Tied to the land [531]
Greetings from The Borders...
I’m Christian Payne, generalist. In this weekly dispatch I seek out novelty, explore the relations between things, how we share, what we share and consume, plus where we might be going. Here are a few things, thoughts and links. Perhaps you might be inspired. Thanks for joining in.
#TheAction
The image above was taken a few days ago on a rare cloudy day. Perfect for a short walk along our local coastline. For the rest of what has been a pleasantly warm and sunny week, I’ve been working in the steading.
As I step outside my door, I’ve developed a sense of environmental attunement. It’s a state where awareness meets purpose and every possible job reveals itself. If you’re fool enough to try and take it all in, it’s overwhelming.
But there’s no waiting for things to get done. It’s all about stepping out and doing something. I might set off with the intent to do one task, only to spot something else and make a beeline for that instead. Whatever looks the most fun gets done first.
The rest goes onto an ever-growing mental list. Eventually, it either becomes urgent or gets reframed to feel fun. Deadlines help with that. They clarify priorities and sharpen focus. The seasons set them and I make a promise to myself to follow through.
Since I answer only to nature and myself, work isn’t a chore. It’s a choice. It might not be the most financially lucrative, but I’m paid in a steady sense of accomplishment and a growing level of fitness.
Outside of sweating, aching and smiling, I’ve managed daily walks and conversations with the strangers I meet, coffee’s and ice cream in town, and last night drinks in my garden and that of a neighbour. A brilliant week.
#ThePictures
I might start sharing snaps I’ve not really thought about but am glad Istill have on file. Take this one for example…
It’s 2007 and I happen to be in London for the announcement of the iPhone’s imminent release. I was there for fun not work and there was no way into the Regent Street Apple Store unless you were on the guest list. I wasn’t.
While scrolling Twitter and pondering what to do, I read that someone I knew at the Guardian couldn’t make it to the launch. So borrowing their name I bypassed security and got inside.
It felt like a big event but I never really got a grasp of how big it would be. Thinking I could stretch my blag a little further, I spotted Steve Jobs handing out an iPod touch to someone wanting to buy one. It was mostly VIP’s and journalists who’d then take them to a till. He was a little mobbed and when I got to the front of the crowd I took this snap on my Nokia N95. It’s blurred and not something I remember sharing at the time.
I then asked him if I could have a discount. He smiled, placed his hand on my shoulder and handing me the box said “No discounts. It’s well worth the price.’
He was right of course. I loved that iPod touch.
I’ve admired the work of Nick Chaffe for many years. Love the vibrant, graphic reinvention of everyday objects. You can check it out here. Thanks for being a supporter of this dispatch Nick :-)
#TheWords
This is Stephen King’s take on his relationship with his ABF a.k.a. his artificial best friend.
Just started reading Leyla Kazim’s posts about a move to the wilds of Portugal after a recommendation from my friend David’s Substack Coffee and Rakija. He made a big move years back and perhaps i’m just more focused on these dramatic life changes but i’m seeing a lot more stories of people doing the same.
A little while ago, I added the term Polycrisis to my list of possible dispatch titles. It's a term popularised by historian Adam Tooze and refers to the interconnectedness of global crises (climate change, war, pandemics, inflation, energy, migration, etc.), which tend to amplify each other in unpredictable ways.
Then this week I heard the term pre-war setting, used in reference to the social, political, economic, and cultural conditions we seem to be entering during a time of unrest.
Other new terms being batted around in articles (many of which I find too much of a downer to share here) include Post-Western World, New Cold War, and The Age of Disorder.
Alongside all this, I’m meeting (not far from here) people you might not consider the ‘prepper’ type, quietly getting ready. Not stockpiling in bunkers, but growing food, storing water, learning practical skills and just trying to live a little more sustainably.
Maybe it’s not all about expecting total collapse. Maybe it’s about wanting a bit more control, resilience, and purpose in increasingly uncertain times.
It’s hard to know how to be ready for anything when we don’t know what’s coming. All we can do is keep learning and stay flexible enough to adapt as things unfold.
#TheSound
The title of this dispatch came from the 1962 liner notes from the LP ‘Mississippi Big Joe Williams and his nine string guitar’. Beautifully raw acoustic blues.
Joe Williams was a legendary American Delta blues musician from Mississippi, known for his powerful voice, raw slide guitar style and of course his oddball nine-string guitar. Here is the BBC showcasing the man in action.
Another album I have really enjoyed this week is a Japanese release called 大野雄二 & ギャラクシー – キャプテンフューチャー音楽集
It translates to: Yuji Ohno & Galaxy and the album title Captain Future Music Collection.
The album serial number is V31686 and it’s an unofficially released soundtrack album for the anime Captain Future, by Yuji Ohno. There’s a lot of jazz funk but it goes to all kinds of interesting places. You can hear it here
#TheConsumed
Last week I mentioned I’d been gifted a bottle of whisky by my friend Ian. Here it is in it’s previously unopened state.
The bottle was procured from a pub I really must visit… The Athletic Arms aka Diggers and this bottle of 14 yr old North British was distilled in 2011, finished in a Palo Cortado cask, and bottled at 55.1% ABV by Duncan Taylor.
Here are my tasting notes written after a few drams on a scrap of paper I should not have been scribbling on...
Golden and still. It stood in the glass like it belonged there. No tricks. Just grain, wood and time.
The Nose - Sweetness rises first. Vanilla, warm apple and the smell of bread baking in a quiet house. Also, old wood, dry and clean.
The Palate - It hits hard. Not cruel, just honest. Syrup, jam. And a hint of worn leather, like a saddle that fits. Oak comes in after. Stays a while. But doesn’t need to explain itself.
The Finish - Long but not loud. Spice. A whisper of fudge. Then quiet again.
This whisky doesn’t care what you think. Just that you do. It's uncomplicated, tells a good story without too many words and says what it means. Then when it’s done, it leaves you with space to think.
#TheThings
How much do you know about chainsaw trousers? All I knew is that in order to do a ‘Chainsaw Maintenance, Cross-cutting, Felling and Processing Trees course’ I needed some. In fact I could not do the course without them. So rather than do any proper research, I went out and bought the first ones I could find. They cost £99. They were also too long, pinched in places and felt really sweaty. I took them back.
When it comes to safety gear, just like when I look for a motorbike helmet, I want the best I can afford. After some in-depth research, everything pointed to a company called Arbortec. So at the end of May I popped on their website and soon realised I needed to spend more than I’d budgeted for. I called them for advice and they were really helpful. And by that I mean tolerant and patient with my barrage of questions as someone who knows squat about dressing like an arborist. But all my questions were answered and weeks later I was lusting after their Breathflex Pro trousers.
Not planning on being a professional but hoping to competently deal with the trees overshadowing my house, I asked if there was anything as safe, but with fewer features and therefore cheaper. There was. The Tree Hog brand, also from Arbortec. Plus they were just about to launch a new trouser. Sadly everything in my size was sold out and the new trousers would not be released in time for my course. I was gutted, as this new line sounded perfect for my casual needs. After five weeks of us chatting on and off and understanding my budget and deadline, Arbortec then went above and beyond by offering me a discount on the Breathflex Pro. I thought this was amazing but quietly wondered if they just wanted to close the longest sale in history.
Just when you thought this equally long passage about me buying something was over, it’s not. All my faffing meant that my size had also sold out in the fully spec’d Breathflex Pro. That’s when a call from Louisa at Arbortec took things up another bar when she offered me the Freestyle Chainsaw Trousers at the same price. Strong, flexible, vented with a kevlar crotch. What’s not to love about a kevlar crotch?
For less than the price of a pair of Belstaff motorbike trousers, my new chainsaw trousers arrived a couple of days later.
I love them. Comfy, vented, flexible and the perfect fit, sliding over some new chainsaw boots.
Having hit my thumb with a hammer more than once… (Actually, remember when I drilled my thumb?) …I know only too well that accidents can and do happen. Apparently toes are the first to go, then it’s the shins/legs. So I’m glad I have the best protection available.
My course happens all next week. I’ll let you know how it goes. I also plan to share my new favourite garden tool.
This video shows you how these trousers might help a noob like me should I slip with a chainsaw.
I also got a new corkscrew…
Also known as an auger.
#TheThanks
Firstly Apologies… I know Substack isn’t perfect and unless you know how to manage them in the settings, some of you might get notification fatigue. I’ve tried to turn it all off, but Substack’s algorithms seem hellbent on annoying you all. As i’ve written elsewhere, it’s like the landlord will let us have friends round but then follows them all home like an unwanted door to door salesman. So despite all this, I appreciate you still hanging around. Please subscribe though. A follow cannot be migrated elsewhere but a subscription connects us properly.
And of course I’m deeply grateful to those paying subscribers who continue to support this dispatch and the adventures/experiments that make it. You know who you are. ♥️
If you value these words, ideas and curation, please consider an upgrade to paid…
Or if you prefer a random hat tip you can do that via PayPal
or Monzo …Either way… Thank you for reading, sharing, liking and supporting a human doing manual work with their brain.
#TheWeb
Do debates with Right-Wingers change their minds?
Checking the Documentally community map, (are you on it yet.) I think the closest person to where I’ll be next week is Hick Hood.
The 22 best plants you can grow to make flour.
From The Mac to The Mystical: Bill Atkinson’s Psychedelic User Interface
Some of my other places include these.
How to recover from AI addiction.
An underwater turbine has been spinning for 6 years of Scotland’s coast.
Here is an easy way to do some good… Sign the Parky Petition!
#TheEnd
Next week I’ll be away on a chainsaw training course with Treevolution near Winchburgh, west of Edinburgh. Very much looking forward to it. I’ll either have new skills or less limbs.
Not got any accommodation planned yet. I might even end up kipping in the van and washing in a burn. It’s going to be a long intense week so the next dispatch will either be late, short or missing. But I’ll be sure to get you an update some how.
Have a great week!
“In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.” ― Lao Tzu
Dwell.
See you out there.
Over…
Whisky poetry! I approve
The Diggers so called because it is next to a large cemetry and burial is thirsty work. No wonder the whisky is good! You sound really happy in the new location. Enjoy the chainsaw training. I have a sycamore - well its not exactly mine - that needs felling if you want to practice!