Out with the old–In with the new

Regular readers may have noticed that we spend a lot of time taking breaks in North Norfolk.  It has become like a second home to us and we relish every moment spent there.  For the last three years we have visited during that limbo time between Christmas and New Year when the air is crisp and the skies a clear blue – a couple of days wrapped up warmly, taking walks and breathing in the sea air – invigorating and life affirming. 

We had snow before we left but the further east we went so the snow diminished until there was just hard frost.  On the homeward journey this process was reversed, and we returned to snow covering the fields – the house was freezing cold when we walked in – so the fire was lit and the heating cranked up while we unpacked. 

I watched as the sunset kissed the back fields with a rosy glow and saw the sheep huddling against the hedgerow for shelter as the winds grew sharp and bitterly cold.  After a brief few hours rest from our journey we ventured out again to a New Years party in the village – meeting and greeting friends of long standing and raising our glasses to a happy new year.  This morning, after a late night, I felt under the weather with a sore throat and the sniffles – oh no – another head cold – finding myself not surprised that I caught a chill but not letting it get in the way of dismantling the decorations and packing them away for another year.  The room looks so bare now – it took far more time to put them all away than it did to set them all up.

And so another year starts – what will it hold?  Will I keep on blogging – yes, because I enjoy the whole process of getting involved and communicating  with fellow bloggers – I have learned so much in the last few years – a whole world out there that I never knew existed before I started blogging.  Yes, it is a huge commitment of my time but it also means I can share posts about things I am passionate about to like minded folk who I look upon as friends.  It is also a discipline to post regularly even when I don’t feel like it and have nothing much to say – it makes me use my brain to try and write better and more interesting posts for you to enjoy. It makes me more observant, noticing the little things and relishing the joy of living – watching the seasons closely, taking photographs of the garden, watching the sun rise and set and feeling so much more involved with my surroundings than I ever did before.

Below is my favourite photograph of 2014 and a collage that sums up the year.

 

 

 

So I say – roll on 2015 – and remember