30 Days Wild: Days 28-30

And so, the end was near. 30 Days Wild was drawing to a close. Except that for me, it wasn’t. Over the 30 Days of June, I’d become hooked on nature and glued to my camera. Walks along the canal – or further afield – had become a daily treat. The ducks were getting used to me by now, & didn’t fly off as I knelt to take pictures of them.

I’ve been a writer for years but I’ve never enjoyed writing about anything as much as my 30 Days Wild adventures. I’ve loved the stories that have been waiting for me: double rainbows on the beach and flower-filled meals by the sea.

Who knows, I may have even discovered a fossil, though I’ve yet to get it identified, despite asking Twitter. I’m hoping it’s some kind of plant or coral.

My love of growth, wildlife and wildcrafts is a big part of why I set this site up in the first place: as an outlet for my inner nature-lover. I didn’t want 30 Days Wild to stop. And so I decided it wouldn’t.

On the final morning of 30 Days Wild, I woke up to a glorious sunrise, knowing my adventures were far from over.

Over the course of  June, I’d decided to turn Groweatgift into a company (with social enterprise leanings though the details are yet to be honed) to run alongside my writing and consultancy, so that I can make nature more central in my life.

I’ve been having exciting talks with The Crop Club, about getting more people growing, and have a host of wildlife events and organisations to contact to find out how best we can work together to look after the world.

I’m crafting a Garden of Love for Latitude Festival and am bringing the outdoors indoors more and more. And I’m hoping the garden will grow into other festivals and spaces too, getting people growing along the way.

Now that my eyes have been opened to it, I can find beauty in the seemingly mundane.

It may be the end of #30DaysWild but for me, it is just the beginning. I’m going to let things develop naturally, of course. But I’ll always be grateful to 30 Days Wild for helping the seed to grow.

30 Days Wild: The Full Story (or 1st chapter)

1. Find a bird family.
2. Collect feathers.
3. Explore urban wildlife.
4. Do some nature themed crafting.
5. Introduce a friend to #30DaysWild.
6. Go on a nature walk.
7. Take a closer look at the garden.
8. Learn more about a plant.
9. Turn the office green.
10. Feed the ducks.
11. Make a natural collage.
12. Craft a flower.
13. Make micro-gardens.
14. Find out about nature volunteering.
15. Visit an open garden.
16. Get involved with a community garden project.
17. Admire nature-inspired art.
18. Write a poem.
19. Get grounded.
20. Encourage a friend to do gardening.
21. Create (OK, find) flower peg dolls.
22. Tend plants.
23. Eat foraged food.
24. Hug a tree.
25. Take a closer look at the beach.
26. Stargaze.
27. Admire the moon.
28. Promote a marine life charity.
29. Bring the outdoors indoors.
30. Talk about growth.
31. Add nature to my art.
32. Study nature art and research William Morris.
33. Recycle.
34. Listen to birdsong.
35. Spot a snail.
36. Visit an area of outstanding natural beauty.
37. Beachcomb and litter-pick.
38. Admire the sunrise (and kiss a frog, but not sure that’s a good recommendation.)
39. See a dinosaur
40. Breathe in sea air.
41. Go fossil hunting (old nature).
42. See newborns (new nature)
43. Make a nature themed playlist (post coming soon)
44. Make friends with a thrush over afternoon tea.
45. Look a duck in the eye without making her fly away.
46. Stare into the water.
47. See the sunrise.
48. Learn about the weather (I learned that you can trap lightning in a glass box forever)
49. Set up a wild business.
50. Craft your own utopia.