Sadly, despite having made quite significant progress recuperating from my leg injury, I haven’t yet been able to ride a motorcycle; the old leg just hasn’t got strong enough.

“Annoyed ” is not a strong enough word for it!

The medical support that I have received this year has been superb, though I feel that I have seen the inside of far too many hospital facilities, it’s just a shame that my body hasn’t been able to play the recovery game as quickly as I would like. It’s an age thing I guess!

Equally frustrating, when I look out of the kitchen window at Dookes H.Q. I enjoy a wide vista that includes the mountains of Scaraben and Morven…I so want to get out onto those slopes, but I don’t fancy becoming a “Mountain Rescue” statistic. Back when I was in my teens, my Mountain Leadership training placed great emphasis on knowing ones own capabilities and at the present time mine do not include being safe on those peaks.

Looking ahead, I had contemplated taking one last motorcycle trip to the Alps next year. It is a long way from the Far North of Scotland, 700 miles just to get to the ferry port to France. In the past I wouldn’t have thought twice about that, nor the 600 miles to Jausiers once I had landed on the Continent, but this is now, the new reality. I have cast around a few of my pals to see if anyone fancied a road trip and whilst a few were interested, they either have health issues too, family commitments or worst of all, have sold their motorcycles!!!!

Sadly then the Alps ain’t gonna happen; I’m just going to have to console myself with memories and photos of my days on the high alpine roads.

All is not lost though, I still have Scotland, my “new” country, to explore!

I have though, made a decision about going forward and that is next year I will be ending this blog.

It has been over 12 years since I started on this blogging journey. In the beginning the blog was only supposed to be about my travels on my Harleys and whilst that core remains broadly true, it is fair to say that I have on occasion wandered around a bit! Looking back and reading some of my older posts it is amazing how easily the emotion of the moment often returns to me.
I will sporadically post some more stuff over the next few months, it will be June when the blog ends, so time enough to wrap things up gracefully.

The Winter Solstice arrives on Saturday, marking the turning of the year, I’m feeling happy. Content that the days will soon be growing longer and that the natural order of things still runs true.

It’s probably fair to say that that the Winter Solstice has become my favourite day of the whole year.

In our Northern Hemisphere it is the shortest day.
Here in Caithness the Sun barely shows itself above the horizon and then for the briefest possible time.
Solstice Sunrise for us will be at 09:03, Sunset 15:21hrs, maximum sun elevation at Noon is a mere 8º!

I have written before how the relevance of this turning point has become stronger for me as I grow older; I understand the ancient people who venerated the turning seasons and the Celestial Calendar, I celebrate their wisdom and align myself to their beliefs.

It appears that since the dawn of time our forbears have found reason to celebrate a festival of light in the depths of the darkest day of the year. So why not have a party to celebrate the ending of one celestial year and the beginning of a new one?

Sounds good to me, but then I am a Welsh Wizard/Dewin Cymreig!

On the day before the Solstice I will be out gathering evergreens to decorate Dookes H.Q. Many Pagan religions held tradition where it was customary to place holly leaves and evergreen branches in and around dwellings during winter. It was believed that the good spirits who inhabited forests could come into their homes and use the holly as shelter against the cold; whilst at the same time malevolent forces and spells would be repelled. The added advantage is that the house smells wonderful as a result!

“Now is the Solstice of the year.
Winter is the glad song that you hear.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.”

Happy Solstice and Yuletide Greetings!

Catch you soon,
Dookes