Leaping towards London

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

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.