January on The Collective

A lovely way to start your year...

Dear friends,

If I haven’t said so before, a very Happy New Year to you! A warm welcome to all our new members, old friends, and those on my email list who are yet to join The Collective—we like you too 😉.

Dave and I have just returned from the Lake District. We travelled three hours north with our two youngest children (both teenagers) and our one-year-old miniature schnauzer, Poe. He thoroughly enjoyed himself, though he spent a day under the weather on our return—apparently, it was all a bit too much excitement for him. Thankfully, he’s back to his usual lively self now.

January in the Lakes is moody and delicious. The pubs have roaring fires, the cafés welcome dogs and serve hot tea by the pot, and the hills are alive with the sound of Herdwick sheep. We stayed in Grasmere—a beautiful little village not far from Ambleside. (Oh yes, I hear the Charlotte Mason aficionados nodding knowingly!) Here’s a photo of the House of Education, where Charlotte lived from around the age of 50 until her death (more about that in my upcoming book):

On our final day, we awoke to snow covering Grasmere's village green and the fells visible between the slate-lined cottages. I kept saying to my children, “Drink it in, take a picture with your eyes so you can always see it once we’re back home in the Midlands.” Oh, and I may or may not have wept when Windermere first came into view as we rounded the corner. Honestly, I breathe in each landscape—it fills my soul and mind’s eye until I can return again.

The Collective - January 2025

Righto—onward with what’s coming up in your membership this month! It’s a month of beginnings, beauty, and British literature. We’ve had lots of new members join over the past few weeks (remember, you can still get 15% off an annual membership until the end of January), so I’m sure you’ll join me in making sure they feel welcome, settled, and acclimatised. Let’s help them navigate the Substack site, access both live and recorded sessions, and thrive among you friendly lot with all the helpful and encouraging things you share!

To ensure this happens, I’ll be hosting a Collective LIVE session on Wednesday, 15th January, at 8 pm (UK). During this session, I’ll guide members through every stage of the platform and membership, including the new elements for 2025, and you’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions you like! The recording will also be available for new members who join us throughout the year.

Next up is our introduction to The Parents' Review Society (sounds so cool, right?), where Art Middlekauff from Charlotte Mason Poetry will be sharing an overview and a bit of history about what we’re diving into! I’ll then issue our first essay, which we’ll read through and discuss at the end of February. Art will be joining us on Friday, 24th January, at 8 pm (UK).

Finally, I’ll be hosting our first All Booked book club on Thursday, 30th January, at 8 pm (UK), where we’ll be discussing the first half of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, up to and including Chapter 19.

In addition to all this, our digital co-working space, The Brontë Room, will be running on the 10th, 24th, and 31st of January at 4 pm (UK). This is an open digital space where I play some background music for an hour, and we all bring a little work, reading, writing, commonplacing, crafting—whatever you like—and sit quietly together to breathe and focus.

All these dates and the links for each session will be shared in the members' chat area closer to the time and will also be updated in our shared Google Calendar.

This year we’re introducing "The Masterpiece of the Month"—a chance to pause and appreciate one remarkable work of art each month. Over the next 12 months, we’ll explore a diverse range of pieces, taking time to observe, reflect, and discuss them together.

For January, we’re starting with Augustus Leopold Egg’s The Travelling Companions. This captivating painting, with its symmetry, contrasting colours, and quiet storytelling, invites us to consider themes of duality and journeying—both literal and metaphorical. As Katherine Watson says in Mona Lisa Smile, “Consider it. Consider it. You don’t have to like it, you just have to consider it.”

Egg, Augustus Leopold. The Travelling Companions. 1862.

I’ll share some background and prompts to guide our exploration. Whether you’re an art enthusiast or simply curious, I’m excited to embark on this visual journey with you!

In February, our usual rhythms will begin to take shape, and hopefully, more of you will feel settled and familiar with everything here.

I’m so grateful that you’re here. If you’d still like to check out the behind-the-scenes Collective community, click the link below to join us with 15% off!

May your tea be hot, your twinkly lights perfectly set, and your slippers right where you left them.

Leah x