THE TURN OF THE YEAR

Yesterday saw the longest day of the year - the summer solstice - and what better place to be than at Stonehenge to witness the sun coming up and kissing the altar stone as it rises in the eastern sky. I really do not know how many times I have been to Stonehenge but each time we go on holiday, we make a point of stopping there as it`s over 100 miles from home and by the time we get there, we`re ready for a pit stop.

We`ve stopped actually staying in the `official` car park, as they imposed a charge of £2.00, I think - which is a bit much if you just want to use the `facilities,` give the dog a walk and not go anywhere near the ancient monument. So we park along the byeway which is right next door to the main car park. Apart from those brief interludes, we did take our three sons to Stonehenge when they were little - in those days, it was possible to go right up to the stones and we have photos of our boys posing on the stones.

But I agree with the 24,000 who ventured there yesterday morning to mark the summer solstice; I admire their fortitude, their enthusiasm and their allegiance to the forces and powers of nature, whcih they celebrate on 21st June and 21st December each year. Good luck to them.

Despite the cynic in me suggesting that, as the monument is crumbling quite badly and that it`s 6,000 years old and therefore perhaps time we had a new one, I think, given the choice of things to celebrate these days, I might just be with the Druids on this one.

The downside, of course, is that, from here until the winter solstice, the days get shorter and I fear my SAD state will become progressively more severe as the days are chipped away. Why are you not surprised, I wonder?