Hello August!
It’s always around this time of year that I start to go in to mild panic about where the time is going! How can it possibly be August? I’m just in shock about it all really!
August is going to be a bit of a funny one for me, since I’m away for most of it (see below), but I’m home for a few days here and there so I’ll at least be able to catch up with my besties and maybe even experience the remaining days of the Scottish summer!
01. I’ve had a busy few months but I was able to give myself a couple of weeks of downtime before we head off to film the second series of Scotland’s Home of the Year! I can’t believe it’s been a year since we set off for the first series filming, I was truly a different person then. Filming for a TV show has really forced me to leave my comfort zone; it’s so different to my usual job – for one, I’m with people from around 7/8am until sometimes midnight. It’s a lot of “being on”, from just hanging with the crew at mealtimes to finding something to say about the homes we see everyday, and all the travelling around Scotland too!
Last time it was all hush hush so I couldn’t share much, but I think I’ll be able to give you a bit more of a behind the scenes this time around. I’ll be away from early August until late September, so things may be a little quiet around here but I hope to still be present online when I can!
02. Yesterday I checked in with the builders at the new flat and went over a few things, it’s basically a shell at the moment and then the next step is to get the whole place plastered. I’m getting pretty much everything changed because the building is old as hell and needs a lot of TLC, especially when it comes to the walls and woodwork.
I’ve been having a few headscratch moments about the timeline, because I’ve never had a project like this before. I don’t have too much of a timeline, it’s more a ‘let’s get it done when we can’ situation but I still like it to all flow.
I think we’ll work on getting the rooms back to a shell before they get plastered (and all the electrics sorted and the doors dipped), then get the kitchen and bathroom done before painting the place. Next we’ll get some built-in wardrobes added (and probably shelving in the living room!), new radiators put in, then lay the flooring and then add the skirting boards. After that we can see where we’re at with it all and decide what else needs to be done! Easy peasy…
03. Lately I’ve been taking charge of my life and managing to tick things off my never-ending to-do list! I have so many to-do lists, all in the Notes App on my phone/laptop, that I go back to to keep me on track.
There’s a to-do list for our current flat (at the moment I’m working on getting shelves built in our living room), one for the new flat (basically update everything!) and then also work tasks (pay tax, do my accounts, edit photos etc.) and there’s ones I share with Jordan and my assistant too. Honestly writing that down makes it sound exhausting, but they’re not really lists I check in on everyday – so the other day I went to my ‘Home’ folder and looked over the list for our current flat and I was able to tick-off a load of tasks in one day (paint the bathroom panelling, fit living room radiators) so it is very rewarding and great for keeping me on track.
I just feel like I’ve done a lot to help ‘future me’ lately I suppose; I made some changes to the way I run my business, made progress with both flats and have been organising appointments that I’ve been meaning to do for ages. Some days it’s just about keeping your head above water, and other days you can manage to do a bit extra and you feel so triumphant for even the small victories.
04. All the travelling for filming means I’ll be missing a lot this month, I’ve even had to put my Cure tickets up for sale as I can no longer make it – DISTRAUGHT. Thankfully I can at least make the 1975 show here in Glasgow and I’m already excited, I think it’ll be such an incredible set.
Has anyone else had their latest release on repeat? It’s not exactly a song as such, they collaborated with the wonderful and ever inspiring Greta Thunberg. Every time I hear her voice on the track, I get goosebumps… her words are haunting. I hope this will inspire change amongst us all, it’s well overdue.
Here’s hoping this month is relatively stress-free and we get another round of good weather! What’s new with you guys this month?