Embracing

Welcoming in the New Year and a mini culture hit for the month

Happy New Year! I hope you’re easing into January; treading lightly and slowly into 2026, being kind to yourself and, most importantly, you’ve switched to full hibernation mode. For me that means: reading (four books in two weeks is a new record), writing, watching films, sleeping, cooking, daily walks, yoga, meditation and tentative planning for the year to come.

I normally start January all guns blazing with a list of intentions and plans in place. This year however, after a difficult end to 2025 (and a difficult year as a whole), I’m allowing my quite fragile mind and body rest, easing into work and life after a tumultuous period. Because newsflash: you’re allowed to put yourself first, to want to look after yourself, to give yourself grace. Normally this is seen as going against the grain; when society drives productivity, consuming, achieving and constant hustling, when your diary is so full you can barely keep up, stretched thin and exhausted, this is succeeding. Society says you’re winning, round of applause. This year however I’m taking it slow, allowing the natural cycle of hibernation to wrap its arms around me, tuning into nature’s cues, leaning into it, embracing it. Just as nature intended - humans are after all part of that cycle.

Which leads me onto my word of the year, in 2025 I decided on surrender, the act of releasing. This year I’ve chosen the word embrace, the act of welcoming. These words coincidently go hand in hand with the Chinese Zodiac animals for each year: 2025 was the year of the wood snake (think shedding old skins, letting go, quiet work, intuitive development and introspection) 2026 is the year of the fire horse, which signifies energy, bold action, momentum, adventure and growth. The Chinese New Year starts on 17th February, this will be the beginning of that energetic fiery horse leaping into life, of forward momentum after a year of reflection and internal work. This means there’s still time for stillness, something I will be fully embracing before gently diving into 2026 adventures.

Embrace: to accept something, especially a new, challenging, or unfamiliar situation, with a positive, willing attitude, as if welcoming it with open arms rather than resisting it, often involving enthusiasm and making the best of it. It can mean accepting a change, an idea, a hardship, or an opportunity eagerly and fully.

Welcoming in 2026 with a snowy walk, dusky sky and a nearly full moon last week.

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CULTURE HIT

Watch

Hamnet (out in cinemas this Friday).

Read

I’ve just finished Dark, Salt, Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing Town by Lamorna Ash. Newlyn takes centre stage in this non-fiction, an evocative journey exploring the history and lives of fishermen. Lamorna gives us a rare glimpse inside their world, spending time on a trawler with a crew of local fishermen, hearing their stories, learning about a community forever connected and defined by the sea and how this way of life is under threat.

Next on my list is Until August by Gabriel García Márquez.

See

Gina Kuschke: A Place Beyond, 15 Jan - 21 Feb, Alison Jacques Gallery, London

This exhibition focuses on a body of work painted during her time on residency at Porthmeor Studios in St Ives, Cornwall. The works sing with a gestural approach to landscape, combining inner thoughts with external environments. In Cornwall light and tidal cycles became guides, the famous radiant light that has drawn artists to the region for centuries shines through. Kuschke captures the fluidity of movement, her mark-making spontaneous and dancing, echoing the waves breaking on the shore just a few steps from her studio.

Painting by Gina Kuschke

Cook

One of the things that gets me out of bed in the morning (especially when its cold, dark and drizzly) is the thought of breakfast, when I know there’s a fresh batch of granola waiting for me. Here’s an approx recipe: 450g rolled oats, 9 tbs olive oil, 100g mixed seeds, 200g roughly chopped mixed nuts (almonds and walnuts work well) mix all together and spread on two baking trays, pop in the oven at 200 degrees for 15 mins or until lightly toasted and golden, smelling like nutty biscuits. Allow to cool before transferring and storing in an air tight container. Add a mix of flaxseeds, chia seeds and dried fruit like cranberries (highly recommend these sweet, tangy nuggets) to the granola, et voila. A joy to wake up to.

Here’s to little moments of light piercing through the darkness of January, making it more than just a month to endure but a month for hope.