Hammock view at twilight

It's been the last day of the year at Uni and holidays are finally upon us. And this time of year, when the sun shines hard in the valley, we retreat to the shade of the hammocks strung up under the willows along the river's edge.

The course of the river has changed much over the last 10 years as it inches its way closer to our boundary. A few periods of concentrated heavy rain over the last few years have brought white water down the stream, resulting in deeper grooves being gouged out of the river bed.

Not that the dogs mind; after all, their swimming holes have got deeper. It also means that I can now sit on the rock in the foreground and dangle my pale white legs into the frigid water and get a free aqua massage as the water swirls around the submerged rocks.

It's a hard life living in a rural idyll, but for the next fortnight I'm prepared to give it a nudge...