How it's going. Today, Monday 19th August 2024, marks the the 2 year anniversary of our move to Orkney.Two years since we first set foot on this archipelago of over 70 islands.Two years since we saw the house for the first time.
I love this, Han. What an amazing place to live and such an amount achieved! I particularly like the Ta Da list - I may borrow that for my clients and myself if that’s ok?! Looking forward to reading more from you and thank you for your kindness this evening.
Sorry Sarah, I thought I’d replied to this. Yes please do use the ta da lost. I got it from a Gretchen Rubin podcast - someone had written in and said they did a ta da list! Its fab
No worries at all, Han. Life is busy!! I mentioned the Ta Da list to a client yesterday funnily enough and they loved it - far kinder than a To Do list. They decided to create a morning To Do and an evening Ta Da. Such a good idea. Have a lovely day!!😊💫
I just love your Ta Da list also. My tasks get crossed out and filed! How bad is that! I'm going to make me a big loud Ta Da list. Thanks so much for sharing. Good luck with the croft and the bog. ❤️
Cambridge is a beautiful part of the UK. For a small country it’s a lot of effort to get around, Orkney is quite a stretch. None of my family have visited yet but then it could be because I haven’t invited them!!
Thank you! I lived in Cambridge for a year quite a few years ago now but we never made it farther north than St. Andrews in our travels. Would love to get back over there someday.
The ta-da list is a very good idea. I might start doing this on a Friday afternoon.
You’ve achieved so much in 2 years and renovation is HARD and draining so it makes sense to do it steadily and make the right decisions. I’m always a bit sceptical of people who whizz through renovations.
Yes a Friday pat in the back is a must - let me know how you get on 🌟
So draining Hannah! I’m also severely lacking in creativity & imagination so can’t even begin to think about what could be possible. Unfortunately can’t get hold of an architect up here.
I love your Ta-Da list! I’m going to start doing that for myself ;)
In terms of validation - it definitely feels more real from strangers (or friends you haven’t met yet) because when it’s a friend or loved one you will always wonder if they are being kind because they love you.
I can’t wait to hear how it goes with the rest of the renovation 💚
It’s such a good thing to do. I’ve been doing them on and off for years but it’s not a habit and it usually takes feeling shit about something for me to remember! Let me know how you feel afterwards 💚
I hadn’t thought of validation from strangers like that - it makes so much sense. As though friends and family have to validate you but strangers don’t.
I remember my partner getting annoyed because I’d do something when someone else suggested it but I hadn’t when he suggested it. I didn’t know how to explain it back then, but I think this is why.
And I’ll be sure to let you know how my Ta-Das go 💚
I’m like that with my brother - if he suggests something I default right back to being a teen (he’s 4 years older) and tell him to f-off. Then I end up doing it 😂
Love this. You’ve certainly not been lazy - you’ve achieved loads. I can relate, though. We have seen other houses self built from scratch and completely finished here long before we will have completed. The yard is still full of building rubbish, the plaster in the house is incomplete, we only have partial skirting boards. It’s as if we’ve run out of energy and I despair that it will ever have paint on the walls and my pictures up. But what you’ve done by listing your achievements is a positive thing to do and I hope that it inspires you to do more. Xx
Thank you Lesley, it felt good writing it down. It’s so easy to lose steam though isn’t it. I can well imagine that after moving out of the caravan and into your gorgeous house you need time to just sit & breathe for a while. But you’re also very busy with the garden & your business. You can’t do it all. X
Congratulations on two years! What a beautiful space to think and write. We visited Orkney once, in January. It was gorgeous, but I've never been so cold! I think next time I would do it in Spring.
Thank you Michelle, it is beautiful especially on sunny days like today ☀️
January is probably one of the hardest months to visit weather wise, I think it's the wind that really adds the chill. Spring is late here, so late April/May is a great time plus you get the nice long days.
Han, I was thrilled to find someone from Orkney on Substack, and loved this post. I’ll read more of them and wanted to tell you how glad I am I found you. I only spent a handful of days in Stromness on the mainland of Orkney back in 1980. What a magical time those few days were - I still share the stories of hiking to Black Craig and seeing a Scottish wildcat appear out of the mist. We just looked at each other for a long moment until I realized I was intruding and packed up the lunch I’d been eating. Incredible. People kept asking why Orkney? I shrugged my shoulders and said, King Arthur’s cousins, Gawaine, Gaheris, Agravaine, and Gareth lived there. They all became knights of the Round Table, so I figured I should see the place that bred such men. And I recently rewatched Oliver’s Travels for the umpteenth time, which ends in Orkney and introduced me to the song The Water is Wide. I look forward to reading more…
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Doc. Stromness is a gorgeous town, lots of brilliant winding paths to who knows where! I love that you still hold Orkney so dear even after a brief visit. Orkney is an amazing place, so much rich history & I didn't know it was also part of the Arthurian legend, so thank you for that.
yes, the father of Gawaine and the others was King Lot of Orkney and their mother, Morgause, was Arthur’s cousin - according to TH White in The Once and Future King
OMG - a ta-da list is just genius. I just wrote about to-do lists, and I have to say, this is even more gratifying than checking off things you've done. Love it!
Thank you! That was the one that took the least effort but probably one of the things I’m most pleased with. I’m hoping to create a nature haven in time 💚
I've always called the list of things I've done (when I can't face a 'to do' list) my 'done' list. A 'ta da' list is much better and I shall start using that immediately!
I love this, Han. What an amazing place to live and such an amount achieved! I particularly like the Ta Da list - I may borrow that for my clients and myself if that’s ok?! Looking forward to reading more from you and thank you for your kindness this evening.
Sorry Sarah, I thought I’d replied to this. Yes please do use the ta da lost. I got it from a Gretchen Rubin podcast - someone had written in and said they did a ta da list! Its fab
No worries at all, Han. Life is busy!! I mentioned the Ta Da list to a client yesterday funnily enough and they loved it - far kinder than a To Do list. They decided to create a morning To Do and an evening Ta Da. Such a good idea. Have a lovely day!!😊💫
I just love your Ta Da list also. My tasks get crossed out and filed! How bad is that! I'm going to make me a big loud Ta Da list. Thanks so much for sharing. Good luck with the croft and the bog. ❤️
Thanks Jerry, it’s great to write a celebration list! Let me know how you get on with yours 🌟
Congrats on 2 years! I'm glad I found your newsletter because I love these updates and getting a glimpse of your amazing location.
Cambridge is a beautiful part of the UK. For a small country it’s a lot of effort to get around, Orkney is quite a stretch. None of my family have visited yet but then it could be because I haven’t invited them!!
Haha, yeah I checked the map and was like, wow, that really is way up there!
It’s a fair old trek!
Thank you so much Andrew - right back at you. Your posts always make me laugh!
Thank you! I lived in Cambridge for a year quite a few years ago now but we never made it farther north than St. Andrews in our travels. Would love to get back over there someday.
Love the ta-da list! You moved to bloody Orkney Han, isn’t that number 1 on the list? 🤣
😂😂 I hadn’t thought of that Donna!! 😂
The ta-da list is a very good idea. I might start doing this on a Friday afternoon.
You’ve achieved so much in 2 years and renovation is HARD and draining so it makes sense to do it steadily and make the right decisions. I’m always a bit sceptical of people who whizz through renovations.
Yes a Friday pat in the back is a must - let me know how you get on 🌟
So draining Hannah! I’m also severely lacking in creativity & imagination so can’t even begin to think about what could be possible. Unfortunately can’t get hold of an architect up here.
I love your Ta-Da list! I’m going to start doing that for myself ;)
In terms of validation - it definitely feels more real from strangers (or friends you haven’t met yet) because when it’s a friend or loved one you will always wonder if they are being kind because they love you.
I can’t wait to hear how it goes with the rest of the renovation 💚
It’s such a good thing to do. I’ve been doing them on and off for years but it’s not a habit and it usually takes feeling shit about something for me to remember! Let me know how you feel afterwards 💚
I hadn’t thought of validation from strangers like that - it makes so much sense. As though friends and family have to validate you but strangers don’t.
I remember my partner getting annoyed because I’d do something when someone else suggested it but I hadn’t when he suggested it. I didn’t know how to explain it back then, but I think this is why.
And I’ll be sure to let you know how my Ta-Das go 💚
I’m like that with my brother - if he suggests something I default right back to being a teen (he’s 4 years older) and tell him to f-off. Then I end up doing it 😂
Haha. Human nature eh - we spend our lives trying to fight it but it’s still there ;)
It is!!
That sounds great! My husband spent a good two months taking things out. Our flat is 6 tonnes lighter than it was in April ;)
Oh wow Susannah, I bet. There is nothing better than clearing out is there?
Yessss it was so cool! And a lot of it was my husband's friend whacking walls with a giant hammer 😂
Love this. You’ve certainly not been lazy - you’ve achieved loads. I can relate, though. We have seen other houses self built from scratch and completely finished here long before we will have completed. The yard is still full of building rubbish, the plaster in the house is incomplete, we only have partial skirting boards. It’s as if we’ve run out of energy and I despair that it will ever have paint on the walls and my pictures up. But what you’ve done by listing your achievements is a positive thing to do and I hope that it inspires you to do more. Xx
Thank you Lesley, it felt good writing it down. It’s so easy to lose steam though isn’t it. I can well imagine that after moving out of the caravan and into your gorgeous house you need time to just sit & breathe for a while. But you’re also very busy with the garden & your business. You can’t do it all. X
You’re right, we can’t. And neither can you. Let’s enjoy the achievements as they come, however slowly. It’ll be all the sweeter for having to wait ❤️
Wise words 💚
I’m here for all this joy and productivity! You’ve done amazing ladies
Ladies?! Is that’s me & Kiki right? 😂
Congratulations on two years! What a beautiful space to think and write. We visited Orkney once, in January. It was gorgeous, but I've never been so cold! I think next time I would do it in Spring.
Thank you Michelle, it is beautiful especially on sunny days like today ☀️
January is probably one of the hardest months to visit weather wise, I think it's the wind that really adds the chill. Spring is late here, so late April/May is a great time plus you get the nice long days.
Han, I was thrilled to find someone from Orkney on Substack, and loved this post. I’ll read more of them and wanted to tell you how glad I am I found you. I only spent a handful of days in Stromness on the mainland of Orkney back in 1980. What a magical time those few days were - I still share the stories of hiking to Black Craig and seeing a Scottish wildcat appear out of the mist. We just looked at each other for a long moment until I realized I was intruding and packed up the lunch I’d been eating. Incredible. People kept asking why Orkney? I shrugged my shoulders and said, King Arthur’s cousins, Gawaine, Gaheris, Agravaine, and Gareth lived there. They all became knights of the Round Table, so I figured I should see the place that bred such men. And I recently rewatched Oliver’s Travels for the umpteenth time, which ends in Orkney and introduced me to the song The Water is Wide. I look forward to reading more…
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Doc. Stromness is a gorgeous town, lots of brilliant winding paths to who knows where! I love that you still hold Orkney so dear even after a brief visit. Orkney is an amazing place, so much rich history & I didn't know it was also part of the Arthurian legend, so thank you for that.
yes, the father of Gawaine and the others was King Lot of Orkney and their mother, Morgause, was Arthur’s cousin - according to TH White in The Once and Future King
OMG - a ta-da list is just genius. I just wrote about to-do lists, and I have to say, this is even more gratifying than checking off things you've done. Love it!
They are so good, and I always need to gesticulate when I say it, which makes it even more ta-da!
My husband would move to Orkney for #12 alone. Your list is impressive!
Thank you! That was the one that took the least effort but probably one of the things I’m most pleased with. I’m hoping to create a nature haven in time 💚
A nature haven sounds amazing!
Doesn’t it? Something I’ve always dreamed of
I've always called the list of things I've done (when I can't face a 'to do' list) my 'done' list. A 'ta da' list is much better and I shall start using that immediately!
Isn’t it? We really need to celebrate the wins more. I just live writing / typing those words - TA DA 🎉
*love not live!