Friday, 9 February 2018

Frightful February

There is so little to do people sit in a row and compare their socks
Does anyone like February?

It's cold, and by now, frankly, cold has lost its novelty value.

It's dreary—couldn't we have a few more sunlight hours yet?

Everyone still feels a bit financially damaged post-Christmas. 

It always seems to be a bad time for deadlines.
Setting fire to your feet while monster fish line up
outside is a good way to spend February


It's hard to be motivated, as there is nothing good just around the corner.

Everyone falls ill, even if they'd managed to survive the winter in tact to this point. Our immune systems just get bored with the whole fighting-off-viruses thing.

The winter foods and drinks that are delightful in the autumn are just reminders that it's STILL not spring. I've had enough hot, spiced apple juice now. And croissants are very nice but I wish it was warm enough for Greek honey and raspberries again.


There is still a Christmas pudding in the cupboard and now it's inevitably going to stay there until Christmas this year.

The post-Christmas diet and dry January
take their toll
It's too cold and windy and wet to do nice things like go boating, fossil-hunting or rock-pooling. But it's not snowy enough to build snowmen or go sledging, or icy enough to go skating.

February is peak 'can't be bothered time.' I'm actually quite glad to be at the boring stage of all the books I'm writing at the moment as I don't have the enthusiasm to work up new ideas. The ideas stand on the sidelines fluttering their eyelashes and trying to look shiny, but I don't care. I'm not looking. It's too much trouble, and they'll never turn out to be as good as they seem because they never do.

I was going to organise a post-Christmas lunch for February because nothing exciting ever happens. But it would just feel flat and contrived and Februaryish.

This February feeling gets into everywhere and everything, like sand does when you go to the beach. Or like those little black storm beetles do in summer.

Does anyone know any antidote to February? Besides just waiting for March?

Anne Rooney
website
blog
A book not written in February:

5 comments:

Mary Hoffman said...

Today is our oldest daughter's birthday and we are celebrating tomorrow with a big family lunch. Yesterday we went to the spa and swam and jacuzzied and steam roomed and had massages. So we are coping with February.

Stroppy Author said...

Sounds like a good way! Having a birthday to celebrate always helps. I like December much more now it brings MB's birthday.

Steve Gladwin said...

I've always hated and dreaded it for as long as I can remember but nowadays try to find good thing in it. I do so know what you mean!

catdownunder said...

February? Oh, it's still HOT here - and I am tired of the heat. Today is humid too and I am not a happy cat at all.
And the problem is that February leads to "mad March" here, particularly mad this year as there is the Fringe, the Festival, that horse race we have a silly public holiday for AND, this year, a state election on the third weekend in March... I don't want to wish my life away but all this is a bit much...

Stroppy Author said...

Oh, Cat, I thought of you as I posted it and wondered if you were baking down there! I'm sorry — what a shame we can't average our year out a bit xx