January

 The month of Janus – looking back to the end of the previous year while simultaneously looking in the opposite direction to the coming year.

A time when hope springs eternal.

A new start; a clean slate with plenty of time for everything to go in exactly the same direction all the other years have gone, even though we might tell ourselves this will not happen.  Not this year.

In the real January world, the one that is happening as the month passes, there is the give-away sign of those people who have vowed in the new year to get fit or bust.  As the day winds down they appear, jogging along the footpath, stoic expressions on their faces, determined to stick with the program, at least for the time being.

January is holiday time for many people and as a result it is also chaos on some roads for many people.  This is a time when the authorities decide road works, both major and minor, will happen.  Woe betides the uninformed, who when driving to their destination, find they have to make an inconvenient detour.  These disruptions do not make for a happy bunch of motorists.

This summer the weather has been unpredictable and those who worship the Sun God have been disappointed, while those who are happier with lower temperatures (read me here) are very happy.  It is only recently that the parks and gardens have started to show the damage caused by hotter days, with the grass gradually turning from green to brown.

Tennis fans look forward to the Australian Open and search out the hats, cushions and other paraphernalia, in preparation for the big day out at the tennis.  Kids make the most of the last weeks before school starts back in early February and parents are known to start counting down the days till the kids go back to school.

January, the month that holds the prospect of a whole year in its hand and allows the luxury of a short time of procrastination and dreaming before the reality of the balance of the year rears its head.

And it's never too soon, apparently, to start selling hot cross buns!