Confabulations

It’s been raining for about 8 months now and more rain is forecast for the next week. My house is quite old and although there’s nothing wrong with the guttering, the drains don’t cope too well under the pressure. I say ‘drains’ – there’s only one, small drain for the whole house, which may have something to do with the problem. The back yard is often awash with rainwater, washing-machine water and sink water. Not toilet water thank god or I’d have to move out.

This is the only house I’ve ever lived in where the drains can’t cope with normal use – even scabby student flats didn’t have this problem no matter what you put down them. Maybe the Victorians didn’t use much water? Did they bath once a week?

Today is Blue Monday, apparently the most depressing day of the year. We’re a long way from Christmas, we have massive debts, the weather is awful and we’ve just broken our new year’s resolutions by having a heavy weekend of drinking and chocolate. Blue Monday was in fact made up by a travel company as a marketing ploy to get us all to book a vacation in Florida. Still, there seems to be some truth in it – after all, how many of us are really over the moon to be back at work, poor, getting up in the freezing dark every morning, AND suffering with a diet/exercise regime/budget? If you could measure depression in any quantifiable manner I’m sure today wouldn’t be far from the top but that’s not to say we should let the press put a label on it and force us to take part. Blue Monday allows us to wallow in self-pity, it justifies our grumpy moods and gives us carte blanche to be objectionable…it probably goes some way toward proving we love to complain. How about this year, we all try to smile on Blue Monday, congratulate the achievement of a 2 week diet and see paying off our debts within 2 years as a good thing.

Welcome to 2009, the Year of the Ox! The year began with a loud noise – the sound of millions of people tightening their belts into an uncomfortable position. Uncomfortable, but thrifty. 2009 will be the year of the miser, the year of scrimping and saving against an impending job loss or company closure. Against rising taxes and the cost of living, against fuel shortages and bankcruptices.

I for one am going to take up free hobbies. Instead of spending £70 a month on a gym subscription, £8 on a cinema ticket and £20 eating out, I shall read, make crafty objects and walk or cycle outside where the fresh air costs nothing. It may be boring but it’ll save money.

I hope you celebrated the new year well – the last day of extravagance before dark times. If you used recyclable party supplies then all the better, you’re helping the planet too.