Reading | Summer of Adventures | Day 9

Good Morning!

Today's Challenge is:

Read

If you are new to my 30 days of summer challenge click here to find out what it is!

By this I don’t mean just read your twitter feed! Opening a book and absorbing a story can transport you to a new world, you meet new characters and discover amazing places. Reading is not only pleasurable but it is also amazingly beneficial!

You may well already read, and if so great, but this time I want you to reach for a book that is way out of your comfort zone, a book that you would never normally read. The books I read are, in the most part, girly with no violence because that kind of thing scares me. 

However this time I am going to try something different. I am going to read Divergent by Vironica Roth, I believe it has been made into a film recently so it must be good. It's not normally my kind of thing when it comes to books but I am going to give it a go in the hope I am pleasantly surprised.

Also as something a bit different why don't find a nice spot outside to read in like I did? And you thought we might get through a whole post without me mentioning going outside? Sorry!

If you would like recommendation on books to check out I made a video last year about a few books I really enjoy:

 I hope you have fun with today's challenge, if you want to make sure you see tomorrows challenge be sure follow my blog and follow me on twitter too. Also make sure you record all the exciting things you do this summer, take lots of photos and keep your own blog, and please send me a link to it so I can see what you are up to, I would really really love that! 

Bye, see you tomorrow!

xx

Family Day Out | 30 Days of Summer | Day 8

Good Morning!

Today's Challenge is:

 Have a Family Day

If you are new to my 30 days of summer challenge click here to find out what it is!

Spending time with loved ones whether they are family or not is always a special time. I am lucky enough to get to spend time with my close family on a regular basis, but those days you set aside for one another are still important.

My family day was spent doing a family hobby of ours, amateur radio. Basically you speak to people from all over the world using radio frequencies. My parents have been doing it since they were young and I guess it is like how my generation talk online, only a lot more technical. 

To get better signal we often set up an aerial on top of a hills which means transmitting for the back of the car. My preference is to log the contacts made rather than to speak though (yes, there are competitions for it!).

I also like to take this time to take photographs, in fact this was the same time as I took the photos at the Sheep Pens, and read my book. Even though we weren't doing the same thing all day it was great to spend a day in their company without the distractions of daily life.

What are you going to spend your family day doing? Who do you consider to be your family?

 I hope you have fun with today's challenge, if you want to make sure you see tomorrows challenge be sure follow my blog and follow me on twitter too. Also make sure you record all the exciting things you do this summer, take lots of photos and keep your own blog, and please send me a link to it so I can see what you are up to, I would really really love that! 

Bye, see you tomorrow!

xx

Sign Language | 30 Days of Summer | Day 7

Good Morning!

Today's Challenge is:

Learn to Sign

If you are new to my 30 days of summer challenge click here to find out what it is!

This one is most likely something you have never tried before and I guess it is quite unusual. Whilst we are having fun this summer I thought it might be nice to learn a skill that will benefit others (as well as ourselves).

I have wanted to learn sign language for a long time but never really got round to it. So this summer I decided it was time for me to get online and start learning, and boy is there a wealth of information on the internet.  Being for Britain I am learning British Sign Language but be careful because although we share a spoken language places like America and Australia have there own version. 

Not only could you use this sign language to communicate with deaf friend or family member but you could also use it to volunteer with other deaf people in your community. Even if you don't do either of these things though you will still be able to impress your friends with your new skill.

I have only started with finger spelling at the moment which is what you use to spell your name in British Sign Language but I aim to learn more in the future. Languages were never my strong point at school so don't follow the pictures on this post, they are simply my attempts and they may be wrong! (If you do happen BSL yourself any advise would very greatfully received!)

 I hope you have fun with today's challenge, if you want to make sure you see tomorrows challenge be sure follow my blog and follow me on twitter too. Also make sure you record all the exciting things you do this summer, take lots of photos and keep your own blog, and please send me a link to it so I can see what you are up to, I would really really love that! 

Bye, see you tomorrow!

xx

Campfire | 30 Days of Summer | Day 6

Good Morning!

Today's Challenge is:

Have a Campfire!

If you are new to my 30 days of summer challenge click here to find out what it is!

This is a brilliant activity for the evening, get friends and family round, sing songs, tell stories and roast marshmallows. It is a great social event that gets people together and (yet again :D) into the great outdoors.

One of the best bits about a campfire for me has to be the marshmallows! All you do is put the marshmallow on a stick and put it over the heat of the fire, then it melts and goes gooey and yummy. To add extra yumminess put the melted marshmallow between two biscuits!

You can't have a campfire with out songs and stories (well you can but its more fun that way!). I learnt quite a few different songs during my time as a Brownie Guide and as a Scout and they are always great fun to sing round a campfire. Remember the book "We're Going on a Bear Hunt"? Well that is a good one round the campfire whatever your age, specially if you get involved with the actions. If you want some suggestions of songs to sing take a look at this website it seems to have some very good songs on it, a lot of which I use.

The campfire in these pictures, I will admit, it quite a big one! We made it following a BBQ during a Scout Network meeting and being at a scout campsite we were able to have a big fire but remember to be safe when you chose the size and location for your fire. If you are a young person or inexperienced at making fires it may be worth to get some help. Also be warned it will damage grass so if you don't have a suitable area you can use then how about just lighting a BBQ they work just as well!

 I hope you have fun with today's challenge, if you want to make sure you see tomorrows challenge be sure follow my blog and follow me on twitter too. Also make sure you record all the exciting things you do this summer, take lots of photos and keep your own blog, and please send me a link to it so I can see what you are up to, I would really really love that! 

Bye, see you tomorrow!

xx

Unusaul transport | 30 Days of Summer | Day 5

Good Morning!

Today's Challenge is:

Travel by Unusual Transport

If you are new to my 30 days of summer challenge click here to find out what it is!

Most of us travel by cars very regularly and a lot of us also use transport such as buses, planes, boats and even bicycles but have you ever thought about the more unusual methods of transport on offer?

The picture at the beginning of this post shows a tram which takes its passengers to the top of Snaefell mountain here on the Isle of Man. It takes you right to the top and on the day I took this photograph I was very lucky when it came to the weather, it can get very misty up there!

The day I went on that tram I also traveled by steam train and horse tram! We are lucky enough to have whole network of 'old-fashioned' transport that connects one end of the island to the other.

It's not just trams and steam trains you can travel on though. How about having a go on a segway or a unicycle? Perhaps you fancy a journey on a bicycle made for 10?

Get creative with your transport choice, it would be brilliant to see as many different types of transport as possible. 

 I hope you have fun with today's challenge, if you want to make sure you see tomorrows challenge be sure follow my blog and follow me on twitter too. Also make sure you record all the exciting things you do this summer, take lots of photos and keep your own blog, and please send me a link to it so I can see what you are up to, I would really really love that! 

Bye, see you next week!

xx

Live Sport | 30 Days of Summer | Day 4

Good Morning!

Today's Challenge is:

Watch a live sporting event!

If you are new to my 30 days of summer challenge click here to find out what it is!

For some people this will be the best challenge of the lot but for those of us who are not into traditional sports it may not seem as good... Fear not though!

Watching sport live in front of you can be really really exciting, you get to experience the energy of the crowd and the tension as you wait to discover the winner. 

There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of different sports out there so you have lots of different options. For example, I went to see the Southern 100 motorcycle road races. Basically they race motorcycle on closed public roads, these are roads I used travel to school on. Once a year for four days the South of the Isle of Man has been taken over by motorcycles belonging to both the spectators and the racers alike. (We also have two 2 week long events every year that take over the whole Island called the Isle of Man TT and the Manx Grand Prix!)

These are racing sidecars which produce some very exciting racing!

It is really exhilarating watching these machines race pasts you so close, and gave me a chance to spend some quality time with my family as we shared our love of motorcycles.

I really do encourage you to get out and watch some live sport and enjoy the energy of the crowd around you.

 I hope you have fun with today's challenge, if you want to make sure you see tomorrows challenge be sure follow my blog and follow me on twitter too. Also make sure you record all the exciting things you do this summer, take lots of photos and keep your own blog, and please send me a link to it so I can see what you are up to, I would really really love that! 

Bye, see you tomorrow!

xx

Photography | 30 Days of Summer | Day 3

Good Morning!

Today's Challenge is:

Photography

If you are new to my 30 days of summer challenge click here to find out what it is!

Taking photos is not only a great way of keeping memories but it is also an art form in its own right. I really like to find a place I love and just snap away, that way I have some nice pictures to remember it by, and some of them even turn out well!

For my photographs I chose a place known locally as the sheep pens. It's a set of pens used by the farmer to gather together the sheep kept on the mountain. That means that not only are the pens themselves very pretty but the surrounding views are also very beautiful!

You don’t need a good camera these photos were taken on this little point and shoot one. I got it as a Christmas present but I don’t think it was that expensive. You can even use your phone, these days you can get brilliant photos from them, just look at Instagram!

I even tried to be arty and put my mums three legs of mann necklace in the foreground and I think they actually turned out quite well.

Just find yourself a nice place or subject and get creative! I defiantly want to see your photos so please send them to me on twitter or link me to them in the comments so I can have a gander. 

 I hope you have fun with today's challenge, if you want to make sure you see tomorrows challenge be sure follow my blog and follow me on twitter too. Also make sure you record all the exciting things you do this summer, take lots of photos and keep your own blog, and please send me a link to it so I can see what you are up to, I would really really love that! 

Bye, see you tomorrow!

xx

Animal Adventures | 30 Days of Summer | Day 2

Good Morning!

Today's Challenge is:

 Visit a Wildlife Park, Zoo or Farm

If you are new to my 30 days of summer challenge click here to find out what it is!

I adore animals, pretty much any animal, which is why I love going on days out involving animals. Places such as wildlife parks and zoos allow you to see some of the weird and wonderful animals our planet has to offer. For example, the animal in the picture above is a Capybara, it's the world largest rodent and it is probably one of my favourite animals. I have a soft spot for the weird animals but my absolute favourite animal is a Tapir, they are fantastic, google them and tell me what you think of them in the comments.

It's not just weird and wonderful animals you get to see at zoos and wildlife parks, its the animals like the penguins who swim around so manically that they make you have a massive laughing fit in front of everyone in the area... or is that just me?

These places allow you to learn so many thing about the world around you, about the species that need protecting, about the amazing work that is being done by these places to kept the endangered and threaten species going. They really are fascinating!

If you don't fancy going to a zoo, or there isn't one in your area, why not go to a farm park. If you live in a built up area these will be particularly fascinating to you because you may not see these animals up close very often. Trips to farms allows you to see where your food comes from, and it allows you to see the happy lives they live and how well the farmers care for them.

 I hope you have fun with today's challenge, if you want to make sure you see tomorrows challenge be sure follow my blog and follow me on twitter too. Also make sure you record all the exciting things you do this summer, take lots of photos and keep your own blog, and please send me a link to it so I can see what you are up to, I would really really love that! 

Bye, see you tomorrow!

xx

Countryside Ramble | 30 Days of Summer | Day 1

Good Morning!

Today's Challenge is:

Go for a walk in the countryside!

If you are new to my 30 days of summer challenge click here to find out what it is!

Whether it is with friends, family or simply on your own, a walk in the countryside is a great way to relax and just enjoy your surroundings. You just have to look at the pictures from my recent walk with my friend Ellie to see how beautiful the countryside can be!

If you are lucky enough to live in a place like this you will see and experience this on a daily bases but that doesn't stop you from going and exploring somewhere new. On the other hand if you are a city resident this may not be an environment you get to see much of so, this is the perfect opportunity for you to hop in the car or on a train with a picnic and enjoy.

I am lucky enough to live near the sea so we took our walk around the coast and that meant we could enjoy some paddling to cool off from the heat of the lovely July day we picked. It was probably only about 25 Celsius but in Britain we are not used to this kind of heat and so this was very very hot for me! (Remind me never to go to anywhere remotely near to the equator!)

I don't think there was a better way to rest tired legs than by eating a ice cream, laying on the grass and watching the seals playing in the sea.

 I hope you have fun with today's challenge, if you want to make sure you see tomorrows challenge be sure follow my blog and follow me on twitter too. Also make sure you record all the exciting things you do this summer, take lots of photos and keep your own blog, and please send me a link to it so I can see what you are up to, I would really really love that! 

Bye, see you tomorrow!

xx

30 Days of Summer Project

Its Summer which means longer days, warmer days and HOLIDAYS! So want are you going to do with all this extra time you have to get out and about?

If you are rather fond of the Internet like I am you may find yourself spending a lot of it inside on your laptop... I mean that is fine but think about the memories you will have of the summer once we enter the short and darker days of autumn? I guess you might have discovered some particularly cute pictures of puppies, an amazingly funny video of a cat falling off a wall or even found the ultimate picture of a tapir you can use as your wallpaper but wouldn't it be better to be able to tell people about all the adventures and experiences you had!

This is why I have decided to put together a series of blogs, an exciting new challenge for 30 days! So if you fancy a summer full of activities, that you will want to share with your friends, then join me for a summer of adventure.

Starting on Monday 21st July there will be five different challenges a week to get stuck into. I have tried to keep them low cost or free so hopefully money wont get in the way of you having fun. It would be great if you could blog about your adventures too and link them to me in that days comments so I can see how much fun you are having.

I am looking forward to an exciting summer!

Izzy

xx

P.s. If you are reading this at a later date please still take part! It doesn't matter when you do it, just have fun!

Day 1: Countryside Ramble

Day 2: Animal Adventures
Day 3: Photography
Day 4: Live Sport
Day 5: Unusual Transport
Day 6: Campfire