Welcoming in a New Year

Hello, 2024!

Poolside in Melbourne

As I write this, I’m lying in the sun by the pool where we’re dog and house-sitting.

The garden is full of birds—most of which I don’t know but I’ve seen honey eaters and parrots. The dappled shade smells of eucalyptus and the hum of the pool filter is rather comforting.

My reflections on the year that was 2023 started a few days ago, once we had some space alone—head space and physical space. The last six weeks have been filled with a frenetic energy I don’t think I could have sustained without this break.

December can be a whirlwind of socialising, particularly here in Australia in the summer. Both sides of Christmas are packed with birthdays, including my own, plus my mum’s on Boxing Day (happy birthday, mum!). It’s just not as hectic back at home in Mariehamn.

The past year has seen some fabulous times and some tricky times. Growth and change and new ideas and new ventures. I started the year how I intended to continue but like many plans, it didn’t quite continue how I thought. Still, I managed a very good streak of writing every week. Until I didn’t.

Life has some interesting twists and turns. 2023 had its fair share of them.

~ I took a summer job (mainly through fear because we’d planned to be in Australia for a few months and I needed the income). It wasn’t what I’d wanted, really, but I ended up meeting a most amazing human whom I am grateful to call my friend.

~ The world lost a beautiful human. She was a mother to me in 1991, and a support and friend over the past three decades.

~ I started a business. Registered on Valentine’s Day, my heart-led business is still in its fledgling stages and is something I’m consistently working on.

~ My daughter and their partner came to visit. It was the greyest, foggiest week of the year! Of course! But so lovely.

~ I connected with friends, physically meeting up with friends in the UK and Germany as well as visits from lovely humans from Australia. Some newly made friends in 2023 that I can thank technology for, and one day we might just meet in real life.

And now it’s 2024 and I’m in Melbourne listening to the screech of cockatoos!

Our four-month stay is something we dreamed of doing when I moved to Finland six years ago and now we’re living it. It has required big shifts in how we live and a belief in our ability to change and adapt.

Right now, we’re enjoying time with my family and friends, an extended summer, and some new experiences.

Moving forward, I’ll still be writing here regularly. I may experiment with style and form. I may integrate aspects of my business here. And collaboration is on the cards, so stay tuned! (I do like this expression, from the times of radio when presenters would ask their listeners to keep listening!)

Thank you for joining me—subscribing, reading, and to those of you who have pledged a paid subscription (I’m still free!)—I’m so very grateful to have you, and a readership that spans the globe.

I look forward to 2024.

Stay Well,

Lisa x

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I’m reading

My current read is Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. It was the Booker Prize winner for 2020.

My recent reads include Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (loved it!), The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (thoroughly enjoyed it!) and Horse by Geraldine Brooks (I enjoyed parts).

I’m listening

In December, I was lucky enough to see my son play in his band, SAND, twice! They’ve released their first single Freedom! He plays saxophone and keyboard.

I’m enjoying

There is heaven on earth: it’s in the form of cheese. Meredith Dairy’s marinated goat’s cheese is amazing! My partner tried it for the first time after we arrived in Australia and he nearly cried it was so good. We’re wondering how much it will cost to ship a box home to Finland 😂

Worth checking out

Substack is a wonderful writing platform. It’s full of amazing writers who have tens of thousands of subscribers, plus many (like me!) who have a lovely handful—although you’d need big hands!

Here are a few that I read regularly:

Disco Dialogues

A wonderful dialogue between two women covering different aspects of life.

Time Travel Kitchen

A glorious dive into recipes of old - I love food, I love history, and this Substack combines both.

Inspiring Your Best

Kathryn and I are so very often on the same page and I love the idea of finding kindred spirits across the globe who unite ideas through writing.

The Clearing by Katherine May

A lovely publication by the author of Wintering (one of my favourite reads of 2023) and Enchantment. Subscribers get bonuses like a book club and live events. She’s offering a 20% reduction on annual subscriptions this week.