Everything looks different in the sun

Hi friend,

If you’re new here: on Sundays, I send a collection of mini memoirs from my life in the UK. Each weekly dispatch is filled with stories and things I’ve noticed—at home, in books, on my walks, in the world, and within myself. My hope is they feel reflective and calming, and inspire you to notice more in your own life. Writing them certainly helps me notice more in mine… 🕯️

Saturday, February 7, 2026

It’s just after 8pm, and the youngest and I are home alone. We’ve decided to watch something on the projector, but go to the kitchen to get ourselves some snacks first. After browsing the cupboards, we make a big bowl of salted popcorn + Galaxy Minstrels—little round pieces of milk chocolate covered in a candy shell. We don’t have anything quite like them in Canada, that I can think of… but this combo seems to be a staple in the UK. Part of many people’s movie-watching experiences. And I love it.

“What do you want to watch tonight?” I ask, and get no reply.

“Gilmore Girls?” The answer to that question is a clear YES.

We find the episode she’s on in her current rewatch and hit play. Then we settle into the couch and dig into the bowl. I’m half-watching, and half-thinking about how nice it is to be able to share this show with her. How it’s created a shared language between us. And how fun it is to bond over these fictional people and their stories, as though they are real. As though we actually know them, and have some kind of vested interest in what they do and why they do it and who they end up with. We agree that Zach sucks! Lane got robbed as a character! And all of Rory’s boyfriends sucked too!

We are TEAM NOBODY!

Sunday, February 8, 2026

When I wake up, I look out the window and am SHOCKED to see blue sky. It has rained every single day so far in 2026, and blue sky was not in the forecast. I do not want to miss my chance of getting even the tiniest amount of Vitamin D. So I get up, get dressed, and am out the door before 9am.

Everything looks different in the sun! I can’t stop looking up at the sky, but also down at the ground—and all around me. Walking in rain and fog for the past many weeks (months!?) has felt like walking with blinders on, where you can only see what’s in front of you. Now, I feel as though I can see everything—including all the snowdrops and crocuses that have started to pop up.

Around 5pm, I go for another walk to drop a card in the closest postbox. It’s still light out, so I keep walking and walking, for an extra 20+ minutes. By the time I get home, it’s still not pitch black. I check my phone and see sunset was at 5:01pm today. I know it’s not even solstice yet, but it feels as though we’ve made it through the darker months.

Monday, February 9, 2026

On the way home from my walks, I always stop at the little free library in our village. They aren’t very common in the UK, at least not compared to back home. So I’m delighted that we not only have one here, but also that it’s in an old red telephone box!

I don’t usually find much inside that piques my interest because, just like back home, people mostly dump old and unwanted books here. So I’m surprised to see something fairly new today: the most popular book by bestselling author Freida McFadden. Since I’m reading thrillers this month, I have come across her name countless times while researching books. I have even listened to this interview she did on Open Book with Jenna, because I am so fascinated by the fact that she writes under a pseudonym and wants privacy… but also shows her face!? (With what looks like a wig, but still!) I’m not sure if her books are “for me,” which is why I still haven’t put any on my TBR list. But the fact that this is here + free feels like a great opportunity to find out!

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

I’m only a few minutes into a video call with a long-time online friend. We don’t know how long we’ve followed each other on Instagram (10+ years!?), and can’t remember how we even found each other. But it’s our first time actually speaking and I’m amazed at how comfortable it is. Liz is an author, and her debut novel is coming out in September. I’ve never published a novel, but publishing books comes with a shared language. So we have a lot to talk about, and can do so in a way where we don’t have to overexplain ourselves or anything we’re talking about. We just get it.

After we say goodbye, all I can think is: I want more of that. More writer friends. More editor friends. More people I can talk to like peers. I don’t need a writing group or accountability. I get my work done. But it would be nice to have more people to talk about all of this with.

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

I check my banking app and see that I got paid this morning. I never get paid! I think. And by that I mean: I get paid so infrequently (5-6 times/year for my books), I never know exactly when it’s coming (or how much I’m getting) until it arrives, so it often feels like a surprise. I knew this one was coming soon, and it feels so exciting to see it here now!

It’s my very first paycheque from the UK’s Public Lending Right (PLR) program. That is, the “royalties” you earn because people borrow your book(s) from the library. I’ve been signed up for Canada’s PLR program since 2018, but didn’t even consider that the UK might’ve had one too, until last year. And when I finally signed up, the data in their charts showed I could’ve earned a lot in previous years. But I can’t worry about any income I might’ve missed out on. I’m just going to feel grateful for what I got today: ~£500 ($680 USD/$920 CAD) for the 2024/25 period. That might not sound like much, but I consider any amount of passive income to be a gift.

Thursday, February 12, 2026

I check my banking app and see that I got paid again this morning. This time, it’s from Canada’s PLR program: another £430 ($580 USD/$800 CAD)! Again, I didn’t know exactly when it was coming or how much I’d be getting, so this feels like a fun surprise. And combined, these two amounts feel like real money now. Enough to cover my housing expenses + groceries for a month. All because some lovely readers decided to borrow my books from their local libraries. I’m grateful for them, and grateful for libraries, and grateful for these programs! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

PS - If you like reading about money, you might enjoy this post:

Friday, February 13, 2026

It’s 1pm and I’m digging through my dresser, looking for my makeup bag. “Where is it!?” I say to the cat who is perched on the bed. I’ve searched every drawer twice, and they are not messy, friend. I don’t understand where it’s gone! My question to the cat is one of both concern and surprise. I’m worried I’ve somehow lost this makeup bag—a gift from my sister, the perfect-sized bag for me, and what I’ve been using for 6+ years. But I’m also amazed that it’s even possible I can’t find it.

This little bag that I packed/unpacked every few days, for the first 3.5 years I lived in the UK. Every time I went back and forth between our two homes, staying for 1 night or 2 nights or a whole week. Every time we went on weekend getaways or road trips. I packed this makeup bag with some amount of toiletries every week, for all these years! And now I haven’t used it since… I went back home to Canada in September. Is that right!? I think, and know it is. I haven’t been anywhere, since I got back in early October.

Eventually, I find it—hiding under something else in the bottom drawer. And then I pack a small bag, for a one-night getaway we are going on tonight (more of this, please!). The whole process feels a bit clumsy, almost like I’ve forgotten how to do this. Proof that I don’t live out of a bag anymore.

It’s been 6 months since I moved into TM’s house. Six months since I stopped bouncing around between our two homes. It feels nice to be settled. Nice to have some kind of routine and stability (all of which seems to be helping my writing, too). I am happy to be here, in this place.

…but I don’t want to forget how to pack!

What little surprises were part of your week, friend?

And the most British question I could ask you is: how’s the weather, where you are?

xx Cait