Happy New Year!
The Sun is shining once more, growing ever so slightly stronger every day. The wind howls. Gilly is as cute as ever, 9 months old this weekend! Rachel has recovered and like the Sun grows stronger. Love is all around.
So as we wake from the Winter Solstice and seasonal slumber … and the numerous storms we have had … I have to admit I have not been doing much on the internet. Certainly not with this site.
I discover the website isn’t working properly … but then I say to myself ‘Hey, there are worse things in life. Be grateful your health is good, Rachel and Gilly are home and safe once more … and the future looks brighter’.
So, yes we got to get this fixed.
In the mean time – some news:
We are off down to Edinburgh the 3rd week of January to meet with some very dynamic social enterprise people and lots of friends … Charlie, Mark, Joy, Ross, Jay, Neil, Sam … and calling in at Aviemore to meet more wonderful people.
I should point out that all though I have not made a song and dance about it, Five Senses is a social enterprise, promoting support for fragile rural communities and environments, using public transport only, teaching sustainable living skills and helping other people connect with their world.
I also hope to spend much of 2012 working with Development Trusts in Scotland … using my experience of operating and marketing hostels … and to do that I’m focusing on my strengths as in StrengthFinder: That says to follow my gut instinct and share my creative and original problem solving. I’ve done it before and I plan to do it again, this time for your business / community.
Now to go fix the blocked drains, feed the baby and sort out the website problem. The Christmas tree can wait.
As the clocks went back and Halloween slipped by unnoticed, it dawned on me that winter is fast approaching – and I’m excited. I love winter, for not only the stars, wood fires and slower pace of life but because I suddenly get all interested in my website once more – in virtual housekeeping.
So, I’m announcing an ambitious plan to actually sort out all my disparate web pages and get it organised so I can post quality information for you. The plan is to get interesting and informative posts here on the Five Senses website, give you connections to all the resources I know about and keep it interesting.
All this needs Rachel’s support because I don’t know the back end of a computer from a vacuum cleaner or microwave. We all have to specialise, focus on our strengths – and mine is teaching navigation, fire making, survival skills and operating hostels, exploring Orkney and being a walking guide.
So, please keep one eye on this blog – I’m going to be posting info up here about Natural Navigation, the best books and resources, fire making master classes, wild plants and recipes, creative shelter building, Orkney trees and such like.
For now, however, the sun is shining and like a moth to the light – I’m off!
Winter cannot come soon enough, so I can actually write!
Cheers – and have a wonderful Bonfire night.
Malcolm
Please note – we have just had a baby boy arrive a month early, so quite unexpected!
We have had to fly down to Aberdeen Hospital after he was born, just for a bit of extra support – but will hopefully be back in Orkney within a few days or a week.
Please accept my apologies – I will have to cancel or reschedule work planned for mid April – I hope you all understand.
By the way, he is really cute, 2.9Kg and I am very proud! Born 8/04/2011 
“Up from the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success,” says the fount of wisdom that is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I had cause to remember this as I made a complete mess of things initially with my first project, Wellie Boot Liners. I mentioned yesterday I was working on these and this morning I was determined to finish them, but I ran into problem after problem and finally had to admit defeat.
However, where my the boot liners failed, my alternative solution came up blooming because its far, far easier and quicker: Felted Shoe Insoles.
Cosy insoles for wellies made out of an old felted sweater
These handy little babies are what’s going to let me wear my utterly charming but poorly insulated new Wellington boots instead of having to stump for the practical but boring option.
