I recently decided to complete the 50 things to before you are 11 3/4 challenge set by the National Trust . I am well and truly beyond this age so I am doing it before I am 38. This gives me until May 2014 to complete. I made a start as described in my last post and I have recently added a few more;
No. 21 – Pick blackberries growing in the wild.
I have done this a few time recently as well as buying some from a local who grows and pickles various produce. I got a massive bag she had picked for 50p, an improvement on the £2-3 in the supermarkets. They also tasted like blackberries and not that generic watery taste you get from supermarket tomatoes, cucumber, raspberries and blackberries.
No. 24 – go for a walk barefoot
I am a member of the Isle of Wight Long Distance Walkers Association, and we recently went on one of our regular 3 day Beaches, Bars and Blisters walk. I am prone to blisters and have tried many things to no avail. However, half way through day 2 we did a few miles on the beach barefoot. On the third day I did the same from Bembridge to Ryde. The feeling of walking through the surf was amazing and even walking on the stoney beach and later on pavements was liberating. It was a hot sunny day so I didn’t feel silly walking through the town of Seaview but the stones were a little painful. I also found clambering over slippery rocks easier possibly because I could “feel” the surface better. I will definitely do this on future walks as I didn’t have a single blister and I loved feeling all the different textures at the bottom of my feet. When I got home I started reading more about it and came across this interesting article. I am not sure how much of it I believe but I certainly loved the feeling of direct foot on earth contact experienced without shoes.
No. 34 – Track a wild animal
This wasn’t strictly speaking tracking an animal but I watched it slither off for a while so I was technically ‘tracking’ it. On the final day of our 3 day walk I saw my first adder. I have read about them and seen pictures but this was the first time I saw one in real life. Unfortunately it was too quick for the camera so you will have to take my word for it.
I recently went kayaking for the second time so I have done no. 50 Canoe (kayak) down a river (sea) twice.
So that’s 7 out of 50 completed and I am looking forward to completing the rest. Although I am not sure how I go about raising a butterfly. Answers on a postcard please.
natnelson19 