One Year of Our Country Life

And what a wonderful year it's been!

On 27th June 2024, Our Country Life quietly came to life on Substack — and somehow, it’s already been almost a year. That’s 52 weeks of Sunday posts (plus a few extras when inspiration struck). I began writing to share snippets of our home, garden, and countryside ramblings, simply hoping to brighten your Sunday mornings — and I truly hope I’ve done just that.

With the one-year mark nearly here, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the journey so far and share a few things I’ve got planned for the year ahead.

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In the Beginning

Storytelling has always been something I’ve loved. Back in school, English was one of my favourite subjects — even if my spelling, punctuation and grammar were never at the top of the class (thankfully, the SPaG police seem to have missed this corner of the internet so far). A university lecturer once suggested I get tested for dyslexia, but at the time, it wasn’t something that felt particularly accessible or well understood — and if I’m honest, I wasn’t about to sacrifice my social life to sit in a quiet room taking tests. No, thank you.

Creativity’s always been there, though, bubbling up in the strangest ways. I was that child who’d turn up to breakfast each morning with a dramatic retelling of last night’s dream, so bizarre that my dad swore I must be making them up. “Nobody dreams that vividly every single night,” he’d say. I was very young, insistent, and completely convinced otherwise.

Coming up with ideas has never really been the issue, and getting the first draft down usually happens without much trouble. It’s everything that comes after that eats up all my time — the endless reading and editing, back and forth, again and again. Eventually, I get tired of second-guessing myself, take a deep breath, and hit ‘schedule’. Even then, I can’t help but check it one more time late on Saturday night, just to be sure.

As time went on, I spent years toying with the idea of writing a blog, but I could never quite land on a theme. There were too many things I was interested in, but none that felt like the thing. Eventually, after taking photo after photo of our life in the countryside — moments that felt like they deserved more than a quick scroll and a ‘like’ — I woke up one morning and decided to stop overthinking it. So I opened Substack, started typing, and Our Country Life was born.

And here we are.

(P.S. I've finally updated the ‘About Me’ page, so if you're curious, pop over and have a peek. Writing about myself feels like trying to roll a turd in glitter, I’m quite vanilla, but it was long overdue.)

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Highlights From the Past Year

Writing this blog has been such a joy. From feathered visitors like Blue Tit Steve and Gordy, to Hooty the owl’s rare appearances, the deer visiting, and the strange fungi we’ve stumbled across on woodland walks — it’s hard to pick favourites because I’ve genuinely loved writing every post.

Along the way, I’ve connected with some incredibly talented writers and creators, many of whom I’ve included in my recommendations list. These are people who share their work with heart and honesty, and who show up time and again to support others, including me. If you’re reading this and you’re one of those people, thank you. I can’t tell you how much that encouragement means.

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Looking Ahead

To mark Our Country Life’s first birthday, I’m excited to introduce a few new things that are on the horizon.

Coming Soon: Nature’s Teacup

Launching on 6th July 2025, Nature’s Teacup will be a gentle new series focused on the tiny, fleeting moments of beauty that often go unnoticed — the flick of a wren’s tail, a glimmer of dew on the washing line, the hush of a summer breeze through tall grass. I’ll be sharing the small things that have filled my own ‘teacup’ with calm and wonder, and I’d love to hear about how you’ve filled your teacup.

There’ll also be creative prompts for you, whether that takes the form of a sketch, a note in your journal, a photograph, or just a moment tucked away in your memory that you choose to write about. I’d love for this to be something we explore together, so do feel free to share what you notice, write, or create along the way.

If you’re a subscriber, Nature’s Teacup will arrive in your inbox on the first Sunday of every month.

Photographs in Print

I’ve had a few messages asking whether my photographs will be available to purchase, and the answer is yes, very soon! I’m currently setting up a little online store where you’ll be able to buy prints of selected images. If you’ve ever wanted to bring a bit of the countryside indoors, whether to your home, office, or as a gift, keep your eyes peeled for the official launch. I’ll share more details shortly, but at the moment, life is taking over.

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A Small Gift - With Love, Jenna x

To say thank you for being here, for reading, for replying, for showing up week after week, I’ve put together a small gift. I’ve selected two photographs taken in our garden and turned them into phone wallpapers, which you can download for free. Just a little something to keep nature close, even when you’re scrolling through emails.

Fingers crossed the link works!

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Thank you, truly, for being part of this first year. I can't wait to see what the next twelve months bring — and I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.

With love,
Jenna x

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Catch up on my last post…

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I’ve been sharing snippets of garden life, countryside pottering, and the occasional “look what I just found in the hedge” moment over on Instagram. I’ll admit, I’m one of those people who either posts five times in a week or forgets the app exists for two months. But I’m trying to be more consistent (trying being the key word here).

If you fancy a bit of virtual countryside escapism — bluebells, berries, and the occasional garden visitor, I invite you to come and join me. I’ll pop the link in the button below.

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