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February Round-Up
Here's everything that we got up to in February, from half term battles, unexpected alarms and tomatoes, to spy balloons, car insurance and air fryers. Check out what you missed.
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No show Northern Lights
Every year, there are at least a handful of occasions when the news tells us that we are in for a celestial treat; usually it's a comet, an eclipse, aligned planets, meteor showers or, as was the case tonight, the Northern Lights. On every single occasion, without exception, I've seen absolutely nothing.
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Stony silence over Formula One’s freedom of speech shame
As the new Formula One season prepares to get underway in Bahrain, the world seems to have turned a blind eye to it’s governing body’s attempt to stop the world’s most high profile drivers from voicing their own political, religious or personal views in public. The subsequent stony silence over one of the most draconian attempts to stifle free speech in modern sporting times, speaks volumes for a sport that has sadly lost its way.
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Is 4K worth it? Could it actually be the worst thing to happen to TV?
Like the evolution of man, or Simon Cowell’s face, TVs have changed beyond all recognition in a relatively short space of time. When I was growing up, our family TV was the size of a small car. But are today's 4K TVs all they're cracked up to be?
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Standby for panic buying
Over recent days, images of empty supermarket shelves have once again begun to appear on social media and, in so doing, have set in motion an unstoppable phenomenon that will be sweeping the country before the weekend. Panic buying.
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Why Pancake Day is uniquely British
This evening, families, couples, singletons and people who only ever get their frying pans out once a year, will gather in their kitchens to throw scalding hot pancakes in the air. For today is Pancake Day, a British celebration like no other.
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Wake up to the dangers of a faulty carbon monoxide monitor
At 5am this morning, our faulty carbon monoxide monitor went off. Emitting an intensely high pitch, pulsing alarm, the monitor next to our boiler woke us all and sent us immediately into a state of puzzlement. Not, you'll note, a state of panic and frenzied activity, but of stupified bewilderment.
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Why censoring Roald Dahl is a dangerous step
Augustus Gloop is fat. The Witches are terrifying old hags and the Oompa Loompas are small men. Born of the imagination of Roald Dahl, they are - together with Dahl's countless other masterfully crafted heroes and villains - the legendary characters that have fascinated, entertained and terrified generations of children, myself included.
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Thank a volunteer this Random Acts of Kindness Day
It's Random Acts of Kindness Day, the one day of the year when old ladies across the world can head to the nearest pavement, confident of a helping hand to cross the road. A fantastic concept and one that is promoted across schools, scouting associations and children's groups everywhere, it's been lovely to see my own kids embracing the day.
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Half term headaches
February half term is never easy, the weather’s usually rubbish and there’s nothing much to do. However, when you also have a 12-year-old who wants to do nothing other than game, and a 10-year-old whose idea of helping around the house is to get dressed, you have a surefire recipe for familial disaster.
