The amount of time it has taken me to formulate words for this first sentence, the first paragraph of 2026 on Substack, is quite reflective of January’s hold on me. Slow to get going. Contrary to the message that’s indoctrinated in us, January is not the time to shed your skin and embark on a new you. In reality it’s mid-winter; the rain is depressing and it is still dark at 5pm. My metamorphosis will have to wait for Spring. Instead, January for us has been about quality time together as a family, quietly jotting down thoughts for what the year ahead might look like, oh and a rather large slap in the face when we’ve tried to return to work. More on that later…
Hey!
This is just a little note to say thank you so much for stopping by on our Substack. I know it’s been a little while since we’ve posted, you’re amazing for bearing with us and being here! If you’re new here… Jack and I (Gabby) share ramblings about our life on the water, mainly focused around all things seasonal in the kitchen, the veg patch, and the fields and hedgerows around us. We’d really love it if you’d join us on this adventure - we’ve got some exciting plans for 2026 so please tap subscribe and come along for the journey! Gabby x
The call of the wild.
Earlier this month, we set off for our annual pilgrimage to Cornwall - and were greeted with the same mythical-like rusty door that embraced us last year. It may not be ours in terms of ownership… but we still refer to it as our Cornish cottage. Behind this characterful door are such fond memories, with more yet to be written…
Until now, I’ve never understood people who choose to return to the same place for a holiday year on year - but something has switched in me. Returning to the same bolthole for a few days, exactly one year later, allows you to reflect on how much has happened between your old and new selves. Our son Joe had just turned one on our last visit - he was new to walking, only managed a couple of words, and we were one year in to being heavily sleep-deprived. Returning with a running-around chatterbox that is imaginatively playing zoo in the lounge, is such a beautiful reminder to hold dear every day of the year that all too quickly vanishes into the next, whilst now celebrating two years of sleep deprivation. We spent three days in our Cornish cottage, followed by a couple of nights at The Bull in Totnes to round off our south west trip. Their seasonal menu was incredible - our favourites were their fried seabass with homemade aioli, and the delicious starter of leeks with a smoked onion sauce and a cheesy breaded topping. Mouth watering.
The slap in the face
Feeling revived by the sea air with thoughts whirring about the year ahead - we returned to the boat ready to ease back into the real world. But as if telling us it’s not yet time to emerge from winter’s hibernation, about one hour into our grand return to work, Jack’s emails, and with it, our YouTube channel, was hacked. If this is a sign of what 2026 has in store for us, we’ll stay hidden under the blanket, thank you all the same.
The month for quietly planning: our year ahead
Sometimes a little escape from reality is what is needed to take stock. Our floating home is our sanctuary, but it’s also our workplace as it is where we film in the day, and edit into the evening. To be honest with you, we both struggle to set boundaries, and there’s something about being a “content creator” that makes it hard to switch off. One of our aims for the year ahead, born mostly from a few days of being truly switched off, is to be more intentional with our time, and to set boundaries for when to put pens and laptops down. If you have any tips for sticking to working hours then we’d really love to hear them in the comments below!
We’ve also talked a lot already about our the allotment that’s just a short stroll away from the boat. During the growing season last year, there was one, maybe two, raindrops… and this, combined with an adventure travelling with our boat for a few months last summer, understandably saw a rather fruitless year at the vegetable patch. But, we’re keen to get it back up and running, and to make 2026 our year to be as self-sufficient as possible in veggies. So we’ve started thinking about what’s going to go where, including a new herb ‘arena’ and seating area to make our time up there as a family a little more comfortable.
Amongst other hopes and dreams for the year are more beehives, more homemade skincare, and maybe an online shop for some of these homemade wares? But the one thing we’re super excited to get going with this side of Spring, is going analogue. We’re not banishing tech, for now anyway, it’s a little hard to work in the digital realm without laptops and gear… but, along with being more intentional with how we spend our time, we want to be more intentional with logging the memories we create.
"Time can be a greedy thing - sometimes it steals the details for itself.”
- Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
Whilst at our Cornish bolthole, we flicked through the guest book and found our penned note after last year’s restorative stay. The power of a handwritten note to time-travel back to the moment the ink touched the paper is pretty magical. We vow to journal more and take snapshots on our vintage polaroid camera to treasure the year’s journey, to have a keepsake that will hold the memories we can travel back to, each time we stroke the pages.
We hope you too are being gentle with yourself this month, and not emerging from hibernation too swiftly. It’s less than 8 weeks now until Spring officially starts. That’ll fly by. For now, it’s slow, steady steps until we get there. We’re still meant to be resting.
Until next time,
Gabby x
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