Notes from the Week

Edition 19

It’s been several of those mildly frustrating weeks, where I’ve felt like nothing has been achieved. We’re in the planning stage of the next phase of our renovations, and I’m more naturally inclined towards action. It’s not that I don’t see the value in thought and design, but I find the lack of forwards movement irritating. I tend to learn by doing, by making mistakes and iterating. Which is fine when you’re sewing or knitting, and the stakes are relatively low in terms of materials and cost. It’s obviously not fine when you’re planning a bathroom or an interior design project, where the amount of money and time required is a lot higher.

I appreciate it’s a very British stereotype to complain about the weather, but the dark, cold, dreich days have definitely kept me inside and added to my feelings of infuriation. Finally, today was a relatively mild day, the sun made a short but very much appreciated appearance, and Andrew and I sat outside with woolly sweaters and coffee. I took some time to build up my rhubarb patch, the soil level has dropped significantly in my raised bed over the past year. The whole bed needs compost and mulch, but it’s a pretty big job so I’m staggering it over several sessions. Today I gently dug up the rhubarb, trying not to disturb it as much as possible, and built up the layers underneath the plant, to bring it back in line with the top of the bed. It wasn’t completely possible, one of the plants has put down an enormous tap root and I was nervous to damage it, so I’ve mulched as close as possible to the sunken crown, whilst trying to avoid causing any rot.

I got the sheep fleece for free from a local croft, and I’m using it as mulch. My friend Moira, who let me share her allotment in my last couple of years in Edinburgh, used to do this, and I like having a bit of Moira in my own raised beds.

I finished the Outrun, which I very much enjoyed and chatted about in the last edition of Notes from the Week, and also finished Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico. Perfection is a strange little book. It’s a commentary on hipsterism, of the relentless pursuit of an ‘aesthetic’ life, to be shared on social media with the unconscious (or perhaps not-so-unconscious) desire to create envy. It was uncomfortable reading at times. I think anyone of the millennial generation, who came of age around the time of social media, will recognise parts of themselves in the protagonists Tom & Anna. I certainly regret spending as much of my 20s & 30s online as I did, caring about likes and subscriber counts, and how I was perceived by strangers on the internet. In the past few years I’ve felt the scales fall from my eyes about social media, and whilst I’m glad to have reached that mental point, I’m embarrassed and ashamed by the hundreds of hours I lost to these apps. Perfection only made me more grateful I’m (mostly) out the other side.

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I’m currently reading Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch and Merlin by Stephen Lawhead. I also opened a free subscriber chat, where we can share book recommendations! It’s here if you want to drop in, say hi, and share your latest read.

Although renovations have somewhat ground to a halt, I have managed some minor DIY. I put up some solar motion sensitive lights, so we can see to put the key in the front door, or as we walk down the garden path. We built a plywood bedside table for the guest bedroom ready for my mum visiting. I’m slowly working my way through sealing all the woodwork in the whole house, which makes a subtle but impactful difference. It’s just such a boring job, so I procrastinate. I’m also pretty bad at it, and get frustrated when I can’t make it look as smart or professional as I would like. I have to remind myself, done is better than perfect.

Speaking of my mum visiting, we went to the new Inverness Castle experience, which was very enjoyable. This statue is at the front of the castle, and depicts Flora MacDonald watching Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to Skye. My mum has a photo of my grandad asleep under this exact statue, taken around 60 years ago, when gran and grandad came on a coach visit to Inverness. The statue was surrounded by grass at the time, but despite the tarmac, there are smart new garden beds, which I’m sure will look lovely in the spring.

One of the exhibits in the castle was of a range of embroideries, done by stitching groups from across the Highland and Islands. I particularly loved the colours and textures of the man striding across the moorland, but there were many beautiful images depicted in thread. Very inspiring!