I should’ve known better, I should’ve remembered. February always kicks my butt. It tends to grab me tightly, pushing me into a dark corner that I can’t always get myself out of. My one sure fire remedy that has worked in the past wasn’t available this year (begins with p and ends with onds), and I’ve tried to keep afloat while accepting that sometimes you feel low and that it’s ok to just go with it. But then, sure as day follows night, March has arrived and things don’t feel as bad. We’re eight weeks into our second strict lockdown with a few months left (although some loosening of the restrictions are coming before summer), and the combination of everyone staying at home and the vaccine rollout is finally pushing our (insane) numbers in the right direction is great news. I did manage to try a few new things within our strict parameters, like running without music, which I’ve never done for the past eight years, as well as running with Mr Famapa (with Oomoo coming along on his bike), taking cold baths (intense let me tell you, but very meditative at the same time), learning how to play chess, and turning Wednesday evenings into (board) games night . There were also a couple of things I watched which felt like balm for the soul. Winter Walks on BBC iPlayer brought beautiful vistas from northern England, for which I very was grateful (I pretty much stopped going outside apart from the runs), and Pretend it’s a City, which has had me smiling the whole way through. I also started watching Wandering Thomas, who films Amsterdam and other cities in the Netherlands as he walks through the streets, which has almost been as good as being there (especially the surreal moment when he walks past my BFF’s apartment building in one of them!), and Not Just Bikes' live streams from his bike rides around the ‘Dam. Seeing as this post is all about sharing some of my self-prescribed “medicines”, I’ll also pass on THE song that has had our household grooving for the last month. Maybe it’ll get you going too. So long February! I’ll make sure I’m better prepared for you next year 😑