Introducing...Challenge Martha

Not content with shipwrecking me for a fortnight, my ever-caring colleagues have decided that I need something to occupy myself during my time here. You might argue that watching the world around you make its profound shift into another season is enough occupation, but it seems not. So! At the risk of encouraging a whole lot of trouble and humiliation for myself, I'd like to introduce to you Challenge Martha.

It's all fairly simple really, you set me a challenge - by emailing brownseablogger@gmail.com, or posting a comment on here - and I'll pick one each day to do, with photographic evidence as proof.

You should know that I am the proud owner of a wetsuit and a particularly fine pair of night-vision goggles should that help you come up with something... Boatman Steve challenged me to swim round the Island on a previous visit, though at over 4 miles, and being nearly November, I might have to build up to that one.

In fact the night-vision goggles, complete with 'sonic listening device' whatever that means, came in handy last night when I stepped out of the Villa and into thick darkness. I could hear the sika deer whistling from my room and wanted to try and record the noise for our podcast so I headed up to the East Lake Hide, which during daylight overlooks one of the two freshwater lakes on the Island. I sat in the darkness and waited, and waited and...then came an almighty 'kerwick' of a tawny owl flying directly overhead. Well with the sonic listening device plugged directly into my left ear and nothing but blanket silence for the previous 30 minutes, the whole thing was vaguely traumatic and the challenge of recording the deer remains.

So there's one from me, record the sika deer calling. Look forward to hearing your suggestions very soon! Perhaps you want me to find something out about Bill and Kate, step into the shoes of an NT warden for the day, find out exactly how much running a runner does, or ask our visitors what they really think?! Do get emailing or commenting now!