The Derbyshire Digest: 27th July 2024
This is part of an experiment to write and publish using tools that are already part of my daily routine - Twos, Voicenotes and Obsidian. I’m using a simple process to log notes and reminders, save content that piques my interest, and share straight from each app.
Here’s how this week went down!
The Unexpurgated Version
Find everything I’ve created this week here.
The Short and Sweet Version
What Piqued My Interest
For someone who is often a not very chatty introvert, I can talk a heck of a lot on voicenotes! Whether it’s WhatsApp or Voicenotes, the words flow in ways they don’t in other situations.
It was great, this week, to come across another fan of the recorded word,
. He talked about his minimalist trifecta for notetaking on Twitter/X. It’s good to know I’m not the only one pursuing a minimalist setup.This week, I’m reading - at every opportunity - The Invention of Charlotte Brontë: Her Last Years and the Scandal That Made Her by Graham Watson. It’s very unputdownable and gives an in depth appraisal of Charlotte’s life. I will probably re-read Elizabeth Gaskell’s The Life of Charlotte Bronte: Unveiling the Life of a Literary Icon - Exploring the Life and Legacy of Charlotte Bronte afterwards.
What I Created
A plane crashed, not far from here, on 24th July 1944. A couple of special memorials were held. One last weekend and one on the anniversary. We went to the service on Wednesday. It was the first time I’d visited the site. The plane is buried, together with three of the crew, underneath the spot where we stood. Throughout the service, I kept looking at the sky imagining the plane coming in, on fire, over the hedge and nose diving into the field. This image played in a loop in my head.
Voicenotes is so good for capturing these memories. We drove past the Ashbourne airfield today where the plane should have landed. I keep thinking about the irony of the obstruction on the runway that caused them to circle. Perhaps without that, they may have survived to fight another day.
From the Archives
For many years I was an avid reader of Paul Jarvis’ writing and his weekly newsletter. Of all the people whose words I’ve ever read, Paul’s are the ones I miss. In 2020 he quit the internet, apart from in his role as Co-founder of Fathom.
Paul used to write an annual review. For a few years, I wrote my own State of the Union inspired by his.
Find your rat people was, for me, classic Paul Jarvis, and something that still resonates.
I can understand why Paul deleted all his accounts, website and social media. I’ve been tempted to do the same on many occasions for different reasons.
When I worked in Manchester, I mentioned Paul to one of my clients. She, too, fell down the Paul Jarvis rabbit hole and was equally as gutted when he stopped writing online. She and her husband moved to Vancouver. When I heard the news my first question was, have you bumped into Paul yet?!
Best Quote of the Week
Midlife is when the universe gently places her hands upon your shoulders, pulls you close, and whispers in your ear: I’m not screwing around. All of this pretending and performing—these coping mechanisms that you’ve developed to protect yourself from feeling inadequate and getting hurt—has to go. Your armor is preventing you from growing into your gifts. I understand that you needed these protections when you were small. I understand that you believed your armor could help you secure all of the things you needed to feel worthy and lovable, but you’re still searching and you’re more lost than ever. Time is growing short. There are unexplored adventures ahead of you. You can’t live the rest of your life worried about what other people think. You were born worthy of love and belonging. Courage and daring are coursing through your veins. You were made to live and love with your whole heart. It’s time to show up and be seen ~ Brené Brown
Review of my Week
Since 22nd July, you introduced the 'Sunday Secret Message' which you considered making a regular feature. Your week was relatively quiet with no evening meetings, allowing you to spend considerable time on writing and curating posts for Obsidian, maintaining daily logs, and curating content from various references saved in Twos. You've been actively saving interesting links and quotes, particularly from Twitter (now referred to as X), and incorporating these into your Obsidian posts. Your creative process involved using tools like Twos, Voicenotes, and Obsidian effectively to enhance your creativity. You also mentioned reading Bob Doto's book and exploring themes of living at a gentler pace, making the most of today, and the importance of doing things you love without regret. Additionally, you planned to do some work on your smallholding later in the day.
This was generated in Voicenotes using the Ask my AI function.
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P.S.
A Secret Message, if you made it this far! Read the transcript or press the play button.
All of this is a passion project. If you enjoy it too, then that’s an added bonus!