It’s a rare day today, the 29th of February.
And what’s it like out there, on that day that comes round only once every four years?
It’s a day full of rain, that’s what.
Yet still teenage boys run to the school bus without coats, getting soaked before they even reach their classes. What is it with kids and coats? At what age do they decide that wearing a coat to keep them warm and dry is for idiots? And why?
I’ve never understood it.
Turning up waistbands to make your school skirt appear shorter or smuggling platforms to change into on the bus, to replace the trusty Clarks specials your mum insisted you have when you were thirteen, well, I totally get that.
But coats? What ever did a coat do to upset a teenager?
I’ve always loved outerwear – hats, jackets, coats and shoes – far more than any other type of clothing.
My current favourite is a hot pink, fake fur coat that I madly bought after seeing it in a shop window in the rather swanky Dorset town of Sherborne. I justified the price tag after receiving an unexpected pay bonus for a job well done.
There’s something about bright colours that warm the soul, especially on dark winter days. Although the hot pink coat has to stay in the wardrobe in this weather, which sounds like a cue for my bright blue raincoat to emerge or the spotty one I got from Vinted for a fiver.
So happy 29th of February to you all. And, to paraphrase the poet Brian Bilston, here’s to making the most of this and each and every day.
Maddie Grigg 