• There is so much good news in the world. Useful ammunition against the curmudgeonly complainers at your Christmas dinner.
• A fascinating look into the world of origami (honestly).
• Lazy: a manifesto.
• A randomly selected collection of the ‘Best Bits’ articles from my blog. Different every time you dip in…
• If you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution, you could do a lot worse than climbing a tree once a month. (It need not be as big as this one.)
• An invitation for a festive microadventure.
• Night of Adventure 2020: tickets on sale now.
• Barbara Hillary has died. She was the first black woman to reach both poles, doing so in her 70s after deciding that she wanted a little adventure in her life.
• A hypnotic live stream of the Earth from Space, as seen from the International Space Station.
• Watch the International Space Station pass overhead. It is the third brightest object in the sky and easy to spot if you know when to look up.
• A beautiful gallery of expedition photography from the Arctic Ocean.
• I love 1% for the Planet where businesses pledge to give at least 1% of their sales back to the environment. I wanted to join but couldn’t be bothered with the paperwork and faff. So each December I just donate a lump sum to a charity. I’m not mentioning this here to be smug (#humble) but because I realised that more useful than my money would be suggesting the idea to 45,939 people… (ie. you!). This year I have chosen to support the Rivers Trust.
• The delightfully bonkers Ella Foote is doing a daily river dip throughout December.
• Finally, please will you subscribe to two free things I’ve made: my podcast and my Doorstep Mile newsletter?