Passing through the longest day is always a bitter-sweet moment for me.  A day to marvel at nature’s finest but knowing that we stand at the pinnacle of the year’s light and it’s all downhill from here.  At least until the shortest day and we start the cycle all over again.

Living in a valley brings some of the most amazing changes in light.  Each day the sun peeks over one hillside in the morning and is the best barometer of how the day will be.  It rises to a crescendo in the evening before the sun slumps behind the growing pine tress on the other hillside leaving behind a halo of light to tantalise for a few moments more.

Since last Friday’s shortest day the combination of light and some of the strangest misty weather has painted new fleeting landscapes giving us the best kind of in-home entertainment.  Watching the light dance on the hillsides is a priceless return on our investment in the conservatory where we can sit and admire the view whatever the weather.