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This Christmas we celebrate the start of our 4th year on the Scottish borders. Looking back on it, our master plan to move from London to Stardew Valley was a huge success! We love the pace of life here, and the interdependent way we live with our neighbours and friends.
Last year our love of Letterkenny led us to Shoresy. Shoresy led us to go to a local hockey game. And somewhere along the line we stopped enjoying ice hockey ironically, and just became fans of the Solway Sharks and hockey fights everywhere.
Last year's batch of Happle Cider turned out ... drinkable! We decided against brewing more this year, but we have a freezer full of apples waiting to be turned into juice over the Christmas holiday.
Meanwhile we've been busy with many projects. I made a coat rack and a pair of benches for the fire pit. Jamie made improvements to the doll's house kitchen and Sunny Side Up. Together, we replaced the kitchen sink, and organised a small gathering of friends in November to plant 250 trees on the lower property.
Pascale is doing well in S4 (equivalent to grade 11). She and her crew of friends are preparing for the National 5 exams in May. She remains a daily gamer and artist. This year she built Cathirae, a fully-functional "TV head" with LED display, periscope, voice encoder, and animations triggered by sound and tilt!
Frances entered S1 this year. She creates outstanding art every day, both digital and traditional media. The art workspace in her bedroom grows in complexity weekly. This year she ran Tough Mudder's children's course, Lidl Mudder.
Jamie continues to collect beautiful insect specimens for the solarium. She started a course on Shibashi, and will begin working with older people in the community after completing the course in January. She loves seasonal decorations and changes the house decor regularly.
Tyler's year at Google has been exciting, some of the most challenging leadership problems he's faced - from a new team, to layoffs, to changes in senior leadership. In 2024, he takes on 3 new teams and projects. He'll figure out how to handle that ... uh, eventually. He finished Tough Mudder this year and has plans to go back next year.
Come visit us in Scotland! Just let us know when you need a guest room!
Love,
Jamie, Tyler, Pascale, and Frances
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