David McLean's thoughts, incorporating Life Is a Journey.

During the normal course of a family life, some holidays stick in the mind more than others. There are the holidays before the children arrive, with their own special memories which can never be repeated, nor should be. Then there are the times away with your family when they are young and depend on you for their fun, their support, and of course their income. These holidays are different but still very special, and can never be replaced, nor should be. Lastly, there comes the time in your life when you can go on holiday together with your loved one, but without the children. Just like the first holidays you enjoyed all those years before? Not quite! They are different because by that time you have lived your life all the more, and you understand each other so much better, and that life you have lived has enriched your love such that you can almost anticipate the feelings and emotions of your husband or wife. Simple things become great pleasures, and an easy approach to life seems almost natural. You might wonder why this photograph? It is of Kynance Cove in South Cornwall, and is a reminder of holidays together, where long walks along deserted coves and sands, before dawn, were possible. And catching a sunrise over the sea in the still morning coolness would take your breath away. Staying in an old farmhouse is possible, not the kind of accommodation which would have suited you all as a family previously, but which now stretches your imagination. Long, glorious sunsets, slow coastal walks, ice creams, cream teas, talking to complete strangers as you explore bays and coves, who just seem to share your same interests, and who perhaps have also left their children at home for the first time. Wind and rain, yes glorious rain as you walk across moors where you encounter many fields of unattended horses and ponies, and cows! Quiet candlelit dinners. Cosy lunches interrupted by noisy and happy children, when your conversation always turns to your own grown up children and their children too. Yes, you have grandchildren now, and it isn't long before you will be needed once again, to love, support, and just be there for them as you did for their parents before. This is an oasis of time in a hectic world. A time between busy family needs and responsibilities, and it is as if you know it, and so this kind of holiday is special. Irreplaceable. Nor should be!