I took a long shower and once dried and dressed, I turned off the light and opened the bedroom curtains. The place was already a hive of activity, with light streaming out of the barn and all of the huts. I cracked the window open a little and along with the sound of a robin in full voice, wisps of conversation and shouted seasonal greetings met my ears. Everyone was abustle, but then with just a week until Christmas day, that was no surprise. Today was the last Saturday to shop before the twenty-fifth and there were sales to be made.

I knew I should go out and offer to help, but I just couldn’t face it. My dip in mood and lack of festive cheer had initially been brought on by imaginings of Maya and Ned, but there was something else niggling at me too.

Whereas before I couldn’t wait to wave goodbye to Wynter’s Trees, the thought now appealed less and less. Of course, I wasn’t going to be banished and could visit whenever I wanted to, but I didn’t know how I’d cope with seeing the place being solely run by someone else. Especially as that person was going to be Ned.

Resolved not to bring the celebratory outdoor ambience down, I lingered indoors on the pretence of easing myself into the day and catching up on a few chores. The recycling box was fit to burst, so I thought I’d start by emptying that.

‘What’s this doing in here?’ I frowned, as I pulled out the large brown envelope which had arrived, addressed to me, and had now been thrown on top of the flattened cardboard and rinsed out jars.

I might have forgotten all about my unexpected post, but that didn’t give Ned the right to recycle it. Abandoning the job in hand, I ripped open the envelope and reached inside.

‘Forest schools,’ I reminiscently smiled as I pulled out the brochure, then flicked through the pages and read the cover letter.

When I’d started utilising the small area of wild outdoor space at the school I’d been made redundant from, the headteacher had been completely onboard with the idea of incorporating nature into the groups I worked with and had even looked into signing us up to the forest school project with a view to sending me on some specific training.

Unfortunately, there were no formal sites near enough to make visiting an option and then further funding cuts saw the idea shelved completely and my training opportunity lost. However, the idea of being properly trained had never completely taken flight.