february

Finally February, again

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Last year, my wife remarked that January 2024 was the Januariest January that had ever Januaried. I don’t think January 2025 was quite as bad, but it’s definitely dragged and I’m relieved to be in February again. Not at least because the days are starting to get noticeably longer.

We didn’t do much in January, hence the lack of blog posts about days out. Indeed the only post to the Days Out category was our trip to the Jorvik Viking Centre, and though I published it last month, our visit was in December. January isn’t a good month for going out to places as it’s cold and many attractions are shut for the winter.

As well as the cold, we’ve had the heavy snow to contend with. This resulted in me taking some short notice annual leave to home-school our nine-year-old when the school closed. Indeed, I only managed one full week at work this month, as I had to take a second instance of short-notice annual leave the following week. That was caused by a burst water main, knocking out the water supply both at the school and at home. There was also a funeral to attend.

So it’s been something of an eventful January, just not one that is full of things to write about on a blog. Oh well.

What’s happening in February?

This would be where I tell you about lots of exciting things that we’re planning for February. Alas, we don’t have any plans; it’s probable that February may end up being as uneventful as January. We’ll see; perhaps we’ll end up spending a nice weekend afternoon somewhere if we get lucky with the weather.

Leaping towards London

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An AI-generated image of a woman on a horse leaping through a portal that says 'February 29'

It’s the 29th February today!

Well, actually, I’m writing this on Saturday 24th. I tend to write blog posts in bulk at the weekends, and then schedule them to go live every other day over the week. In any case, I’m unlikely to have time to write much today, as this morning I’m at work and then we’re off to London tonight for a long weekend.

But as the opportunity to publish a blog post on the 29th only comes around once every four years, here you go. And I missed 2020 as I wasn’t blogging then. Had I been, I’d have probably said something about the-then looming pandemic. Ironically, I wrote this on the 29th February 2016:

Maybe something interesting will happen on this day in 2020, but you’ll have to wait another four years to find out, I’m afraid.

I suppose it’s a case of being careful what you wish for. You can also see what I wrote in 2012 (being ill), 2008 (heading to Scarborough for the weekend), and 2004 (not a lot).

I’ll write more about our trip to London once it has actually happened.

Finally February

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The Drake Hotline Bling meme where Drake is showing his hand to January but happy with February.

Good grief, that was a long January. As I remarked to my wife earlier this week, it felt like the Januariest January that ever Januaried. I don’t think I’ve been so relieved that it’s finally February.

It’s also a special February, seeing as it’s a leap year and so we get 29 days.

I’ve been appreciating the earlier dawns – it’s starting to get light about half seven in the morning now, which makes getting up each day a little easier. I’m lucky that I don’t have seasonal-affective disorder, and quite like the early evenings on the run up to Christmas. But it’s also nice for it to start getting lighter too. And the winter flowers – crocuses and snowdrops – are starting to make their appearance. It might not be properly spring again but there’s a few green shoots here and there.