Yorkshire Writers' Lunch

  On 24 February 1582, Pope Gregory XIII proclaimed that the Gregorian Calendar would come into effect in October of that year. This would replace the Julian Calendar which had become ‘out of sync’ with what was actually happening to the seasons, which made it difficult to calculate the actual date of Easter. To make up for the discrepancy, the date leapt from 4 October to 15 October, thus losing ten days. Leap years are those that are divisible by four (eg 2024. Just missed it if you were thinking of proposing, ladies.) The quandary over whether to celebrate a 29 February birthday every year or only every fourth year did not occur until much later. The first Gregorian calendars simply had two days called 24 February. Why they chose that day, rather than having two 28 February days is a mystery. Years that are divisible by 100 are only leap years if they are also divisible by 400. The next one will be in the year 3000 AD. You may want to book early for the celebration...

  As the new year began, so did the January Blues. Day after day, the weight of the leaden sky seemed to dull her senses and she longed for brighter weather. Then the rain arrived in slanting sheets, lashing the kitchen window and washing away any hope of a better day. Steam from her mug of tea softly spiralled upwards, kissing the glass where juddering teardrops of rain obscured her view of the garden. Outside, by the back door, the Daphne pulsed its glorious aroma into the winter air. She lingered there each morning, breathing in the sweet, citrus smell from its tiny, pink, four-pointed flowers before retreating to the kitchen and her desk by the fireside.    She picked up a log from the wood basket and placed it on the glowing embers, disturbing the dog who stretched his legs and then sank back into his bed to resume his paw-twitching dreams of long runs through fresh spring woods and the heavy smells of soft, warming soil. In the post that morning were the usual...