Nacreous clouds are everywhere to be seen as 2023 finishes her spin cycle. And spinning is an appropriate metaphor as it feels like the year has barely started and yet it’s almost in the laundry basket, ready to hang up.

Those beautiful rainbows clouds in the sky lent our local school an almost sci-fi edge. And the drive to school stood out for the number of people with skyward facing cameras as we were mesmerised by these shimmering colour bombs.

Definitely a nice way to end the year although not in my top three highlights for 2023. Along with a trip to Beamish (for the first time in almost 35 years), the joys of driving a dump truck at Diggerland, a few cracking bothy trips, some hill days and a morning planting trees with Young Johnston near Aberfeldy, there were many events which will make 2023 a year to remember.

Interestingly, while thinking about what to include here, I found a few photos like this. Suggesting we must have done a lot of driving this year. Photos courtesy of Mrs J. 😃

Although thankful for them at the time, comfort breaks by the roadside (even on roads with stunning views) were not highlights of the past year. So, in no particular order, what were?

No. 1 – Seaham Beach

In October we all went down to County Durham for a few days. This included what was a brilliant day at Diggerland, where spent the day driving diggers. The kids totally loved it, as did the little boy in me. But my favourite part of the weekend was a day at the beach, Seaham beach to be exact.

For many years, Seaham boasted the largest glass-bottle works in Britain. At the end of the day, any discarded and waste glass was dumped into the North Sea. After many years of “surf tumbling” the glass is washed up on Seaham beaches with every tide. Some of the glass is more than a hundred years old, polished smooth by Mother Nature.

The boys spent a bit of time searching for glass and jumping in the sea.

Kirsty and I were a bit more focused and spent most of our time digging for glass treasure.

This is just a fraction of what we found.

No. 2 – St Kilda

The boat to St Kilda was a belly bouncing nightmare. Dave and I caught the tail end of a storm and the bumps were big. But it was worth it so spend a few hours on the now uninhabited and isolated islands on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

I waxed a bit lyrical about the trip in an earlier blog so I won’t repeat myself.

But follow the link below to read more about what was my most anticipated and enjoyable (despite the journey) trip of the year.

https://challengekev.blog/2023/08/07/when-can-i-go-back-to-st-kilda/

No. 3 – Mini Johnston’s First Camping Trip

I never thought Mini Johnston’s first camping trip would be in December in temperatures of -5C. And yet here we were setting up our tent and preparing for the freezing we knew would be coming.

Lots of running around, picking up sticks, looking for fish in the burn and climbing trees helped us keep the cold away.

And as it got dark we got the fire going and cooked burgers to keep our tummy’s full and warm.

Mini Johnston totally embraced the chance to explore at his leisure and wile away a few hours in the woods doing as he pleased. And I loved listening to him chat about what he could see and what he wanted to do next.

A hot water bottle and some chill time in the tent helped us settle for bed and before I knew it he was asleep, knackered after his exploration.

What better way to explore our planet and enjoy the outdoors than with a kindred spirit.