Kristie

#Photographer // #Writer // Drystone Waller // #Scotland

Author of 'Drystone - A Life Rebuilt' out 7th August 2025

#Neurodivergent // #Covidisnotover // Pronouns She/Her

(Banner image is five images of the cover of my book 'Drystone - A Life Rebuilt' which features five stones in green, yellow, purple, grey and blue on a beige background)

Profile picture is of a woman with short brown hair, wearing ablue denim jumpsuit with a black and silver belt with green spring fields behind her

Public Key

npub1xx38gwween6ek6dsdtqzrmasxpm36xpst92e9gkg0ptcqz5lputqha0vyr

NIP-05 Address

kristiedegaris@mastodon-scot.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsrrgn588vueavmdxcx4sppa7crqacarqc9j4vj5ty8s4uqp20s79spz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43q8kvx54

Publishing to

relay.ditto.pub

Author Public Key

npub1xx38gwween6ek6dsdtqzrmasxpm36xpst92e9gkg0ptcqz5lputqha0vyr

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Last Notes

2026-10-15 11:53:32 UTC

My first book, The Dream Pyjamas, was a huge hit at 44 Grieve Avenue, though sadly overlooked by every major award. My second, 36 years later, has had slightly better luck...Drystone - A Life Rebuilt has been shortlisted for the Saltire Society Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2026. The biggest literary prize in Scotland.
I think about where I've come from, and I genuinely cannot believe I'm here.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #Book #Books #Scotland #News #UK
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/117/444/762/529/273/727/original/194732b26d977de2.jpeg

2026-08-28 15:51:41 UTC

THREAD
1/
I rarely do book reviews but this book was so good I needed to share.
Some books give you ideas, some books give you beautiful writing, very occasionally, you get both at once and then rarer still, you get an author who is also willing to tell you exactly what they think. How to Build a City by Gabriella Bennett is that book.
#Books #BookReview #Writing #WritingCommunity #Scotland #News #Germany #Japan #Sweden #Architecture
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/117/173/920/158/983/673/original/37a1cf3430f84dd2.jpg

2026-06-29 19:34:58 UTC

Wrote a brutally honest, slightly irreverent, definitely funny thing for The Times on what 'summer body' means to me.
*Bikini? No, I'm in my full body mosquito suit.*
Read more over at The Times
https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/article/bikini-no-im-in-my-full-body-mosquito-suit-2cfdbwvz5
#Scotland #Health #News #UK #Women #Writing #Outdoors
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/835/063/320/299/003/original/b3c2bea7726ec6d2.jpg

2026-06-21 06:25:54 UTC

A drystone wall isn't one habitat, it's several, stacked vertically. Each zone has its own microclimate and its own community of species. Taking down a wall is an education in this. Also, occasionally, a surprise toad situation.
This week's Drystone Diary is about the fauna of the wall, from stonechats on the cope stones to adders in the foundations.
https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/drystone-diary-the-living-wall-fauna
#Scotland #DrystoneDiary #UK #Countryside #Nature #Stone #Animals

2026-06-20 20:52:23 UTC

A cusp. The exact point of transition between two states. Not one thing, not the other, the moment of change itself. No way to really inhabit it. A threshold.
Happy Solstice.
#Solstice #Scotland #Photography
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/784/406/149/309/063/original/b0059b96b2a75fc1.jpg

2026-06-19 16:44:06 UTC

🎵 Biffy Clyro - Mountains🎵
(Image taken as we drove through Glencoe today)
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/777/760/349/705/397/original/7d522cec0ce336cc.jpg

2026-06-14 05:20:24 UTC

Time to broaden your drystone horizons!
New Drystone Diary: Whose History Is Worth Knowing? From Great Zimbabwe to Sacsayhuamán to the famine walls of the Scottish Highlands. Who gets recognised and who gets erased was, and still is, a story told by the same people about the same people.
https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/drystone-diary-history-worth-knowing
#DrystoneDiary #History #Nature #World #Scotland #Writing #Craft

2026-06-10 07:03:02 UTC

For decades, descendants of the people who built Great Zimbabwe were told by colonial archaeologists that they couldn't possibly have built it. This despite all the evidence & Zimbabwe meaning 'houses of stone' in the Shona language.
The ancient aliens industry applies the same logic to Sacsayhuamán in Peru.
Yet nobody questions who built the impressive structures in Rome or Greece.
Sunday's Drystone Diary will explore Whose History Is Worth Keeping?
#DrystoneDiary #Nature #Writing #History
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/724/515/901/452/554/original/b75791cabec3dc23.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/724/523/657/381/918/original/7d3d77516f3f13fd.jpg

2026-06-07 06:53:32 UTC

Before I became a drystone waller I knew nothing about how walls were built, or by whom. That's the thing about drystone, it's everywhere, it's ancient, it's extraordinary, and most of us walk straight past it.
The very first Drystone Diary is live. What drystone actually is, how it works, and why it matters.
https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/drystone-diary-what-is-drystone
#DrystoneDiary #Craft #Scotland #UK #Ecology #Sustainable #Nature #Environment #Writing #History #Culture #Women #Countryside #NatureWriting

2026-06-06 21:44:42 UTC

A change of direction, or perhaps just a clarification of one.
From tomorrow, my Substack is becoming Drystone Diary - a weekly column about drystone. The craft, the history, the ecology, the politics of heritage, the physical reality of building with stone. Some posts will be practical, some historical, some personal.
My other writing is still happening and will likely find a different home in time. I’ll keep you informed.
My youngest daughter made me this picture in support!
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/705/343/588/874/376/original/9d206e5dad717b6b.jpg

2026-05-04 19:16:25 UTC

Piece in the Scotsman about drystone before my appearance at Boswell Book Festival on 9th May.
‘At the most fundamental level, drystone has made me feel that change is possible. We so rarely get to shape the environments we live in. We so rarely get to be part of an embodied, physical legacy. Drystone has changed my relationship to the past, present and future. To how I experience time and consequence, but also action.’
https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/why-building-drystone-walls-in-perthshire-means-so-much-to-me-8492157#disqus-comment-section
#Scotland #UK #Art #Books #Reading #Writing
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/517/903/249/384/011/original/c3ca6ae4ed01340c.jpg

2026-04-20 17:20:16 UTC

THREAD 1/
Most of you here know me as a writer, but first (and maybe foremost) I am a photographer. And on that note, I have an announcement.
There is a philosophical tradition that insists we are not vessels moving through the world separate from it, but instead in continuous exchange with it. The places we move through, the weather we stand in, the land we work on and shape, the social forces we encounter. They get in, they change us. We are made of them
#Photography #Art #Scotland #Artist
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/438/174/147/833/095/original/d1d9dd820fa1c0ab.jpg

2026-04-12 18:00:14 UTC

Upgraded from floor piles to wall piles.
(these are just my bedroom books, I need to sort out my kitchen books, my living room books, and my hall books too)
#Books
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/393/027/700/797/515/original/e236b24d5e3e5204.jpg

2026-04-01 18:53:00 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…ascr I always tell people how stone shaping and dressing is a craft within a craft. It's something I've found a lot of frustration and satisfaction in. Learning what each stone type likes, and doesn't etc.

2026-03-30 20:09:52 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…ascr Very cool! I am deeply into everything stone related.

2026-03-30 07:08:12 UTC

My book 'Drystone - A Life Rebuilt' will be out in the US and Canada now. That's very exciting, but the downside is that the energy it takes to promote a book overseas is sadly not available to me right now, maybe ever.
So, if you've been waiting to buy it, you can. If you've been waiting to order it into your library, you can. If you've been waiting to tell your friends who are reviewers at the NYT, you can ;)
#Books #Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #ReadingCommunity #USA #Canada
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/316/856/163/855/368/original/95e84f522c373839.jpg

2026-03-23 17:53:31 UTC

For anyone doing the 52 Book Club Challenge this year, my daughter just pointed out to me that my book 'Drystone - A Life Rebuilt' works for prompts 10, 18, 19 (stick with it, they do appear and what an entrance!) and prompt 32.
She added me to the specific prompt lists on Goodreads and you can vote for the book there if you are so inclined.
#52BookClub #Books #Book #Reading #ReadingChallenge #Writing #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity #Scotland #UK #Goodreads
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/279/761/186/389/500/original/04d76dfb4e955f30.jpg

2026-03-05 15:35:52 UTC

An inquest in Queensland this week heard that Kelly Wilkinson was told by police to 'cool off, give Brian a break' four days before her husband Brian killed her. Kelly Wilkinson is at the worst end of a spectrum. The logical conclusion of a thousand smaller failures.
I read it & felt like it was time to share my own experience. 4 years of stalking, harassment, & police failure.
https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/no-further-action
#Scotland #UK #Law #Women #Police #Writing #WritingCommunity #Books #Book #News #Australia

2026-02-24 15:13:02 UTC

Everything's shit but my jumper is excellent.
#Scotland #UK #Knitwear
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/126/244/532/553/847/original/ee998cfc053e01d2.jpg

2026-02-13 07:36:01 UTC

Everywhere, advice on how to write faster. A novel in four months, a blog post a day, Substack longform in an hour.
Write quicker. Publish more. Optimise. Optimise. Optimise.
This essay argues for something else.
Speed doesn’t just change how we write, it changes what can be written at all.
https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/the-writing-factory
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #Book #Books #Scotland #UK #Publishing #Craft

2026-02-02 16:12:23 UTC

Just a reminder that if you like my writing on Substack, it’s very likely that you will also like my book ‘Drystone - A Life Rebuilt’
If you buy it on bookshop.org you support me and indy bookshops.
https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15919/9781846976469
#Books #Book #Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #Scotland #UK
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/116/001/905/919/274/467/original/2cc8cc48852005c8.png

2026-02-02 08:41:28 UTC

The Wuthering Heights people remember is not the book Emily Brontë wrote.
I read it just in time for the release of Emerald Fennell’s adaptation. She has said Wuthering Heights left its greatest impression on her at 14. Here’s my interpretation at 41, feeling world weary & no longer susceptible to the charms of beautiful men who behave badly.
It turns out it isn’t really about love at all, but about inheritance, race & power.
https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/wuthering-heights
#Books #Scotland #Writing #UK #Reading

2026-01-30 10:35:57 UTC

I call myself a fair-weather waller. I don’t do drystone work through the worst of winter. If you have ever jammed numb fingers between cold stones, started a morning by sledgehammering apart a frozen stone pile, or done a pee outside, bum exposed to biting winter air, you will understand why.
Drystone season is almost upon us. This year we have a run of really interesting jobs and I have a new ambition, learning to drive a digger.
#Scotland #UK #Sustainability #Nature #Art
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/983/596/825/771/408/original/7f78ccfe5df3cc78.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/983/596/824/769/718/original/4b42c7c3355c4683.jpg

2026-01-28 08:39:09 UTC

I don’t write about being chronically ill very often, mostly because I’m still thinking it through in real time.
This short piece is about effort, belief, and what it’s like to live in a culture that insists improvement is always possible…even when your body says otherwise.
https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/effort-without-improvement
#Health #Scotland #UK #Writing #WritingCommunity #Books #Reading #Women

2026-01-27 07:17:49 UTC

THREAD
1/
I’m lying here in the dark, waiting for the sun to rise and thinking about the Fortingall yew.
Experts place its age at around 5,000 years old. A path leads towards it, and along the way, stones mark the events in human history that it has seen. It’s seen a lot. Too much, maybe. It looks tired.
And yet stones are not remembered this way, though they have seen more.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #Scotland #UK #Climate #Sustainability #Books
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/965/830/553/355/274/original/b617f1b1bb93d886.jpg

2026-01-26 08:53:06 UTC

We see big things and ignore the small. Ordinary, easy things, done over and over. Scrolling, buying, clicking, sharing. Looking outward rather than inward. ‘Our hands are tied,’ we say, while tying the knots.
Hundreds of small, daily, convenient knots, until the world becomes a prison & we talk of nothing but being free.
This is the part people dislike, because it sounds like blame. And it is, a little.
It is easier to say the world is too hungry than to admit that we are still feeding it.
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/960/546/751/949/273/original/eb9568331240e88d.jpeg

2026-01-24 21:43:43 UTC

Since the Second World War, we've said 'never again' like we were casting a spell of guarantee. But 'never again' was a commitment, and we did not keep it.
The world has witnessed the rise of fascism in the United States, and the most disturbing part is that almost nothing stood in its way.
Feeling deeply worried. For my kids. For us all.

2026-01-24 09:23:59 UTC

If you are estranged from a parent, or have ever wondered how those situations arise, I’ve written about my own experience.
Parental estrangement still carries a lot of taboo and is often described as a trend.
I hope what I have written helps to convey the long process and complexity behind a decision like this, which is rarely made on a whim.
https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/parental-estrangement
#Writing #Family #Children #WritingCommunity #Reading #Books #Scotland #UK

2026-01-23 09:56:25 UTC

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post in response to Philippa Perry’s advice column on parental estrangement. After many requests to share it more fully, I’ve published it at the link below.
It’s an attempt to describe my own experience, and how distance is usually reached slowly, not suddenly.
https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/parental-estrangement
#Estrangement #Parents #Children #UK #Scotland #Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #Books #Parenting

2026-01-21 14:56:13 UTC

THREAD
1/
First time reader of Wuthering Heights here. Yes, Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” finally forced my hand. Admittedly, I'm coming to this late.
I’d heard the rumours that Heathcliff was brown, and based on the tone of those discussions, I assumed this was one of those literary debates. Something implied, maybe intuited. Subtext argued over in seminars by white men.
I am laughing so hard right now.
#WutheringHeights #Books #Reading #Writing #WritingCommunity #Scotland
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/933/663/980/623/455/original/e807d53aa6d6d1c9.jpg

2026-01-09 19:24:52 UTC

THREAD
1/
My book, Drystone - A Life Rebuilt, has been out for only five months. A mere babe in the book world. I’ve just seen that Amazon are currently selling the Kindle edition for £1.99. That means I earn less than 20p if someone buys it.
Twenty-fucking-pence.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #Book #Books #Scotland #Publishing
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/866/769/617/641/408/original/61b75d3fc79471e4.jpg

2026-01-09 07:45:39 UTC

I’ve just published a new piece of writing.
It’s a serious literary work that sits between essay and narrative, and it’s concerned with women’s anger and imagination in the aftermath of violence. This is the kind of writing I want to be doing, so your support means a lot.
The piece moves between memory and fantasy to examine what happens when justice and repair are absent, and imagination becomes one of the only remaining sites of agency.
https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/kristie-the-bastard

2025-12-31 13:18:20 UTC

Bliadhna mhath ùr / Happy new year ...when it comes
Photo is from this morning, looking over the River Tay as the sun rose. -5°C and beautiful.
#Scotland #Perthshire #Photography #Scottish #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Nikon
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/814/358/939/580/772/original/bce0b2e423a4b808.jpeg

2025-12-13 19:05:31 UTC

Hello friends in Scotland 👋
I have a lot of children’s books and clothes (used but in excellent condition) that I was planning to donate to a charity shop. Before I do, I wondered if there’s anywhere locally (I'm in Perthshire) that would pass items directly to families who might need them for free - community groups, mutual aid networks, schools, or similar?
I’d much rather they went straight to someone who could use them.
Any suggestions welcome, thank you!
#Scotland #Perthshire

2025-12-12 16:44:32 UTC

THREAD
1/
I don’t read the news, but today I did, and it really got me thinking.
Internet culture has reshaped how we relate to knowledge. Alignment now seems to matter more than accuracy, and online, there is always some place, or some person, willing to offer alignment.
#Scotland #Internet #Knowledge #Truth #SocialMedia #News #Misinformation #Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #Culture #TV #UK
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/707/596/136/432/982/original/51fe65e873d12679.jpg

2025-12-12 13:01:04 UTC

As I have been fully focused on the book, I’ve let photography fade a little into the background, but it was my first great love and I can’t wait to get back to it.
Here’s is a 35mm film image that captures some of the magic in the Tomnah’a polytunnels.
#Photography #FilmPhotography #35mm #Scotland #FilmIsNotDead #BelieveInFilm #Flowers
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/706/709/495/764/270/original/e587f64695d202d3.jpg

2025-12-11 11:10:36 UTC

Watching people debate mask efficacy on national TV in the UK is surreal.
We trust masks for surgeons, healthcare workers, and every kind of airborne hazard.
Even basic blue surgical masks cut risk by around 50–60%… which, in case you’re shit at maths, is still miles better than 0%.
I feel like I'm going crazy,...but that's what I get for reading the news.
#Covid #MaskUp #UK #Health #Covid19 #Scotland

2025-12-11 07:55:18 UTC

A GENTLE PSA
Getting sick doesn’t do what you might think it does.
Viruses can only create new variants when they spread. More infections = more replication = more mutations = more chances for a fitter, more evasive strain to appear.
Very few viruses give lifelong immunity. Most immunity to respiratory viruses fades, and with high levels of transmission, new variants appear often. That’s why we keep getting sick.
Getting sick doesn’t fix the problem. It drives it.
https://xkcd.com/2557/
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/699/821/959/260/518/original/7575af4fd1ea5cd1.jpg

2025-12-10 09:25:27 UTC

THREAD
1/
Parenting is hard. Good parenting is harder.
My journey as a parent has been long and difficult, and I’ve learned an awful lot along the way.
So, I thought I would share the things that have made the biggest difference in my relationship with my children. Each has required a lot of work and a lot of energy, but now that they are firmly in place, they allow us all to live with some ease.
#Parenting #Writing #Books #Children #Family #Scotland #WritingCommunity #Reading
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/694/540/213/903/900/original/44197cf650528a70.jpg

2025-12-09 09:26:22 UTC

THREAD
1/
I’d like to share a small publishing milestone.
‘Drystone - A Life Rebuilt’ has gone into a second print run.
And because publishing is famously opaque, and there are so many wildly unrealistic ideas out there about how it all works, here are the numbers in plain terms...
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Publishing #Reading #Authors #Books
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/688/879/824/663/224/original/155d8ec578e1339c.jpeg

2025-12-07 14:42:30 UTC

THREAD
1/5
I want to pick up another part of the ‘nature cure’ problem
When a woman writes about the outdoors, people often reach for the same narrative template. She walked, she felt better, the land healed her. It can read as wholesome encouragement, even harmless, but the effect is anything but neutral.
‘Nature cure’ quietly shifts the focus away from the systemic forces that harmed her in the first place.
#Scotland #Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #Books #NatureWriting #Nature
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/678/801/258/226/145/original/2f3547c1f3200aae.jpg

2025-12-06 10:35:27 UTC

Thread
1/4
Recently at a Q&A, the chair asked me an excellent question: Why do you push so hard against the idea of a ‘nature cure’ when moments in your book Drystone - A Life Rebuilt might look like exactly that?
The answer is simple.
#Reading #Writing #WritingCommunity #Scotland #NatureWriting #Nature #Land #Women #Author
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/672/167/756/621/469/original/f4cc497df233063c.jpeg

2025-12-04 08:40:35 UTC

A young woman I know is putting on a play as part of her thesis. Attendance is in-person or via live stream.
Serina is Covid Conscious & her play shares the lived experiences of everyday people with the pandemic.
Let's throw our full support behind her!
#Covid #covidIsNotOver #covid19 #Glasgow #Scotland #Theatre #maskUp
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/660/386/037/985/495/original/e7f991b2ba04c4bb.jpg

2025-11-30 18:32:22 UTC

If you can't attend my event tomorrow at University of Glasgowi, it s available to live stream at the link below
https://uofglasgow.zoom.us/j/84847985257?pwd=5cTX0Q1TL0A7Oc9VlxXGZnaurgAwdy.1
It's going to be an interesting and lively conversation.
1pm start.
#Glasgow #Scotland #Event #Reading #Writing #WritingCommunity #Author #Books #Book #Accessibility
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/640/064/171/989/030/original/49f6f6694e1fe02a.jpeg

2025-11-25 18:16:10 UTC

I will be at Creative Conversations - 1pm at Glasgow Uni on Monday 1st December.
This is a wonderful series of events in a beautiful venue (the university memorial chapel!) and it's free!
I love doing these events now, so come and say Hello!
Reserve your place at link below.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/creative-conversations-kristie-de-garis-tickets-1828297881179
#Scotland #Books #WritingCommunity #Reading #Writing #Glasgow
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/611/940/556/005/600/original/31619b5dd33331c0.jpeg

2025-11-25 17:56:54 UTC

A wee favour to ask...
If you have read my book 'Drystone - A Life Rebuilt', I'd be so grateful if you could leave a review. A rating is great, but a written review is really helpful to potential readers. Books are very personal things, so feel free to be honest, what you didn't like might be something that someone else loves, and vice versa.
In terms of where, Goodreads seems to be a trusted review site where many readers congregate.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231517194-drystone
Thank you
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/611/616/963/810/695/original/85c493c3f4ba5f0d.jpeg

2025-11-23 19:44:34 UTC

Next week I'll be 7 years sober.
Some thoughts on that journey.
(Full text in the comments)
#Sobriety #Alcohol #Addiction #Writing #Reading #Scotland #WritingCommunity
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/600/710/052/869/233/original/10c6ed0e91806208.jpg

2025-11-17 21:29:30 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…as30 I didn't even find writing easy! Haha! Maybe easier. Definitely preferable to promotion.

2025-11-17 20:57:14 UTC

I've completely abandoned any promotion since my book, Drystone - A Life Rebuilt came out in August because honestly, I'm sick of it. Sick of talking about myself. Sick of thinking about my past. Sick of being online loads. All three are incredibly bad for me. So, while I'd love it if you bought my book (it's genuinely really good) I'm not willing to rinse myself to persude you.
(Either I'm fucking terrible at promotion, or I'm twenty years ahead ;)
#Books #Reading #Scotland #Writing
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/567/024/988/815/774/original/1237ea1efddb28e0.png

2025-11-14 13:00:29 UTC

What is usually a one hour trip from Perthshire to Glasgow turned into three hours yesterday due to hunners of escaped chickens on the A9. Really.
Got to my event after it had started, out of breath due to running the last ten minutes to the venue in the pouring rain.
Massive thanks to Helen Cross for guiding Kat Hill and I through easy and interesting conversation. A year ago I never though I'd be saying this, but I really do hugely enjoy these events. Especially meeting readers.
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/115/548/164/670/426/188/original/04bfa8f2c2a9ca61.jpeg

2025-11-05 11:58:36 UTC

I have really limited promotional energy right now, but wanted to mention that I will be at Aye Write with my absolute fav, the brilliant Kat Hill.
Mitchell Library, Glasgow. 13th November, 6pm. Tickets at link below.
It'll be good.
https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/event/1/bothy-and-drystone-kat-hill-and-kristie-de-garis
#Scotland #AyeWrite #Books #Reading #WritingCommunity #Writing #Glasgow

2025-06-19 07:48:20 UTC

Writing a book was extremely hard and honestly, pretty boring (certainly for someone with ADHD). The whole process of publishing is necessary, but I'm not a fan. It would seem that the BEST part of it all is having readers directly engage with your book, and I am finally, thankfully, at that stage.
So, I thought I would share some early reader comments with you.
And as always, if you're in the UK, you can buy the book here
https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15919/9781846976469
#Bookstodon #Books #Writing #Scotland #Book
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/708/908/748/456/915/original/5fbedd1cd91dc2d0.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/708/908/749/114/988/original/d1f1a0118c2c49f8.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/708/908/739/826/605/original/902147fa5fde48a1.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/708/908/752/792/371/original/305bcd0c08cf0728.jpg

2025-05-26 13:57:24 UTC

This is not neutrality, this is caring for the long haul.
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/574/479/908/233/927/original/d2f54270566d2e7d.jpg

2025-05-23 09:23:18 UTC

If you want to know what I'm into...I'm into this.
#photography #monochrome #scotland #blackandwhitephotography
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/556/406/045/601/623/original/b3913a237624bcb7.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/556/408/693/132/978/original/0913f7a154a7c059.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/556/411/450/436/497/original/63688096db270e66.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/556/413/647/497/810/original/6982e1e78392f21e.jpg

2025-05-22 13:02:47 UTC

Had my photo taken today for an exciting thing & although I was dreading it (so out of my comfort zone) I enjoyed it in the end. The whole process made so much easier by wonderful Stephanie Ferry who did makeup/hair/light babysitting of my youngest, & photographer Jo Hanley, who made being on this side of the camera fairly painless.
Photo by my daughter.
#Author #Writing #Photography #Scotland
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/551/611/960/901/883/original/cf4c06bbc9448cb6.jpeg

2025-05-05 11:43:05 UTC

Just a reminder that I send pretty great, definitely eclectic, always interesting newsletters
All good stuff. No spam.
You can subscribe at the bottom of the page.
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/i-contain-multitudes/
#Newsletter #Books #Bookstodon #Scotland #Author #Women #Photography

2025-05-04 14:05:29 UTC

My daughter took these photos of me today.
I truly hate having my photo taken but around her, someone I am very comfortable with, it was fun and relaxed. And I think it shows!
I also like that I look like *me*. I think that's because she knows me so well.
#Photography #Books #Scotland
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/449/914/847/738/679/original/4f6da5128f9c28f5.jpeg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/449/914/843/544/585/original/4a55ab43f54483b4.jpeg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/449/914/846/230/295/original/186db330275c56ed.jpeg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/449/914/856/036/592/original/fd5de2daa9336cd9.jpeg

2025-04-30 19:52:03 UTC

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@nprofile…20qw Yes! It's also that initiative I hope to teach. You don't wait for fun/adventure you go and you make it! And that can be found everywhere.

2025-04-30 19:39:47 UTC

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@nprofile…20qw Adventures are the best. The water was cold today too, (a loch in April in Scotland, brrrr) but we warmed up to it quickly. First time paddleboarding too!

2025-04-30 19:27:23 UTC

My daughter said, more than once, “This is the best day I’ve ever had.”
She still sees magic in clouds and puddles. She still gets excited by city lights at night.
The life I’ve built for my kids might look small from the outside, but it’s huge in the ways that count. Joy isn’t waiting in some far-off land or future plan. It’s right here. Right now. Right on our doorstep.
(And yes, raising children like this is, in some ways, a privilege. No denying that)
#Scotland #Outdoors #Parenting
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/428/548/995/898/056/original/f739d7a69d7ea7c8.jpeg

2025-04-22 16:38:29 UTC

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@nprofile…6820 Thank you!

2025-04-22 16:21:49 UTC

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@nprofile…eedx One of my favourites I think.

2025-04-22 15:11:13 UTC

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If you like the look of drystone, here's a *free* and very beautiful (if I do say so myself) drystone walling guide I made that you can download at the link.
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/i-walked-so-you-could-run-free-drystone-walling-guide-download-now/
Drystone is pretty magic. Unbeatable sustainability credentials, an ancient craft with a global tradition, kind to flora and fauna....I could go on.
Feel free to ask me any questions and I will try to answer.

2025-04-17 07:46:16 UTC

I have bad news.
I've been stretching every morning and I feel better in every way.
Just like drinking more water, cleaning my room, lowering my sugar intake...it works.
FFS.
😂

2025-04-16 19:47:05 UTC

1/
A wee PSA
Chronic illness means relapses, plateaus, ongoing management, not a clear endpoint/recovery.
While the intention is kind, “get well soon” doesn’t always land the way you might hope. Not just because it’s not possible, but because it’s a reminder of how society views illness, as something to overcome rather than something to live with.
What I prefer is:
“I’m thinking of you.”
“That sounds hard.”
Emojis also work.
#ChronicIllness #Women #Disability #Scotland #UK

2025-04-16 17:08:43 UTC

My chronic illnesses are bad at the moment. I don't have the same energy to write things, do drystone, take photos or share things.
Until you read it, I don't think you'll understand how much the book means to me. The fact it exists. The fact I still existed to write it.
Book promotion is really important to me (to all authors, so much of it is on us) and my poor health and low energy means that it may feel unsubtle for a while.
#Writing #ChronicIllness #Scotland #Books #Bookstodon
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/348/737/370/100/842/original/5fe1488ecba737e6.jpg

2025-04-16 14:30:49 UTC

On why anger is important. Vital.
#Writing #Books #Women #Scotland #UK #Culture #Bookstodon #AmWriting #AltText
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/348/116/424/760/985/original/0fab1ff1328ebd83.jpg

2025-04-10 14:52:21 UTC

Culross, Scotland.
#Photography #Scotland #Architecture #Historic #OldBuildings #ArchitecturePhotography #FediPhoto #Photomastodon #EverydayBeauty
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/314/221/266/690/509/original/5f8f57629a3d30f9.jpg

2025-04-09 10:11:29 UTC

💥POW💥
Let the unbearable cuteness of this tiny, wiggly lamb hit you like a freight train.
#Scotland #Countryside #Spring #Lambs #Outdoors #Cute
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/307/430/079/323/044/original/f5c39e1e34ff7571.mp4

2025-04-08 14:30:06 UTC

I just want to be the kind of woman who posts a photo of a drystone wall (that she built), then a picture of a bird, then a thirst trap, you know?
🤣💪🏾👌🏽
#ThatKindOfWoman #Scotland #Books #Nature #Writing #Drystone #Photography #Women
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/302/810/147/010/596/original/956f35bd8a6bff2a.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/302/810/672/823/523/original/a014480b4a419c99.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/302/816/947/458/026/original/7be9e76fd8504748.jpg

2025-04-07 15:54:10 UTC

Long day. Tired, HOT, (what is this weather? (Not complaining!)) ready to wash the stone grit from my eyes, nose, mouth, armpits, between my toes...you get the idea.
But the wall is looking great. And back to it tomorrow. Every stone placed by hand.
#Craft #Drystone #Scotland #Sustainable #Nature
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/297/486/524/762/353/original/6a959a1cec836697.jpg

2025-04-07 08:56:23 UTC

A view and a thank you!
While I'm not ready to be in front of the camera, here's a sincere thank you from behind it. If you like Scottish landscapes, Scottish accents, and gratitude, you'll enjoy this.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DII51K9CMcs/?igsh=MXhudTFvdmo4ZGF5Nw==
#DebutAuthor
#Memoir
#ScottishBooks
#WorkingClassWriters
#MixedRaceWriters
#NeurodivergentWriters
#SmallPressPublishing
#BooksOfMastodon
#PlaceWriting
#DrystoneWalling
#Bookstodon
#Books
#Scotland
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/295/823/500/300/390/original/7ccda2d8632eaffd.mp4

2025-04-06 13:29:01 UTC

I’m allowing myself to go on about this because… for a working-class, mixed-race, debut author with a small press, four months out from publication and no big PR push, to be on the first page of memoirs on bookshop.org is huge.
It means a lot to see my name alongside these authors and to know the book is resonating.
Thank you!
#Publishing #Books #Scotland #NatureWriting
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/291/249/553/418/543/original/f51c1cadcec0b4cb.jpg

2025-04-05 11:19:54 UTC

My book is currently appearing on the first page of memoirs on Bookshop.org - out of over 100 pages!
That’s likely down to people pre-ordering, and it’s such a powerful reminder that where we buy books really does matter!
Huge thanks to everyone who’s ordered. If you’d like to, the link’s below.
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/drystone-a-life-rebuilt-kristie-de-garis/7836359?ean=9781846976469
Or buy directly through your local indie bookstore!
Thank you, each and every one of you for your kind words, shares & orders.
#Books #Publishing #Bookshops #Scotland
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/285/082/533/686/809/original/3c154f5364c260e9.jpg

2025-04-04 17:39:19 UTC

Here’s why you should pre-order my book...
It’s very good
Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was my first crush
I'm anti-fascist af
My feet are pretty sexy
I believe that hits all the marketing highs? 🤣
Info here
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/about-my-book-drystone-a-life-rebuilt/
#Books #WorkingClassWriting #AntiFascist #Scotland #NatureWriting #Publishing
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/280/910/266/749/568/original/c0f9368f133591c2.jpeg

2025-04-03 14:21:26 UTC

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@nprofile…y3mz Sorry, I can't say as I don't want to share my location online.

2025-04-03 14:10:40 UTC

As we say in Scotland...
Get it right up ye!
(...the nature, that is.)
🤣🤣🤣
#Scotland #Landscape #Nature #Relax #Outdoors
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/274/422/229/110/893/original/9977e3abe6261ea4.mp4

2025-04-02 09:35:31 UTC

Back to drystone after a break. And it's not a bad view from the banker*. I have my Merlin Bird App on and a pair of binoculars nearby. Dreamy, really.
*A sturdy, tall table where we shape stone.
#Scotland #Drystone #Birds #Loch #Craft #Outdoors
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/267/685/727/012/749/original/29aee8f8c4efebb9.jpg

2025-04-01 10:00:40 UTC

This one was hard.
I wrote about being the wrong kind of victim.
The kind who stayed. The kind who didn't call the police. The kind who texted three days after.
And yes, it might make you feel uncomfortable, but it's the experience of many, many victims. So important to understand.
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/not-the-right-kind-of-victim/
#Writing #Women #Scotland #WritingThroughTrauma #Memoir #BreakingTheSilence

2025-03-29 09:33:59 UTC

Some great weekend reading here.
Swap out one horrifying news story about fascism for this piece and feel infintely better about the world.
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/working-class-women-arent-supposed-to-say-this/
#Writing #Author #WritingCommunity #Scotland #Reading #Books #WorkingClass #WorkingClassWriters #Women

2025-03-28 18:14:38 UTC

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@nprofile…8z78 oh based on what I'm seeing in the world, I think you'll be spoiled for choice! 🤣

2025-03-28 16:04:12 UTC

Buy my book. It's very good.
Wouldn't it be nice to see someone who's not a shitbag doing well?
🤣🤣
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/about-my-book-drystone-a-life-rebuilt/
(scroll to bottom of linked page for purchase options)
#Books #Author #Scotland #Writing #WritingCommunity
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/240/902/013/609/389/original/287796771f0e5834.jpeg

2025-03-26 07:58:05 UTC

Working-class women aren’t supposed to say this.
But I did.
And I want to hear it from you too.
Join me. Tell me about your work. Your words. What you’ve built.
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/working-class-women-arent-supposed-to-say-this/
#WorkingClassWriters #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #Books #Author #Women #TootYourOwnHorn #Scotland #UK #WorkingClass

2025-03-25 09:20:38 UTC

Publishing looks glossy from the outside. Inside? It’s built on unpaid labour.
My first book is out this year.
Here’s what I actually got paid, what my contract says, & why most authors can’t afford to do this twice.
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/published-doesnt-mean-paid/
#Publishing #Books #Author #Writer

2025-03-18 11:55:59 UTC

Labour are brutally gutting diability benefits while allowing many more to become disabled.
Research shows that roughly 1 in 10 people in UK have Long Covid, with many more to follow.
Each infection carries risk, not only for LC but many other sequelae.
Covid is an *ongoing* mass disabling event.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/17/long-covid-pandemic-britain-power-lockdown-disease
#Covid #Covid19 #LongCovid

2025-03-13 09:11:57 UTC

Loch (can't be-)Leven
Beautiful light striking through the mist, making the water shimmer.
#Photography #BlackAndWhite #Monochrome #LandscapePhotography #Scotland #Mist
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/154/345/590/328/531/original/d95b8ec6c09ed03a.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/114/154/345/590/385/359/original/cf59ecc767e7e21c.jpg

2025-03-12 09:04:53 UTC

THE SLOG.
When you're not inspired—you're just stubborn.
I wrote something on what no one told me about writing a book. But really, it’s about anything worth doing.
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/the-slog-what-no-one-told-me-about-writing-a-book/
#Writing #Writer #Books #Author #Photography #Scotland

2025-03-11 12:32:10 UTC

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@nprofile…fn2v I really miss the joy that animals bring to a life.
I'd also like to make friends with one of the crows in the garden. A good project for the summer.

2025-03-11 08:09:21 UTC

When the world feels chaotic, I focus on small things: a sparrow named Peck, a misty morning at Loch Leven, a podcast that has my daughter and me asking why Hera would ever put up with Zeus.
What are your small joys?
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/happiness-in-this-economy/
#BirdNerd #Scotland #Writing #Books #Photography

2025-03-04 08:16:45 UTC

As a small way to say thank you for all the support for my book 'Drystone - A Life Rebuilt', I’ve made a free, downloadable, and (if I do say so myself) beautiful drystone guide. Read more below and share far and wide!
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/i-walked-so-you-could-run-free-drystone-walling-guide-download-now/
#Scotland #Writing #Photography #Drystone #Craft #HowTo

2025-03-03 17:06:48 UTC

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@nprofile…8z78 Thank you so so much! I really hope you like the book! I have to say, time is flying by. March already!

2025-02-12 11:46:27 UTC

#ADHD edition. The title says it all.
'I’ve had to put systems in place to stop myself from losing entire days to doom scrolling—on my phone, or in my own mind (the For You page of my brain is truly something).'
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/how-i-get-anything-done-ever/
You can subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page.
#Writing #Scotland #MentalHealth
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/113/990/741/383/451/640/original/f55e6797cc3ecc40.jpg

2025-02-11 11:43:01 UTC

A side by side comparison of digital v film images. I almost exclusively prefer the film. What do you think? What are the differences that you notice?
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/digital-v-film/
#Photography #BelieveInFilm #WomenInPhotography #FilmPhotography #Scotland
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/113/985/069/631/763/877/original/2554d06b7fb9a576.jpg

2025-02-07 13:28:52 UTC

#Fediverse Pals! Thank you so much for all your sign ups for my newsletter/posts over at ghost.io
Glad I left Substack, don't miss the neo-nazis and facilitators, and now I have a much better UI ;)
About to send out my first ever newsletter. Expect an intro, a bit about intention, anti-fascism, why I chose ghost, a dive into the themes of my book and then an insight into my publishing journey so far (I'd currently rate it at 4/10)
https://kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/a-new-way-to-engage/
#Writing #Scotland
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/113/962/822/838/525/681/original/af439f378d854617.jpg

2025-02-06 14:01:08 UTC

Sharing this again as I changed the URL of my substack.
It's short, it's funny, it'll probably give you a new perspective.
Sure sex is great but...have you ever built a wall that will last hundreds of years?
Spoiler...I have.
https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/sure-sex-is-great-but?r=57x9zz
#Writing #Essay #Women #Scotland #Write #Author #Books
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/113/957/299/446/885/369/original/9ec48f870cb8f027.jpg

2025-02-06 09:59:44 UTC

I think it will always feel like plagiarism to simply capture the beauty of something beautiful.
Poppies on Ektar 100, Bronica SQA
#Photography #BelieveInFilm #FilmPhotography #Flowers #WomenInPhotography #Scotland
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/113/956/353/631/032/703/original/a605affa56f06c36.jpg

2025-01-23 12:43:06 UTC

Perthshire, Scotland (plus bonus cloud inversion)
#Photography #Scotland #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #WomenInPhotography
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/113/877/723/560/603/888/original/49fd16555ad4a49d.jpg

2025-01-21 18:11:22 UTC

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@nprofile…f5su Thank you! It was honestly so amazing. Here's a video from the loch. It was moving along the valley and hit the loch just as we got there.
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/113/867/687/579/007/783/original/232c72cf41f9b6d3.mp4

2025-01-21 17:16:55 UTC

As above, so below.
Very lucky to see this cloud inversion from above and then at ground level this afternoon.
#Photography #LandscapePhotography #Monochrome #BlackAndWhite #Scotland #WomenInPhotography #Landscape #Nikon
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/113/867/474/610/838/587/original/52d02e2e8511880d.jpg
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/113/867/475/472/701/807/original/0d6bd52003ce1472.jpg

2025-01-13 10:06:43 UTC

Garden Magic - 35mm Film
#Photography #BelieveInFilm #FilmPhotography #WomenInPhotography #BloomScrolling #Scotland
https://media.mastodon.scot/media_attachments/files/113/820/485/724/029/993/original/6ad0737f42312312.jpg