Sunday 30 December 2007

Chasing rainbows!

Hello Bloggers.. I am back.. in spirit if not in mind.. as I must confess that I have lost my mind a little over the last week of lethargy and gluttony!
I hope that you have all had joyous and memorable Christmas celebrations.. and have got through the mine field of family politics unscathed..
Not wishing to sound like a belated humbug.. I am glad that I am on this side of Christmas and the door to 2008 is slightly ajar.. I am always a restless soul at this time of year and can't wait to get going and forge ahead with a New Year a clean slate and a blank calendar to fill! There is an irrisistible urge to put the past behind me and enter an uknown territory.. I am sure that I am not alone in this psychology..?!

After a fairly tropical Christmas day (central heating at full blast at in-laws) we swopped the heat for a blast of fresh cold air and headed for the hills of Dartmoor Devon..
I lost my heart to the hills of this bleak but beautiful moor many years ago as a child when travelling en route to Cornwall for family holidays.. it was a love hate relationship that I had then as I just wanted to cross it as quickly as possible to get to our destination but I was smitten by the endless peaks and valleys and the raw beauty of the place.


on top of the world ...



To return this time was ... bliss! No shops, no crowds, no noise .. other than the roar of the wind past my ears as we climbed one of the many tors and gazed out upon a timeless landscape of hills towards the sea... pure bliss!



It certainly blew the cobwebs away and as we clambered refreshed and pink cheeked back into the car the heavens opened and a rainbow appeared... now that's a good omen I thought!

I would love to hear how you spent your Christmas and intend to catch up with you all on the other side of 2007..
Wishing you all a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR and may your hopes and dreams come true in 2008..
Much love to you
Michelexx

13 comments:

Ragged Roses said...

Hello Michele. So glad to hear you came out the other side! I know exactly how you feel and have written about blowing those cobwebs away too today! Cabin fever was setting in by yesterday!!! Glad you had a good Christmas, it is a good feeling to have got through it isn't it! I love Dartmoor too and am very envious of you (but in a nice way!)
Kimx

Tracy said...

Hooray--we all made it through the holidays! LOL! I feel much as you do...I am very excited about the New Year, about plans brewing in my brain and on paper. I'm ready to banish the Christmas decorations to their boxes again. I want peace, order and quiet. Still, it was a wonderful holiday. DH became ill with a cold by the 26th though and we had to cancel joining in a couple of dinner. But we have been having sweet days at home together--time to relax, rest, read, eat treats and call family & friends. We look forward to ringing in 2008! Your photos are wonderful! Wishing you & yours a New Year full of love, peace and JOY! ((HUGS))

Lucy Bloom said...

Hi Michele,
Always a relief to survive, I am definately a bit thicker around the middle now, should have done some walking but I'm easily discouraged by a bit of cold, wet and wind. Your walk looked fantastic though. Have a great New Year and catch up with you in 2008,
best wishes,
Lucy x

Louise said...

Hi Michele, no you don't want to know how I spent my Christmas. Xmas Eve and Xmas Day went well, Boxing Day morning, well you know what I did, late afternoon well that was the start of it, not to go into graphic detail but I became ill with a horrible stomach bug, so bad the doctor had to be called the next morning, today after a slow start I have managed some hot food and am beginning to feel more like myself again, what a fiasco, commitments had to be cancelled and a couple of sickies off work! Although I have shed those Xmas pounds and a few more, so a head start with the New Year diet plans! We both love Cornwall and I have photos of me with the Dartmoor ponies as a kid. We always underdress when we go to J's mums! So glad you had a great time. I feel it in my aching bones that 2008 is going to be a good year, it couldn't be any worse than the end of this one! Better go now, I still don't feel quite right, do I ever! Louise x

Leisa said...

Lovely to hear of your Christmas. What beautiful countryside to go walking in! Best wishes for 2008.

Chelle said...

I can definitely relate the idea of being ready to start over with a new year. For some reason it IS nice to think you can leave one year behind and start afresh with a new one. I'm sure I wish for the same things in this new year as I did the last, but I'm still excited all the same.

Glad you had such a wonderful holiday. The pictures are beautiful. I bet the fresh air was relaxing.

I look forward to reading your blogs and commenting on them in the year to come. All the best!

Michelle

closed account said...

Oh , how nice to find someone who feels the same as me, I thought I was a rather hum bug person myself, but great You said it first!!lol..so I don't feel so bad now..aahh yes the door opening on the New Year, and all it's path in front to walk and admire as we go along...I hat to admit but my tree and decorations are down on the 1st every year, I love the feel of a fresh start like you...Hope it's a gud un..xxxKath
P.S. got your E-mail, you flatter me woman, now I am embarressed,??spelling?..you are just so nice to know yourself, I am humbled to have met so many lovely friends in such a short space of time..
Oh ..and I am envious of Cornwall and Dartmoor, so hence the reason I haven't greeted you on it!!lol..
only kidding, hope you had a lovely time, I copied you on Xmas Day with my pics, but spmehow your hubby has got a barrell over me on those photos, tell him to publish them or at least sell the in prints, he would be a wealthy man indeed, and that's just for having you by his side, need I go on with the niceties, it all just means you are a very special lady indeed and am glad to have you as a friend..Love Kath &co.x

OhSoVintage said...

Hi Michele,
I can't wait to get the decorations down and look forward to 2008. I'll be making several visits to Cornwall to see my mother and may even get to visit our beloved Coverack (I have posted an old postcard on my blog). Happy New Year to you and your family.
Ruth x

Louise said...

Hi Michele, I wish you well for 2008, I am so glad we have met through the blog, isn't it interesting how you can get to know someone's personality just through how they write? I feel so much better today (I must have been ill, five mince pies ended up in the bin yesterday!). I even managed a few hours at work this morning, I thought I better show my face for the last time in 2007 (I can't disappoint my public!), even if I didn't stay that long! I have just discovered about yours and Ruth's connection with Cornwall, I think it is uncanny that both of you have met through the blog, and it is really exciting for you to have so much in common with the past. I think more cobwebs have to be blown away in 2008, don't you, we deserve better. Happy New Year to you and your family, enjoy any celebrating you may be doing but watch yourself, not too much ginger wine! Louise x

Anonymous said...

Hi Michele, what is it about inlaws and the heating? I had a constant ongoing battle with the window at the cottage, and the mother-in-law. She shut it, I opened it, she shut it, I... well you get the picture! I recognise the pictures of beloved Dartmoor, glad to hear it did trick! Have a Happy New Year's Eve, and a Prosperous and Radiant 2008! xx

Sea Angels said...

Hi Michele, your day out in Dartmoor just looks divine. We need to replenish our spirit and soul this time of the year, and just enjoy those special places whilst we have the time.
Have a wonderful evening and have a Happy New 2008
Hugs Lynn

Vintage to Victorian said...

Hi Michelle

A very Happy New Year to you, too, and may 2008 be the year we catch up with one another!!

Dartmoor ... Exmoor (my favourite) ... can't beat the peace, solitude and clean air after the tropics!

Sue xx

DianeSchuller.com said...

What lovely photos - it looks so peaceful ... lots of room for contemplation. My Christmas was 100% consumer-free: no shopping, no gifts to exchange, just embrace the people and the season.

Warm wishes for 2008 from a gelid Alberta!

Diane at Sand to Glass