The Touchwood Project

I’m thinking about beauty in design today, and how underrated yet essential it is. Something beautiful invites you in, welcomes you and uplifts you. Something ugly tells you to stay the hell away. Today I remembered that while searching for a place to learn aikido. A childhood dream Since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to learn martial arts. I love Yimou Zhang’s films (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), Jackie… Read the rest of this article >>

Our quest to have fun, be playful and enjoy living green has started to move in another direction lately: getting rid of the car. Given that it’s 11 miles from our house to Kirkwall and the nearest bus stop is 2 miles away, walking or conventional cycling leaves me feeling apprehensive (the wind! the cold! I’m so not that fit!). So if I’m going to give up something as freedom-giving and effort-saving as a… Read the rest of this article >>

Hitchhiking is something I associate with grubby guys, desperate backpackers, and the occasional kidnapping or worse. I have some notion that it’s even illegal in some countries. So suffice it to say that when Malcolm approached me with the idea of hitchhiking I was skeptical — I believe my response was “No way in hell.” However, I’m rethinking my staunch opposition and am coming around to believing that… Read the rest of this article >>

Since my other life was as a web designer, I still work on sites from time to time and I thought I’d share a helpful tool for any of you starting a website. For that matter, anyone with an existing one might find it useful too. Start with a Website Strategy Malcolm’s interested in starting a blog about hitchhiking, offering tips and advice, since it’s something he’s deeply passionate about. He knows that I’m… Read the rest of this article >>