Do you consider Sunday to be the end of the week or the start of the week? I think I have it categorised as the end of the week, with Monday being the beginning of the next. Or maybe Friday is actually the end of the week and Saturday is the start? Who knows. Whichever way, Sunday is Weekly Blog day.
A Week of One Hour Outside in Lockdown
I’ve been talking about the benefits of getting One Hour Outside every day for several years now and, with that, have tried to make sure I get a little bit of time outside every day, regardless of what else is going on around me. This desire to share the benefits of spending time outdoors is the reason I’m an Ordnance Survey GetOutside Champion, and it’s definitely become part of who I am here online.
Even with talking about it on a near-daily basis, doing my best to encourage you to make spending time outside your own regular habit, sometimes I have to consciously make One Hour Outside an intention in order to remember why I talk about it so much.
This week I have done just that. With Monday being the start of the new month, the start of meteorological Spring, and the start of the last week of total lockdown here in England (step one is that Schools go back tomorrow), I made it my mission to very intentionally spend One Hour Outside every day for the week.
I wouldn’t say I’ve had seven “different” One Hour Outside adventures each day, actually I wouldn’t say I’ve had any adventures at all really, but that wasn’t the point. This wasn’t a challenge to demonstrate a whole bunch of different outdoors activities (read about my GetOutside Activity Challenge if you’re looking for ideas), but rather to enjoy a purposeful week of getting outside; a certain reminder that I am quite simply a better and happier person when I make time for the outdoors, for walking, for intentional living.
There’s a blog post coming in the next couple of days talking about my week of One Hour Outside in Lockdown, which I hope you will enjoy and find encouraging.
A Fireball Meteor
Did you see the reports of the fireball meteor that was spotted over the UK earlier this week? Reports suggest that it hit ground right here where I live. Scientists have plotted a five-ish-mile long bottle shape just north of Cheltenham, and my house is inside that area…
The meteor apparently likely began as an asteroid, out between Mars and Jupiter, and now some of it could be sat in my back garden. I mean it’s not, I looked, and I’ve not found any fragments of the space rock on any of my walks this week either.
I kind of know what I’m looking for, but I’m well aware that it’s likely to be small, very dark in colour, and not easily spotted by the naked eye. I don’t have a metal detector, and haven’t got time to walk up and down the grid references to find it. Shame, really, it would be very cool indeed to find a piece of space rock!
Adjusting to Natural Deodorant
I honestly had no idea that your body has to adjust to natural deodorant. But after reading a twitter post from friend and fellow Outdoor Blogger Shell, I did a bit of reading, and discovered the smelly truth. Which was something of a relief, I have to admit.
I’ve been using the Michum Bamboo Powder deodorant for a few weeks after consciously choosing to move to a more natural deodorant than the traditionally chemically-rich ones we’re all used to using. And in all honesty, I did not thing it worked, not one bit.
I stuck with it, primarily because I’d bought it (looking after the pennies) and was at home anyway so never mind, I just showered more. Eventually, after maybe three weeks, I noticed my personal pong had gone and the smell coming from my pits was neutral – even after exercise. It wasn’t until Shell’s twitter post that I realised there is a detox period when switching from standard to natural deodorant, mainly caused by expelling bacteria blocked by the aluminium in standard anti-perspirants. Did you know this?
Now I know that was the reason for my armpits being unfriendly, I feel much happier, at least I know what caused the blip in my apparent hygiene. In the interests of also reducing my reliance on plastic, I have now treated myself to some Fit Pit Peppermint Natural Deodorant from Rooting for Earth – I’ll let you know how I get on with that when I try it out.
If you’re switching to natural deodorant, take a look at this post for a better description of the detox/adjustment period. Stick with it, it’s worth it. And if you’ve already made the switch, which natural deodorants are you loving? Drop your recommendations in the comments below, as I know it can take a while to find the right one.
That’s Entertainment
Season Finale of WandaVision
After writing in Weekly Blog Episode 53 how I’d started WandaVision on Disney Plus and was a little unsure as to what Marvel were trying to do with the Bewitched style show, I think it’s fair to say that I end the series a big fan. The first two episodes were just so, well, weird, but I guess they did the trick as they intrigued me enough to keep watching for some kind of explanation as to why it was so very odd.
I think it’s fair to say that Marvel clearly knew what they were doing, they really nailed it. Everyone’s story was resolved, and they left it in a nice place without a massive cliff hanger but open for the next season. There was even a Ship of Theseus lesson in there, too. I admit, want more, I really hope that something will fill that gap very soon.
Itchy Boots is Back on the Road
I’ve mentioned how I love to watch Itchy Boots videos a few times before; I love her positive attitude towards motorcycle travel, and that she’s a solo female adventurer doing her thing. Well, she’s back on the road with a new bike – fed up of the travel restrictions back home in the Netherlands, she’s moved herself to South Africa, and is embarking on a journey to explore that part of the world on two wheels.
Jealous? Me? Very much so. But you know, in a healthy kind of way that involves being motivated to plan future adventures for when I’m able to get out and about again. I really hope our Iceland trip can go ahead this year, although I realise I might be pushing it a bit with that optimism – we’ll see.
I’ve been wondering whether to get the GoPro out again and make a video or two, but I might save that thought for when I’m able to get out and about on some significant hikes that could make self-contained videos. I enjoy the process of vlogging but it takes up far too much time for someone who also works full time and also likes to write, but it does excite me in a lot of ways. I have at least charge up the camera, which is a start! Would hiking videos be something you’d like to see?
As always, I would really love to hear from you in the comments below. Let me know what your favourite thing about the last seven days has been, and don’t forget to get your One Hour Outside today… whatever day you happen to be reading this on!
Buy Me a Cuppa?
If you fancy supporting me and my mini adventures, you can “buy me a coffee” (or a tea, naturally). If you enjoyed this post and would like to support what I’m doing, head over to https://ko-fi.com/splodz to find out more. Thank you.
Use this link to read all my weekly blogs.
If you enjoyed reading this blog, if you think my weekly blog series is a good idea, and especially if you got to the end of this episode, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. And I can’t forget the vloggers’ catchphrase – please like and subscribe for more posts like this in the future! Come on by next Sunday evening for the next in the series.
What do you think? Comment below...