Creative Chaos at Fossoway - Karen's Corner - 31.05.26

May has been gloriously full .. where every week seems to hold three weeks’ worth of life inside it ... music, muddy boots, veg boxes, birthdays, visitors, filming, rehearsals, weeds (SO many weeds!) and the general wonderful chaos that comes with this season at Fossoway Stables.

The biggest thing this month has undoubtedly been the continued growth of our veg boxes. Every week we’re getting busier and busier and we’re now starting to edge towards capacity, which feels both exciting and slightly surreal. It's incredibly lovely knowing that more and more local kitchens are being filled with produce from Fossoway. I’ve also really loved meeting some of you while out delivering ... those little doorstep chats and moments of connection are genuinely one of my favourite parts of the whole thing.

We kicked off the month with John’s latest Fiddle Weekend in the village hall ... two days filled with fiddle players from across Scotland, Ireland and England, all gathered together to learn, play, share stories and soak up the knowledge of both John and his special guest, the wonderful Duncan Chisholm. These weekends always have such a lovely atmosphere and as someone who isn’t musical myself, I find it fascinating watching complete strangers instantly connect through a shared love of music. There’s something really beautiful about it and a reminder that creativity is often less about performance and more about belonging.

May is also John’s birthday month, so naturally we stretched the celebrations across several days (as all birthdays should be handled once you’re over 40, I think). We wandered around the beautiful Joan Eardley exhibition, picked up takeaway from our favourite Thai restaurant in Edinburgh, gathered all the kids for a big family dinner, and then somehow ended up at the Lyceum watching a play about Cowdenbeath Football Club. A slightly random collection of activities perhaps, but all very enjoyable.

Back at home, Fossoway Farmyard has returned in its usual whirlwind of mud, mess, wheelbarrows, tiny gloves and endless enthusiasm. I absolutely love spending that hour and a half with the kids each week, though it’s also a fairly stark reminder of how full-on small children are. It happens so gradually, but now that we’re firmly in the teenage years with our own lot, the rhythm of the house has definitely softened a little ... fewer toy explosions and more closed bedroom doors and mysterious snack disappearances.

One of the highlights of the month was filming promotional footage for The Scottish Christmas Songbook in the barn with videographer Sandy Butler. Picture the scene ... fairy lights, Christmas trees, crackers, festive songs and an extraordinary line-up including Eddi Reader, Karen Matheson, Kris Drever, Ian Carr, Kevin McGuire and John… all in the middle of May sunshine ... completely surreal! Honestly, from what I could see on the monitor, it looked like something straight out of a Marks & Spencer Christmas advert.

The creative energy hasn’t stopped there. Right now, we’ve got musicians constantly coming and going as John produces a new record, and the place feels alive with ideas and music and people making things together. It’s exactly the sort of atmosphere we always hoped Fossoway would have.

We also welcomed back Sam Kelly and Toby Shaer ahead of their upcoming tour with the John McCusker Trio. The house filled with rehearsals while I followed everyone around capturing social media content ... a fairly standard state of affairs these days!

As always, we've added a Crook of Devon Village Hall date as part of the UK tour - there are just a few remaining tickets left - come and join us is you can https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/john-mccusker-trio-with-sam-kelly-toby-shaer-tickets-1975103203851?aff=oddtdtcreator

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/2b56d5_16e9633233c546d1b6904814b9c2d07c/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Out on the land, everything is growing at pace - the produce (great news), the grass (less great news for whoever’s cutting it), and of course the weeds, which currently feel like a battle we are comprehensively losing. The animals, meanwhile, are delighted with life - full bellies of fresh grass and warm sunshine on their backs.

The weeks are absolutely flying by at the moment, full of wonderful things, yes, but also very full. There’s not been a huge amount of downtime lately, so John and I are already talking about making space for a proper pause once his current tour finishes at the start of July. Something slow, and quiet, preferably involving good food and no deadlines ... we hear Mull calling us again!

But for now, we keep going ... slightly tired, very grateful, and trying to enjoy the fullness of it all while we’re in it.

Until next month,

Karen xx