Tuesday 05 January
I am reluctant to admit what I am fearing is th case. It’s too soon, surely? The post-Christmas, post-New Year slump. The Jan/Feb melancholy. Plus of course the lockdown which comes in to law tonight at one minute past midnight.
Over the years I have become increasingly bothered by those two calendar months that start every new year. I suppose it should be a time of optimism and celebration, a time when we look forward to the adventures contained in the 365 days ahead. But, due to my job and being a Dad, I guess this sense of a new beginning is more relevant to us in September at the start of each academic year.
And then there’s the whole winter thing that, I think, should end immediately after the Christmas break. But there are those sixty-odd days that remind me that spring is not actually around the corner after all. I have been deceived. I think it’s the main reason why there is only twenty-eight days in February, arguably the worst month of the year. “Keep it as short as possible,” is what the calendar committee agreed back in the day.
And so, I feel a bit low this evening. It’s cold and still very dark, when I leave in the morning and when I drive home at night. And I’m back to the days without a walk in the fresh air, without Mabel and the family. No time to take in what’s around me or in front of me, or in the sky or the hedgerow. I miss the sounds and smells, finding the rare colours amongst the browns and shadows of the trees and shrubs. Watching the clouds and, and , and….
And I notice others feel the same, even if they don’t say it. Some go quiet, heads down; others get short and snappy. Some simply exude it. I wonder how few smiles are seen in January and February compared to, say, June and July? Or better still, March and April. I am so looking forward to the 1st March, it even looks good written down.
But something of note did happen today. A Little Egret wading through the flooded field at the back of our school. I caught a glimpse of it through the railings of the all weather sports fence. This did put a smile on my face, mostly because of the bird, but also because I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Just when I needed it most.
The Bald Birder 