jab and that you manage to avoid any side effects.
Every year I mean to do 30 days wild and then forget! I’m very jealous that you get a squirrel visitor, I used to get one when I loved at home and my children would love it but we never get them here. #mischiefandmemories
Ah that’s a shame. It is lovely to watch wildlife in the garden.
What a fabulous week, I really am quite jealous. The Jessica rose is beautiful, just like Jessica. I’m not taking part but we’ve experienced a bit of nature ourselves this week, in our garden we’ve had robins and blackbirds as well as the usual magpies, I have finally managed to grow some roses and my willow tree is growing beautifully. I bought a strawberry plant which looks like it might give us some fruit very soon, fingers crossed. And yesterday we had dragon fly enter the house, he was so beautiful. We had to gently show him the way back out of the door. So, maybe not as exciting as you but it feels like a lot now I’ve told you. x
Thank you Anne, you’ve had quite a lot of interaction with nature recently too! I love that the dragonfly came to visit – they are such beautiful creatures aren’t they?
What lovely ideas you have done, love the idea of a breakfast picnic x #mmbc
Thanks Sam, the breakfast picnic was fun.
What a fabulous first week you’ve had! I love the idea of a breakfast picnic and your rhododendron rainbow is beautiful 🙂
#MMBC
Thank you – there were so many different coloured rhododendrons that we couldn’t resist making a rainbow with them
What a lovely incentive to get out and about. We love being outdoors but hadn’t heard of this!
Katrina x
#MischiefandMemories
It’s such a lovely incentive to get outside – we always enjoy taking part.
How wonderful to spend so much time outdoors. We’ve certainly had the weather for it. It’s rain here at the moment, but when it brightens up, I think we’ll trying a picnic tea in the garden after school. Your roses look absolutely stunning! Thank you for joining us for #mischiefandmemories xx
Thank you – #30DaysWild is such a good way of encouraging us outside a bit more in June.
The Joie de Vivre rose looks absolutely gorgeous. Looks like you had a busy month! #mischiefandmemories
Thank you – it is a beautiful rose.
I have signed up for this too and think I will do a round up post about what we’ve been up to (I’m not as organised as you!) I think it is brilliant to encourage a positive and respectful relationship with nature. Thanks for linking up with #MischiefAndMemories
It is such a great challenge to do. Hope you are enjoying taking part too.
This sounds so fun! I especially loved the dance workout in the garden in the morning. What a fab way to start the day. The rose that you planted for Jessica is absolutely stunning! Thanks for joining us on #MischiefAndMemories
Thank you – the dance workout was a lot of fun. We’ll definitely be doing that one again!