One word? When seven would do…

Every year we sit down and talk about things we want to do / see / experience / achieve / learn in the coming year. Everyone gets as short or long list as they like but they need to take the bulk of the responsibility for achieving it themselves.

This year has been a slightly different experience as it is something we sort of did back in June / July when we first started talking about the WW adventure and of course has very much shaped that being planned. But I wanted to do it, both to ensure we all have some personal needs being catered for during next year, to help give some direction to what we do in our downtime and because it is the kind of conversation I love having with the rest of the family, a really interesting thing to read back at a future point and because it allows everyone to have their own private goals alongside the rather crazy experience I suspect we are lined up for this coming year.

So, here is what we came up with:
Davies
ride a bike This was on last years and possibly even the year before. Not at all sure how it might happen but I guess we have 2 months before we go and are likely to come across bikes we can borrow along the way.
Master reading and writing This was also on last years list. Davies has definitely improved, which is what I think he had on last years, this year he wants to ‘master’ it.
Keep a journal & maybe publish it I love this idea. It comes from reading the kids my Wondering Wanderers blog and sharing with them the idea that maybe one day it could be a book. He chose a rather gorgeous couple of blank books and has so far written ‘Davies’ WWOOFing adventure’ in one and ‘Davies” WWOOFing adventure 2’ in the other ready to keep an account of how he sees the experience.
Fishing – the whole thing, catching, gutting & cooking a fish He has the fishing rod, Ady knows enough about fishing to help him do all of this and it is high on the list of things he, Ady and Scarlett are looking forward to doing together. We’re going to look out for a book on it pitched for beginner children too.
Visit Stone Henge A definite very early history thing stiring with Davies, what with all his YACs, pre-historic flint knapping, Stig of the Dump stuff and so on. We’ll aim to do this before we head off.
Learn some sewing and knitting & make a sack boy toy Sack Boy is a PSP game character he loves. He has previously sewn a toy for himself and now wants to master knitting. He’s already bought the wool and picked up knit and purl really quickly. I suspect the actual making of a toy will take longer but he did get stuck straight in. He said knitting will be a really valuable skill not just for wool but for cordage and natural materials too.
Do some wild camping (in woods in little tent) Davies is desperate to use his little tent and do some camping off the beaten track. We’ll definitely ensure we make this happen this year.
Learn about sheepdog training I find this fascinating too, we learnt a bit about how sheepdog are trained at the Countryman show last year but Davies would like to learn more, hopefully we will stay with someone who has sheepdog and can answer his questions fully.
Understand the farming year, different challenges in different seasons Otherwise entitled getting back to nature I guess. One of the things Davies is really looking forward to is understanding what happens when and how it all comes together with farming, agriculture and animal husbandry.
Resurect the ‘what I learnt today’ & introduce ‘one good thing, one bad thing’ Davies remembered the ‘what we learnt today’ exercise that the four of us did for a while last year and asked to start doing that again. I mentioned a ‘one good thing, one bad thing’ idea I’d read about a family doing in a book recently and we decided it would be great to do both and record them all, particularly as we expect this to be a year of real highs, lows and learning.

Scarlett
Improve reading and writing I can’t quite believe she said this after all her insistance that she will *never* want to learn to read and write but she suddenly wants to. I am hoping that as with most things the instant she actually wants to do it, she will do it quickly and easily. We’ll see 🙂
Keep a journal you may spot a pattern here as I asked Scarlett after Davies had told me his ;). But Scarlett also has a lovely blank book and is up for keeping an account in her own words of the adventure.
Improve knife skills, carving & sculpturing wood Both children got new knives for Christmas and Scarlett is particularly keen to actually *do* something with hers. She’s less keen on the idea of using it to gut fish but does like the idea of using the skills she learnt last year carving chalk – she spent hours and hours over the summer with a penknife and a lump of chalk – and do some stuff with wood.
Learn how to catch a fish (and probably let it go again!) 😆 her words!
See a badger & fox in the wild Obviously she is very keen to see all sorts of animals but these two she has seen on TV captured with night vision cameras and is most looking forward to observing with her night vision kit. Of course she does know badgers don’t really exist ;).
See golden eagles and wildcats flushed with the success of finally seeing dolphins Scarlett has scoured her UK wildlife books and added these to her list for 2011 as we’ll be spending time in Scotland in the autumn.

Ady
Animal slaughter and butchering this is very much Ady’s big yearning to learn about next year. He really likes the idea of a future career in this area and is keen to gain as much knowledge as possible.
Understand mechanics of the car Ady has been really frustrated by his lack of mechanical car knowledge. Actually we both have been irritated by how little we know about cars and engines and how little ability we have to put things right. If we had more time and money before we went we had debated both going on a basic course to learn more. I imagine sheer necessity will mean we come out of the year with an increased knowledge of what is under the bonnet of the van but we both intend extending our know-how in this area.
See Northern Lights This has been my big thing for years and is very much shaping our route. I know the chances are actually quite unlikely but we’re hoping by adding it to both of our lists we might double our odds somehow 😆
See Golden Eagle or sea eagle I think Scarlett’s wildlife spotting thirst has rather infected us all and Ady was hoping to catch a sight of an eagle in Scotland last year but didn’t, so he’s hoping to have another go this year.

Nic
See Northern Lights as above, I’ve wanted to see the Northern Lights for years and only fairly recently learnt you can see them from the top of Scotland if you are really lucky. Fingers very firmly crossed as I believe they can be even more elusive than dolphins 😉
Kill, cook and eat something – I really want to learn how to hunt or shoot or fish or slaughter, not because I particularly want to kill but because I think it is really important as a meat eater.
Milk a cow or a goat actually. I’ve wanted to do this for ages, it’s high on my list of WWOOFing ambitions.
Witness a live animal birth – I’ve seen various eggs hatching and watched a couple of lambs and a calf being born at Coombe farm but really want to experience it in not such a zoo-like environment.
Get over my dog phobia I suspect I will always be cautious and I have made what I consider great strides already given my previously quite paralysing fear of dogs. When I was younger I would cross a road to avoid walking past one even on a lead and I always checked before going to someone’s house whether they had a dog. I am still very nervous but have faced it a fair bit recently and will simply have to deal with it while WWOOFing (clues in the name ;)) as loads of the hosts will have dogs so I will be staying in the dogs house and not really able to do anything but live with them.

I’ve read back over previous years posts and have always talked about groups, clubs, lessons, trips and events we are planning to go. Swimming, Badgers, Wildlife Explorers, YACs etc have all finished for us for now and budget constraints mean we are unlikely to be doing much in the way of trips before we head off. While we do have some meet ups pencilled in (hoping J&J do a May event, BabsCamp etc.) most meet ups will be if people are able to come and track us down, which we very much hope lots of people will. We do intend taking time out along the way but I suspect it will be to drink in the free views and atmosphere rather than expensive entrance fee incuring attractions, and to have a rest!

So in terms of where we are planning to go; well coast to coast really, England, Scotland and Wales. What we hope to see; as much as our eyes can drink in – wildlife, nature, new experiences and new directions. What we want to learn; self sufficiency in practise, what it entails, how to live a lower impact life, how to survive with less of everything, how other people live. What we hope to gain? Time together, a story to tell, a new chapter in a changing world and a changing family. I hope we are fitter, healthier, closer, more skilled, more in touch with what we want from life at the end of the experience.