Sunshine Revival Challenge #1 & 25 Things in 2025: Third Quarter & Second Half

[smallhobbit]

Sunshine Revival Challenge #1 - Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month.
Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.

I'm working my way through 25 things in 2025, and have completed the first 14, as well as chosen 2 for April to September.  Which means it's time to choose the next 5, leaving 3 for the final quarter, plus Thing #1 which is simply to complete and write about the other 24 Things.

They are:

Quarter 3 - July to September

18 - Take part in the Big Butterfly Count
This runs from 18 July to 10 August and further details can be found here.  Part of my plan to support wildlife.

19 - Sort out my current papers/documents
They're all filed in an expanding file, so I can find everything, but it's time to move the oldest papers elsewhere, so they can be stored but I don't need them to hand.  Another of the 'I really should do this sometime' tasks, which should now get done.

20 - Sort Anchor threads
A few weeks ago I bought a box for storing my Anchor threads, so I can find the colours I want easily.  All I have to do now is get round to sorting them.  That is definitely a challenge, which is why I've added it here.

Half 2 - July to December

21 - Take part in the weekly Garden Bird Watch
I started this as part of 30 Days of Wildlife, and the intention is to keep going for six months, after which I will automatically continue or realise it's simply not working.

22 - Revise some German
I only have very basic German, which every so often I go back over.  As we shall be on holiday in Germany next April, it wouldn't hurt to go over it again.  We're on a tour, so it mostly won't be needed, but there's always buying cakes etc!

23 - Autumn Holiday
We haven't decided where we're going this year, but we'll be going somewhere, probably in early October, which is when we usually go, so I'm including this as one of my things I'm doing this year.

My full list can be found here

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Good luck on all your goals! Counting butterflies should be fun 😊

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. That assumes I see many - we don't get that many around here.

[pauraque]

I've done bird counts, but not a butterfly count! I hope it all goes well.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. I need to remember to make a point of looking for butterflies - in the past it's been too easy to forget.

[tellshannon815]

Good luck with all of these!

Don't be surprised to find that when you're in Germany, people will reply back to you in English - I had that in France and wondered if I sounded as bad as Del Boy Trotter, but then someone I used to work with said "Maybe they were practicing their English on you" and I thought "Okay, I'll take that."

[smallhobbit]

Thank you!

I've had that in France too. But I also found that we met people who didn't speak much English (less than my French anyway) and, of course, simply making the effort to speak in the language always helps, even if the accent promptly shows where I'm from.

[muscle_wizard]

Love the wildlife support activities - a butterfly watch is also new to me c:

Awhile back I got to join my town in an initiative to plant new trees and pick up garbage in green spaces - there's lots of critters where I live and I want to keep seeing them.

[smallhobbit]

It's one of my hopes for this year, to engage with nature/wildlife, and this seems a positive way to do so.

Joining that initiative sounds great and should make a real difference locally.

[dr_zook]

Good luck with all of these goals, especially the Sorting Paper Dread!!

We're on a tour, so it mostly won't be needed, but there's always buying cakes etc! - Excellent method to spur on language learning. :D

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. I know it needs doing, it's just summoning up the energy, I won't say enthusiasm!, to do it.

Indeed. My basics are can I order cake and wine!

[verdande_mi]

Good luck with your goals :) :)

Ah, language learning. I really should find a way to work on Finnish, but I just don't like Duolingo!

[smallhobbit]

Thank you :)

Yes, I'm no fan of Duolingo. For German I use courses provided by the Goethe Institute, which is the official cultural institute of Germany.

Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

That's a lot!

Re: Wow!

[smallhobbit]

Different things which will be done at different times, so should be possible!

[svgurl]

I've never heard of a butterfly count before! That sounds really interesting and cool. Good luck with it and the rest of your goals! :D

[smallhobbit]

I'm starting to wonder whether a butterfly count is a UK thing. It should be good, I've seen number this week, so I hope they stay until it's time to count them 🦋

[scripsi]

Sort out my current papers/documents
They're all filed in an expanding file, so I can find everything, but it's time to move the oldest papers elsewhere, so they can be stored but I don't need them to hand.  Another of the 'I really should do this sometime' tasks, which should now get done.

I should have that as a gioal too... Somehow I never seem to get it done.

[smallhobbit]

Yes - that's what I've made it a goal, so that now I really will get it done as this should give me the motivation I need.

[scripsi]

Good luck!