“If you think you are enlightened, go spend a week with your family.”
Covid 19 has many of us living in close confinements with others and also ourselves which can be challenging to say the least and that’s without throwing in the stresses of unemployment and toilet paper shortages. So if you’re on your own or living with the Brady Bunch, here are some ways to connect not only to each other but to that wonderful thing outside that you may not be getting much of at the moment -mother nature.
Immersing yourself in nature has the amazing effect of calming the nervous system, promoting deeper breathing and allowing us to see the interconnectedness of all living things, which is how we avoid being selfish buggers.
Let yourself play in the dirt, lie on your tummy to stop and watch the insect world, look up at the stars or the wind in the trees but most of all, slowwww dowwwwn and breathe. Nature is always there ticking away, making magic happen even if we pay her no attention. She will blow your mind if you let her, just watch a Blue Planet episode.
There are lots of ways we can connect to the outside world from our own patch of dirt, especially with all the technology available to us. Become creative and see where it leads you. Taking the time to slow down and explore our natural world not only gives us a deeper appreciation for it, but brings our perspective inward so we see the finer goings on that we often overlook and take for granted.
Virtual Safari
Lots of animal interest groups have webcams set up so you can see the animals in different settings from zoos to the wild.
Some groups also require volunteers to watch the webcam footage to help document the animal behaviour for research so help out if this is up your alley.
Type into your search engine whatever animal you want to see followed by ‘webcam’ and it’s probably a thing. Prepare to lose hours of your life in a great way.
Melbourne zoo live webcams with feeding times (link).
Sea eagle webcam in Sydney (link).
Sea otter webcam in Atlanta, USA plus loads more animals (link).
Explore has webcams from all over the world (link).
Bug Off
Choose an insect that makes your home or yard its home.
Connect with an entomology group on Facebook or the state museum to find out exactly what species of insect you have- good photos are key.
What are its life cycles and how long does it live in each stage? Ladybug babies are weird just saying.
What environment does it thrive in?
What does it eat? And if you want more of them in your yard think about upping their food sources.
What are its predators? Google ant aphid farming for a lesson in nature being amazing.
What is its role in nature and what would happen if they all disappeared? This is where you realise flies are way better than a world of rotting carcasses.
Oh and this video may turn you off figs but is so great (link).
First Australians
Who are the first Australians from the area you live in and what is their tribal name?
What area of the country did they call home?
Did they travel to certain areas at different times of the year and why?
What language do they speak and can you learn some of their words to incorporate into daily life?
Do they recognise the same seasons that we are taught?
Was this area known for a particular item that was used in trade with other groups?
What were some of the signs they saw in nature to tell them of season changes, time to move to another area etc.
What was the impact on these people with white settlement?
Connect with local indigenous language and cultural groups to learn more.
Light My Fire
Can you light a fire without firelighters? What about without matches?
If it’s a safe time of year and you can get outside, learn the art of lighting a good campfire, it’s a sexy skill to have.
Now uplevel and learn how to do it without matches and newspaper.
Most indigenous cultures had their own way of lighting fires with the natural resources they had available – flint stones (yes it’s not just a really old cartoon), fire sticks etc. They even had incredible ways to carry the embers of the fire with them to the next camp spot. Check in with your local indigenous cultural group to see if they can help with any tips or give it an online video search.
If you’re into competition give your mates two weeks to find what they need and to master the chosen skill then have an online Zoom meet up to watch each other and laugh.
Love Letter, Love Letter
Choose someone to write a good old fashioned letter to.
You can also join online pen pal websites to connect with people from all over the world if your family and friends are slim pickings for a good conversation.
What’s involved in sending your letter to the recipient after it is picked up from the postbox?
How were letters sent before planes and what other ways were messages sent: smoke signals, telegrams, Morse code, pigeons etc
Here’s a video on the history of carrier pigeons (link).
There’s also some great vids out on how to make your own morse code buzzer if you have kids or are a big kid.
Prepping
Grow or make something you’d usually buy.
Start a sourdough culture, brew a beer, make yoghurt and then labneh, buy bulk fruit and make jam or better still find someone with a loaded fruit tree and spend a few hours picking – make sure you return with a thank you in a jar.
Invite friends to do the same and once you’ve perfected it and the restrictions are lifted you can have a book club of sorts to sample each others wares and chat about your new found homesteading skills.
The more distracted we are from nature the less inclined we are to want to save it.
Learn, connect, protect.
