Fabulous February

Welcome to February.

Winter is almost behind us. We are on the last leg and we've survived 100% of the winter days. Spring is just around the corner, lighter evenings and warmer weather awaits us. We will soon start seeing nature waking up with spring blossom and new flowers blooming.

February does have some lovely features:

• Lighter evenings. At the beginning of February the sunset is 4.55pm. By the end of February the sunset will be 5.40pm. We are already enjoying the evenings getting lighter day by day. 
• Beautiful Sunsets. The lighter evenings creeping back in have already given us stunning sunsets the past few days. We can expect many more throughout February.
• Birds Singing. This morning not only did I clearly hear the morning bird song, I also heard the cry of seagulls. For February I am renaming Barnet 'Barnet on Sea' 
• Chinese New Year. This year it falls on Tuesday 1st February and it's the Year of the Tiger. This is a 15 day festival which celebrates a new start for prosperity, happiness, and connections and celebration of people.
• Valentine's Day. We don't need a 'significant other' to enjoy Valentines Day. Send a Valentine's Day card to your parents, your children or your friends and let them know that you love them all year round.
• Pancake Day. This year it falls on Tuesday 1st March, but why not use February to have a few practice runs and enjoy being creative with different ingredients and toppings.
• Short Month. February has 28 days which means less days to wait until the springtime.

February can sometimes be a challenging months as the winter drags on. However, by celebrating the beauty that February gives us, and planning some simple, fun and creative activities, we can motivate this month to make it a Fabulous February.

The lighter evenings boost our mood. It's a great month to enjoy the last of our winter nature. Wrap up warm and enjoy a walk. The New Lunar Year reminds us of new beginnings and celebrating people. Valentines Day gives us an opportunity to tell important people in our lives that we love them, and if we want to be creative we could make hand made cards to send out. We have the element of surprise with beautiful sunsets - what colours and cloud patterns will the sunset bring today?

And for the tougher days, listen out for the seagulls, imagine you are by the coast, and tell yourself you are in 'Barnet on Sea'.