All images / Mike Ahern
Waking up to another Winter Solstice at the weekend was a bit of an eye opener. I realised that somehow the rug had been pulled from underneath me and with it had gone 2014, almost.
Despite it being the shortest day of the year here in the UK, we decided to brave the elements and head outdoors for some much needed fresh air. It would be virtually impossible for me to write-up the weather conditions that we experienced without telling you it how it really was - bleak! However, we were not to be deterred by this and set out across the Somerset border to the village of Marshfield in Gloucestershire for an invigorating walk to blow away the remaining cobwebs from 2014.
This picturesque place holds such a very special set of childhood memories for me and is steeped in my family's ancestry - inevitably Marshfield still feels like a home from home. I can just about bring myself to walk past the old cottage in 'East End' which used to belong to my great Grandparents, where I remember playing around in their beautiful garden with my sister, before the sentimental pangs kick in. But it's not all about looking back...
There is the looking forward too. 2015 holds much promise and anticipation for me and no doubt for you too. Christmas is one of those guaranteed periods where I know that I will take some much needed time-out with my family and friends to enjoy all of the festivities, before rolling my sleeves up ready to take on the New Year.
This just leaves me with one more thing to write before switching of my computer until 2015, and that is to wish you all a very Happy Holiday, wherever you are in the world and whatever you are doing.
M
