Lovely to hear your updates, Catriona - I know all about life's twists and turns, that's for sure.
Liza is so kind - isn't Substack wonderful for making the most unexpected of connections? I enjoy her newsletter and her notes are top-notch too.
If you're ever at a loose end (and totally desperate, haha), my flat in Vienna is large and with ample space. I co-habit with my ex (and our 7 year old daughter) but she's going to be moving out soon(ish?).
I have a podcast, it's very modest, but I hardly think you'd be interested, I'm not trying to grow or make it big, it's just something I do for a bit of fun, to build my 'brand' (ugghhh) and draw attention to my writing. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing, I just try to have fun - it seems the video format isn't a huge hit on Substack and so maybe I should stick to the audio. I do the video because I also upload to my YouTube channel Drinkglish (yes, Drinking + English).
In fact, funnily enough, I was thinking of you the other day because I was in a grumpy mood and wanted to go on a rant, preferably with a Scot. As an English teacher, it drives me mad when I see teachers promoting 'British English' and 'British Speaking Club' (there are a couple of these egregious charlatans on Instagram with big followings) when what they really mean is RP/Queen's English. I was happy to see a Scot post a snarky comment on one of these reels (and I of course applauded them for it).
So I was hoping to chat with a non-English Brit to discuss how angry this makes me. Does it bother you at all or are you not fussed?
Re: gift subscriptions - thank you, but I don't need the one you're offering, but I do have 3 gift subscriptions I should be offering - they are all on the topic of publishing/finding agents/querying/revising/writing craft and they are very good. One of them will also critique your first 5,000 words and write a post about it. Let me know and I can share 1 or all of them.
Thank you for this warm welcome back to Substack Daniel. So much to reply to here! Firstly, thank you so much for the kind offer of accommodation - wouldn't it be great to do a Substack tour de monde and visit all the friends we have made on here? That would be so interesting. I will let you know how my accommodation search goes in the meantime.
On the Scottish comment, yes there are so many irritating things as a Scot like this, where people ignorantly assume that English culture (or even law or education systems) applies to us, when they don't. There is a lot in there, so I won't offload it all at once, but yes to affirm, it is definately something that makes me angry and depends on the scenario how much I do about it (Trying to explain Scottish independance to many English people is just wasted breathe, they just can't see my/our point of view and believe they are right no matter what evidence, facts or personal experience you share).
On the gift subscription - yes, please, especially the one with the query review. I am starting to send out my novel again, so help and support in new forms would be very welcome. Thank you!
And on the podcast, very happy to have a chat, but it sounds like you have your own thing going and it works for you, so I don't know that I could add much extra.... That is useful feedback in itself to be honest, as it could be most solopreneurs want to work like that on their podcasts, and the type of work I do might be more relevant to bigger companies...
I've often thought about a Substack tour. When I was in London this past April I met up with a few Londoners and that was so nice to meet in real life (or 'irl' as the kids say) and I even posted a note a few weeks ago inviting the entire Substack community - what was I thinking?! - to Vienna if they wanted to stay at my place and see the Christmas markets. We've got enough room as it is, and with my ex moving out, there'll be anymore.
Actually, I was even thinking of asking anyone if they wanted to sublet or failing that, be really cheeky and see if I can earn a bit of money by putting the flat on AirBnB, but I'd be terrified the landlady would discover it and turf me out.
(If you wanted to swing by, it would be free, don't worry 😊)
On the podcast, you could be my guest, no need to talk any strategy, I'd just get a few things off my chest and then happily listen to your rants about the ridiculousness of British English and the North/South bias, and those wretched Sassenachs and their patronising attitudes to the heathen Scots 😂.
You will soon be hosting all the Substack nomads who want to see Vienna in winter! :D But seriously thank you for this kind offer. And yes, happy to work out a good podcast angle if its of interest. I always feel like I need to be careful how I frame the Scottish angle online. A lot of people are more sensitive about the divide than I realise, but happy to explore what it could look like!
Wow! I know you wrote that you need a fairly settled "place" from which to write, so I am amazed you've gifted us this update. I'm in awe. I'll be thinking of you, and imagining one of the "bends" in your journey bringing you to our bridgetown, Portland, Oregon! The guest suite awaits!
Hi JR, thank you for your message and thank you for your encouragement, I felt I needed to just push through the need for routine and try to focus. Not easy but at least in Lisbon there are a lot of coworking meetups to help. I love the idea of coming to Portland Oregon. Would be great to see you.
What a year it’s been. I’m really sorry to hear that the world of employment is still sending you in circles. At the same time your creative/writing plans sound really exciting! I hope Lisbon brings a bit of sun and routine in the meantime.
A beautiful, reflective homecoming dispatch after a year of uprooting and re-rooting. I love how the journey—from Scotland’s stillness to Dubai’s heat to Lisbon’s gentler light—becomes a meditation on creative endurance. Gratitude and fatigue intertwined, proving that rest and dislocation can sometimes be the most generative states of all.
Thank you Dave for this kind comment and sorry about my delayed reply. I love how you have framed the points in this journey into a meditation on creative endurance - stillness, heat, gentle light. I am taking to heart your words on rest and dislocation as generative states. I find there is truth in that, even if tiring, and I need to lean into that energy as I walk towards what is next. Thank you for stopping by here on your journey.
Wow! Those photos are glorious and show what nature has to offer us but we hardly look. If only I could hop in your suitcase as cliche as that is! These are spectacular. Ive been trying to be more mindful myself lately, even in ordinary day to day life and appreciate what the whispers of nature. staring at the clouds for a moment, aweing at the wonder of a full grown tree, imagining the circular patterns in its trunk that count its years. Even the bugs (which I’m not a fan of particularly, but trying to slow down and just be present with them… before screaming 🙀 😆). Here, take a look at this little guy from the other day. I could see his eyes moving literally as he watched me and hopped from place to place. lol. And then he got to close and I dipped on out!!
Hello! Thank you for your kind comment, so it has taken me a while to reply properly. I don't like to brag but I do think my home country is beautiful and this summer we had beautiful weather, so I think these photos really show it in its best light :D I am with you on noticing nature. Even if I am not in a particularly nature-y place these days, I try to find something to latch onto—like you mentioned, the clouds or the position of the sun. I find it is often very awe-inspiring just to notice. And sorry I am not sure about how to post photos, I thought it could just be done- but apparently not which is a shame, as I would love to do a photo exchange in the comments. Maybe I can do it in the subscriber chat - I will look into it! Take care,
Lovely to hear your updates, Catriona - I know all about life's twists and turns, that's for sure.
Liza is so kind - isn't Substack wonderful for making the most unexpected of connections? I enjoy her newsletter and her notes are top-notch too.
If you're ever at a loose end (and totally desperate, haha), my flat in Vienna is large and with ample space. I co-habit with my ex (and our 7 year old daughter) but she's going to be moving out soon(ish?).
I have a podcast, it's very modest, but I hardly think you'd be interested, I'm not trying to grow or make it big, it's just something I do for a bit of fun, to build my 'brand' (ugghhh) and draw attention to my writing. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing, I just try to have fun - it seems the video format isn't a huge hit on Substack and so maybe I should stick to the audio. I do the video because I also upload to my YouTube channel Drinkglish (yes, Drinking + English).
In fact, funnily enough, I was thinking of you the other day because I was in a grumpy mood and wanted to go on a rant, preferably with a Scot. As an English teacher, it drives me mad when I see teachers promoting 'British English' and 'British Speaking Club' (there are a couple of these egregious charlatans on Instagram with big followings) when what they really mean is RP/Queen's English. I was happy to see a Scot post a snarky comment on one of these reels (and I of course applauded them for it).
So I was hoping to chat with a non-English Brit to discuss how angry this makes me. Does it bother you at all or are you not fussed?
Re: gift subscriptions - thank you, but I don't need the one you're offering, but I do have 3 gift subscriptions I should be offering - they are all on the topic of publishing/finding agents/querying/revising/writing craft and they are very good. One of them will also critique your first 5,000 words and write a post about it. Let me know and I can share 1 or all of them.
Thank you for this warm welcome back to Substack Daniel. So much to reply to here! Firstly, thank you so much for the kind offer of accommodation - wouldn't it be great to do a Substack tour de monde and visit all the friends we have made on here? That would be so interesting. I will let you know how my accommodation search goes in the meantime.
On the Scottish comment, yes there are so many irritating things as a Scot like this, where people ignorantly assume that English culture (or even law or education systems) applies to us, when they don't. There is a lot in there, so I won't offload it all at once, but yes to affirm, it is definately something that makes me angry and depends on the scenario how much I do about it (Trying to explain Scottish independance to many English people is just wasted breathe, they just can't see my/our point of view and believe they are right no matter what evidence, facts or personal experience you share).
On the gift subscription - yes, please, especially the one with the query review. I am starting to send out my novel again, so help and support in new forms would be very welcome. Thank you!
And on the podcast, very happy to have a chat, but it sounds like you have your own thing going and it works for you, so I don't know that I could add much extra.... That is useful feedback in itself to be honest, as it could be most solopreneurs want to work like that on their podcasts, and the type of work I do might be more relevant to bigger companies...
I've often thought about a Substack tour. When I was in London this past April I met up with a few Londoners and that was so nice to meet in real life (or 'irl' as the kids say) and I even posted a note a few weeks ago inviting the entire Substack community - what was I thinking?! - to Vienna if they wanted to stay at my place and see the Christmas markets. We've got enough room as it is, and with my ex moving out, there'll be anymore.
Actually, I was even thinking of asking anyone if they wanted to sublet or failing that, be really cheeky and see if I can earn a bit of money by putting the flat on AirBnB, but I'd be terrified the landlady would discover it and turf me out.
(If you wanted to swing by, it would be free, don't worry 😊)
On the podcast, you could be my guest, no need to talk any strategy, I'd just get a few things off my chest and then happily listen to your rants about the ridiculousness of British English and the North/South bias, and those wretched Sassenachs and their patronising attitudes to the heathen Scots 😂.
I'll DM you with those subscriptions.
You will soon be hosting all the Substack nomads who want to see Vienna in winter! :D But seriously thank you for this kind offer. And yes, happy to work out a good podcast angle if its of interest. I always feel like I need to be careful how I frame the Scottish angle online. A lot of people are more sensitive about the divide than I realise, but happy to explore what it could look like!
Wow! I know you wrote that you need a fairly settled "place" from which to write, so I am amazed you've gifted us this update. I'm in awe. I'll be thinking of you, and imagining one of the "bends" in your journey bringing you to our bridgetown, Portland, Oregon! The guest suite awaits!
Hi JR, thank you for your message and thank you for your encouragement, I felt I needed to just push through the need for routine and try to focus. Not easy but at least in Lisbon there are a lot of coworking meetups to help. I love the idea of coming to Portland Oregon. Would be great to see you.
So nice to have you back in my inbox, Catriona x
Thank you Clare - glad to hear from you too! :)
Happy to see you back! I hope this moment will be a real turning point for you and bring some wonderful surprises your way!
Lovely to hear from you again Emanuela. Thank you for your good wishes!
What a year it’s been. I’m really sorry to hear that the world of employment is still sending you in circles. At the same time your creative/writing plans sound really exciting! I hope Lisbon brings a bit of sun and routine in the meantime.
A beautiful, reflective homecoming dispatch after a year of uprooting and re-rooting. I love how the journey—from Scotland’s stillness to Dubai’s heat to Lisbon’s gentler light—becomes a meditation on creative endurance. Gratitude and fatigue intertwined, proving that rest and dislocation can sometimes be the most generative states of all.
Thank you Dave for this kind comment and sorry about my delayed reply. I love how you have framed the points in this journey into a meditation on creative endurance - stillness, heat, gentle light. I am taking to heart your words on rest and dislocation as generative states. I find there is truth in that, even if tiring, and I need to lean into that energy as I walk towards what is next. Thank you for stopping by here on your journey.
Wow! Those photos are glorious and show what nature has to offer us but we hardly look. If only I could hop in your suitcase as cliche as that is! These are spectacular. Ive been trying to be more mindful myself lately, even in ordinary day to day life and appreciate what the whispers of nature. staring at the clouds for a moment, aweing at the wonder of a full grown tree, imagining the circular patterns in its trunk that count its years. Even the bugs (which I’m not a fan of particularly, but trying to slow down and just be present with them… before screaming 🙀 😆). Here, take a look at this little guy from the other day. I could see his eyes moving literally as he watched me and hopped from place to place. lol. And then he got to close and I dipped on out!!
Ahh won’t let me paste the photo here or insert it of Mr. spidey. If anyone’s knows how lmk maybe you can’t :)
Hello! Thank you for your kind comment, so it has taken me a while to reply properly. I don't like to brag but I do think my home country is beautiful and this summer we had beautiful weather, so I think these photos really show it in its best light :D I am with you on noticing nature. Even if I am not in a particularly nature-y place these days, I try to find something to latch onto—like you mentioned, the clouds or the position of the sun. I find it is often very awe-inspiring just to notice. And sorry I am not sure about how to post photos, I thought it could just be done- but apparently not which is a shame, as I would love to do a photo exchange in the comments. Maybe I can do it in the subscriber chat - I will look into it! Take care,