Yellow Year

By Jill - January 30, 2019

I'll remember 2018 in yellow. The soft, reassuring winter beams, the joyous canary yellow of springtime gorse, washed in bright blazing sunlight, the golden summer evenings and the subtle shifts of nature settling into fall. It was our first full calendar year in Scotland, and so much of it was defined by the seasons.

We began with a literal bang at Hogmany then slowed to a slog through what felt like the world's longest January. I remember being thankful about the present and optimistic about the future in specific moments, but all the while a cloud of uncertainty and homesickness hovered over us. In February we made deliberate choices to have fun and try new things and believe that Spring would come. In March it finally did. Sunlight returned and our hearts woke up and crawled out from hibernation. April brought blossoms and visitors and a new job for me; May and June continued on bright and life-giving. We walked so many miles, topping up on vitamin D, filling our lungs with fresh air, moving our tired legs.

July started out innocently enough but as deadlines approached, pressure returned, and tried to steal our souls. We found silvers of time in August and September and October to rest and play, as we moved into November we formed some new and healthy routines. Tacked onto a full-and-exhausting-in-a-good-way year, December was, true-to-form, too full and exhausting in an unwelcome way, when commitments keep me running while my body wants me to hibernate.

The first half of the year felt like a slow and steady thawing, then a rapid warming, or sort of like a caterpillar cocooning then emerging with colour and wings. The second half felt more like we boarded a rollercoaster, with thrilling heights, and dramatic drops, and soothing respites in between. But also at some point the ride just kept going and we sort of just hung on while we bumped along faster than was comfortable until we finally just arrived at a stop, momentum exhausted, post-Christmas.

Here's our year pictured in walks.