Hello & welcome to the Orkney Outpost

I’m Han and I moved to Orkney in 2022 with my husband and our dog.

This Substack began as a space to document our ‘journey’ (ugh I hate that term) from buying a little crofters cottage we’d never seen in an island group we’d never been to.

The Good Life.

What will you be reading?

Expect musings, stories and quite likely tales of things not quite working out stories from our life here, with perhaps a focus on my current passion project: cultivating our edible garden. The aim is not just to have all my favourite annuals (like beetroot & peas) but to establish a permaculture with a host of tasty edible perennials.

That said, it will be more than that. It’s a space to express myself as a peri-menopausal midlife freelancer in her 40s. With no kids, no parents and seemingly no traditional anchors, yet feeling an inexplicable pressure to conform and please. I think that’s why I ‘ran away’ to Hoy - does that make sense?

I’m hopeful my late 40s will bring with it a greater sense of self, less comparison and an ability to give fewer f*cks about the things that I know really don’t matter. Like the fact that I don’t have a 7 figure business, I’m not super fit and strong and I often lack the inclination to do anything except watch telly with a cup of tea or glass of wine, depending on the time of day!

What about you?

If there’s anything that I’ve learnt in my day job (email marketing tech) and increasing connections and visibility is that this, life, is all about those connections and building relationships rather than stats and building numbers.

This newsletter isn’t just going to be me wanging on, I’d like it to be a dialogue with you. Whether it’s gardening tips, life lessons, or just a shared moment of understanding, I always want to hear from you. Unless you’re a troll, trolls can do one thanks very much.

Thank you for joining me on this ride, if you have time please drop me a line and say hello.

Like I say community is where it is at 💚

Take care,

Han 🌱