Early days of summer (and a 30% discount)
What *else* happened at The Lighthouse in June 🙃
Before digging into this month’s newsletter, I’m here with the discount I’ve promised all year: 30% off paid subscriptions forever.
Much of what I share here is free/accessible to everyone, and paid subscriptions make that possible. I know budgets are tight this year and subscription fatigue is real (I’m feeling all of this too). And I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want the next season of this newsletter to look/feel like. Right now, what I know for sure is that the money I earn from this newsletter is not in vain. It helps me pay my bills, and gives me a little bit of space to breathe and work on another book. There are so many reasons you might choose to support a writer, and I’m grateful to every single one of you for supporting me. ❤️
With the discount, the price of a paid subscription is £25/year, which is about $34 USD or $45 CAD. It’s available from now until July 14th! And as a thank you, all paid subscribers will be invited to our final live guided journalling session, on Sunday, July 20th at 8am PT/11am ET/4pm UK!
Note: Since the discount takes £11 off the regular annual price of a subscription, I’ve taken that amount off the “Friendly Chat” option too. That’s the option for anyone who wants to book a private Zoom chat with me! There are some dates still available in July, then more in September and October! I’ll be offline for the month of August.
Hi friend,
Moving out of The Lighthouse has been the topic of the month here. I started documenting the process of moving for the 32nd time, and so far I’ve written about how it felt to make this decision (change travels with loss) and the first thing I did after (taking down my roots). It’s probably obvious that I’m in a deeply reflective place right now, and am trying to stay present with it all too. And, I’m happy to say moving hasn’t actually consumed my whole life!
At the end of the month, I usually try to choose a couple of the spaces in my home and share stories from them. It’s a fun way for me to reflect on more than just what I do, but where I do it, and think about my relationships with home and other environments. But since I’ve been doing that already, I thought I’d share what else happened in and around The Lighthouse. The things you’d only know if we talked on a regular basis, or if you could look at my calendar/photos.
Beyond getting ready to move, June has also included:
eating all the watermelon and other summer fruit and so many big salads
baking this banana bread and deciding it’s the best recipe I’ve ever tried (but my own trade secret is to always sprinkle cinnamon on top!)
having our two couple friends over at TM’s for burgers + board games, and feeling so grateful for any time all six of us can get together
recognizing that burgers are one of my favourite dinners, especially in the summer (but honestly, all year! I could always go for a burger!)
switching my order at the coffee shop to an iced dirty chai latte (chai latte + a shot of espresso)
remembering I loved iced drinks, and wondering how/why I’ve lived in the UK for 3.5 years and still haven’t bought ice cube trays (why am I like this!?)
realizing TM has ice cube trays, and that I will always be able to make iced drinks in my next home! 🥳
walking a little less, but working out a lot more
starting the 21 Days of Strength workout playlist created by Joe Wicks. I’d done some of them before, but not all—and never in succession. It will take me ~30 days in total, with my own rest days built in. But I set a goal to finish the series before my birthday and I will do that this week!
reading THE THREE LIVES OF CATE KAY, falling in love with Kate Fagan’s writing, then listening to her on every podcast I could find
starting ATMOSPHERE by Taylor Jenkins Reid and finding this one slower to get into but enjoying it (halfway through now, no spoilers!)
slowly making my way through the archives of my new favourite newsletter on Substack: Tending Gardens by Kana Chan. Check it out if you enjoy reading stories about what slow, intentional living really looks like (and isn’t being performed as some kind of self-help advice that is being sold by content creators)—and in the Japanese countryside. Her writing is beautiful, her pictures perhaps even more so. Hat tip to one of my other fave writers, Kelton Wright, for originally sharing Kana’s work in her series on Chosen Places!
“In Japan, where conformity pervades, the decision to live differently can feel like an act of rebellion. The Japanese saying, ‘the nail that sticks out gets hammered down’ reflects the societal pressure to fit in.”
—Kana Chan, Moving to the countryside isn’t an escape
noticing I didn’t see Birdy’s husband for about a week, and worrying he’d left (or worse)—then celebrating his return! Yay, he’s ok!
spraying all the bird sh*t off the patio, and having Birdy come over and take a little bath in the overspray on a hot day. (This is the cutest experience I’ve ever had with her. You know I kept going, until she decided she was done!)
spending more time outside with Birdy, in general. I’m not sure if her second set of babies made it… I never saw them as fledglings. She’s seemed a little lost for the last couple weeks. Comes to hangout whenever I’m out in the garden, tidying things up, washing the car, etc. It’s safe to say: I’m going to miss her 💔
getting sh*t on by the cute little song thrush bird that lives in my garden
also watching it destroy any snail shell it could find and remembering that even tiny birds can be wild predators in their own ways!
watching all the weeds I’d pulled in May grow back, and committing to not worrying about them until I do one more tidy up right before giving back the keys to the house in August. The garden is going WILD in July!
noticing the signs of plants and trees experiencing drought everywhere I went, after the sunniest (aka least wet/grey) spring on record here, and thinking: climate change is finally coming for the UK
driving 3 hours south to visit Sasha in her new home, and spending a weekend with her and a new friend
eating and drinking all the delicious things together! And truly appreciating the novelty of it all, because it’s not easy to access treats like this via my tiny town in the North East
celebrating THE YEAR OF LESS being sold to a Korean publisher—its 12th foreign language deal!
signing a renewal contract with my audiobook publisher, not knowing that was even a thing!?
continuing to learn more and more about how publishing works, and feeling so grateful for all the ways THE YEAR OF LESS continues to sell and provide
finally seeing the acupuncturist who has been on my radar for years (but was off on mat leave) to work on my neck, and having THE. BEST. APPOINTMENT I’ve had with any practitioner since moving to the UK
making more appointments!
taking screenshots of clothing items and outfits I like. Feeling more and more ready to start updating my wardrobe, the way I’ve been talking about for 4+ years now
buying myself a handful of small gifts for my upcoming 40th birthday, then putting them all in a little brown bag and enjoying the anticipatory feeling of knowing I’ll be getting some new things soon! (Gifts are NOT my love language. I have never done this before, and have been surprised by how much joy I’m getting from it!)
being offered two different gifts from a friend and noticing it felt safe to accept them ☺️
finally finding dates that work for everyone and booking my trip home to Canada (in Sept/Oct!)
and booking a weekend getaway with TM for my 40th birthday! We leave on Friday 😎
What happened in and around your home this month, friend? What will you remember about June 2025?
Also, just for fun: what’s your favourite fruit!? I like almost everything… but if I had to choose, I’d say pineapple and watermelon.
xx Cait
Happy birthday Cait! Hope your trip is lots of fun! I have noticed around my house that there are more hummingbirds and butterflies than usual! Whoot! Hoot! They must know how I have carefully tried to cultivate lots of sanctuary for them!❤️❤️💚💚🎉🎉
Have a blessed birthday! May your move go smoothly! My favorite fruits are blueberries (frozen) and watermelon.😋