Welcome back to this week’s Karen’s Corner! Join me here each week to catch up with what I’ve been up to both in and out of work and what I’ve been loving and connect with me on Instagram www.instagram.com/karen.anderson.fossoway
Karen xx
WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO THIS WEEK
How on earth is it May already? I can’t quite believe how fast this year is flying!
If you’ve read any of the previous Karen’s Corners you’ll know that for various reasons, things on the work side of life are a little behind schedule and we’ve had to pivot and review lots of our plans in the last month or so. The weather has been a factor as well as staffing issues and spiralling costs.
Now that the weather has improved we’re in catch-up mode and it’s been lovely to see progress being made, especially around The Potting Shed farm shop and cafe area. Our electrician was in this week making a start to connecting us up so that we can start making teas and coffees for you all. That should all be done next week and a major thing ticked off the list.
Thinking ahead to opening, I’ve made contact with some potential suppliers which is exciting. We’re focusing on using and showcasing local growers and makers who produce exceptional products made with sustainability in mind. It’s so inspiring to learn about how these small enterprises operate as well as view and sample their offerings.
Speaking of inspiring, Mum and I went along to an event run by Growbiz Scotland, an organisation that supports rural businesses, held at Comrie Croft, all about becoming Net Zero. As you know, one of our core principles, the values we hold as a business, is ‘Sustainability’ and that means that every decision we make, every product we buy, must be our most sustainable option. There is always room for improvement here but it’s important to us that we do our bit and always seek to be better.
One area where we can definitely do better is learning about our carbon footprint and making a real commitment to lowering it to zero as soon as possible. We’ve never actually measured our carbon footprint as a business but even although we have multiple regenerative energy sources (PV panels, air source heat pump, ground source heat pump) plus an extensive tree planting operation, there will undoubtedly be more than we can do. Quantifying it, and looking at creative solutions, is now on our agenda and we’re very grateful to this week’s event for inspiring us.
When things start moving in a positive direction and you place yourself in inspiring spaces, it’s amazing how everything just starts to flow better. My energy as a result is up and I’m feeling like I can take on and overcome more challenges than I have done the last few months.
I’m certainly not infallible though (who is right?) and I’ve found myself making silly mistakes. I really hate that and I’m extremely hard on myself when I do. I get this horrible sinking feeling in my stomach that I can only equate to being at school and getting in trouble. It takes ages to shift and is thoroughly unpleasant. At the grand old age of 43, I still experience this and it’s come up a few times both personally and professionally in the last few weeks and months so it’s definitely something I need to address.
Intellectually I know I’m going to make mistakes or not perform as I’d like from time to time because, well, I’m a human. I have to be able to let that go and not carry it with me into the rest of my day and in particular, my precious time with my children. Lots of personal work to be done on that but also a little reminder to slow down, take my time and don’t try to do everything all at once. When there are so many plates spinning, it’s inevitable one will fall and smash every now and again.
I'm not one to wallow though and i much prefer to get really solution focussed, find the lessons to be learned and surround myself with the people I feel good and safe around - the kids, John, my family and friends. As it happened, one of my absolute feel-good friends, Barry was here visiting from Abu Dhabi this week and his special blend of wonderfulness was very much appreciated.
I’ve also got the kids with me this weekend and I really love having lots of non-weekday madness with them. Although they’ve had lots of activities booked and I still have some work to do, there’s also lots of down time when I get to connect with them more. We went bowling last night with John and his girls, I watched Callan play rugby this morning, then the kids, mum and dad and I all played badminton this afternoon. That’s the stuff that really fills me up.
So, my plan going forward is to plan and prioritise my tasks better and get a grip of my existing projects before trying to add in new ones. Sounds like a good plan!
The week ahead looks busy but manageable with some DIY and gardening jobs in and around the lodge, more progress around The Potting Shed Farm Shop and Cafe and all the usual jobs in the yard and around the estate. I’m going to spend the rest of my day setting myself up for a great week ahead.
Until next week,
Karen xx
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