The Touchwood Project

I just finished watching a film about a woman who spends a year cooking her way through every single recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook, then blogs about it. It got me to thinking, what would I enjoy doing that much? What would I like sharing with people? What do I get passionate about? Things that make me feel joyful, delighted, happy. Sharing them with you sounds like a project worth doing, though I know… Read the rest of this article >>

This morning shone brightly, bringing the feeling of spring and all its energy and enthusiasm with it. The problem was, so many things weighed on my mind I couldn’t seem to start on a single one. I felt restless, cranky, worried in that intangible way that happens when I have too many things in my head and doubts that I’ll ever manage to get them all done. When I get like this, Malcolm and I sit down for a… Read the rest of this article >>

Today’s fun and games involved Malcolm dishing up tasty slices of 6 different brands of butter atop oatcakes to answer that timeless question: Is it worth paying more for a better butter? Since we’re such butter junkies — I’d guess we go through something like a pack a week — we thought finding this out would be be both fun and illuminating. In our case, is it worth dishing out the extra money for Lurpak and… Read the rest of this article >>

“If I didn’t care what people thought, I’d…” I’d write on the blog about what I’m thinking about with Touchwood and life. I’d share this North Star stuff, the ever-changing plans and dreams, different projects I’m working on. The above sentences are from my notebook as part of an exercise from the book Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the life you were meant to live. There are a series of… Read the rest of this article >>

Lately I’m getting some concerned emails from my family in the US who worry I’m sacrificing myself for the planet, huddling miserably around a single light bulb, icicles forming on my nose. Ha. I assure you, I’m far too lazy to make all these changes for some distant noble cause. Nope, I’m doing it first and foremost because I’m enjoying myself, a point which a little adventure reminded me of recently. I’ll… Read the rest of this article >>

We’re taking the plunge. Malcolm and I are selling the car and going car-free. Bring on the circus bikes! Going car-free in a rural location Unlike when I lived in Washington DC you didn’t really need a car, not having one on Orkney is highly unusual. Pretty much everyone drives…. 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 >>