001 - 2025
This is different to my 'usual' type of newsletter
Welcome to a newsletter written in the past and totally unlike other newsletters I’ve written before. I’m not sure if others will be like this or not, but I enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoy reading.
I’m sitting on a bed, in the attic of ‘The Coach House’ in Birnam. It’s a tiny village in Perth and Kinross. It’s separated from its ‘sister village’, Dunkeld, by the River Tay.
January is a dull month, so Daire and I decided to go away every January, for a week or thereabouts. In January 2023, we went to Bucharest, and some other parts of Romania - including Braşov, to see Castle Bran (Dracula’s Castle). In January 2024 we went to Paris and now, in January 2025, we’re in Birnam. This year’s trip looks different because it’s with Bran - he’s 11 months old now, and he’s in the countryside for the first time.
And, to be honest, his feelings are mixed.
The sounds and smells here are funny, and, horror of all horrors - there are not many people around to make a fuss of him. To be honest, this is the part Daire and I are enjoying the most, the seclusion.
While people perceive me to be outgoing, I’ve been an ‘extroverted introvert’ my entire life. For me, this means I’m absolutely fine when out and about chatting to people. I can network, I can socialise, but I also need to decompress. A day in the office will drain me, and when I come home I tend to just sit and exist for a bit.
(I’ve asked him if I can write this and he said it’s okay) Daire, as we found out a few years ago, is autistic, not just ‘socially anxious’. And for years this has resulted in me ‘taking the lead’ in social settings and doing the introductions, the easing-in. I don’t mind it in the slightest, but I’ve realised that I also enjoy decompressing and escaping. I thought this was a hangover from lockdown, and working for myself but it turns out it’s because I’m ADHD.
We came up to this cottage with Bran in an attempt to test out if we’d like a life away from Edinburgh, from any city, as, despite being somewhat anti-social, we do enjoy being within walking distance of a decent flat white. I can confirm that this would be the ideal location: far enough away from civilisation but with okay internet speeds and a few little boujie shops 20-30min walk away.
We attempted to work some of the time we were here, while enjoying the walks available to us, etc. I’ve not been particularly productive, work-wise. Whenever we’ve gone for a walk, we ended up on a side quest and returned an hour and a half later.
A round-up of the week’s events
On Sunday, I went for the hilliest run of my life (102m elevation gain) and we ended up having an extremely over-priced and underwhelming pub lunch.
On Monday, we went looking for the Birnam Oak and walked along the River Tay.
On Tuesday, we went up a big hill to watch the sunset and I managed NOT to slip on the way back down.
On Wednesday, we went for a flat white but also ended up walking along the river, then through cathedral grounds.
On Thursday, I went for a run (wearing the wrong shoes, woe is me) and then we went for a pub lunch in a different pub, which was amazing. Bran got given so many treats by various people.
On Friday, our last day, we went to see the River Braan and went back to the pub where I had one of the best meals I’d had in *months*. Friday was by far the coldest day we’ve been here, below zero. I’m sad to leave.
This whole week has been, for me, a much-needed escape from routine and responsibilities; somewhere new and exciting. I finished working on 12 December but I spent the days before the 4 January in Edinburgh, surrounded by the same things and I was a bit… jaded.
Daire made a cute little video
Some reflections
and I have a lot of privileges. We’re self-employed. We’re childfree (except Bran, obvs) and we had disposable cash. So we could leave our rented accommodation for a week and escape to somewhere else. The week has allowed us to think about what we want for the future. What it might look like, what ‘sacrifices’ we might make. For both of us, one thing is certain, we want to make good work for good people. Daire’s well on his way with this goal - with 90% of his work in 2024 for charities, NGOs and non-profits.
I’m a bit further away from this goal, because I’ve been contracting. But, I did manage to raise £1,000 for Crohn’s & Colitis UK by running two half-marathons in a three week period (thanks to everyone who donated. And I won’t mention this insanity again).
I also ran workshops for Edinburgh Women’s Aid, wrote a series of videos for We Consent (which Daire animated, obviously), including this one. And later this month I’ll be working with two charities who help young people with their mental health.
Oh, and
and I are building something we think is really cool, and really good and should attract good people.Stuff I’ve liked
📚 Walking Practice - Dolki Min
🍿 Nosferatu
📺 Abbott Elementary S3
📺 The Traitors S3