It's still January...sigh

January in Bermuda.  It's always the grimmest month of the year here, the month when many expats forget why they moved here.  It rains a lot in January.  There are a lot of winter storms, meaning high winds, cold fronts.  A lot of cancelled flights and expensive travel delays.  And not very much sunshine.  I realize I haven't blogged as much this month.  That's mostly because this is a month that is mostly lived indoors.

Sometimes it is pleasantly lived indoors, like this weekend when Pam and I had Mexico on the patio of Rosa's which blocked any wind and made for a sunny lunch outdoors, and I enjoyed a visit with Shibby over a lobster tail and a glass of Malbec at the Lobster Pot.  It is more likely to meet friends in ye old faithful pub, Flanagan's, than to have well laid plans of photo taking and touring come to fruition.  Celebrations are hosted indoors rather than in beaches and backyards.  Bad movies get decent attendance.  Even the businesses which could prosper don't like to be open in January.  This past Sunday we found Harry's, Muse, L'Oriental, and Little Venice all shut down at the supper hour...I was sure they had been open Sunday's after 6 in the summer.

I decided to pull the stats on January thus far.  Granted I was away a bit, but I only recall one opportunity this month when the air was warm and the sun was shining while I wasn't at work, and I did indeed make the best of it walking to my favorite beach...although I didn't have time to linger because the skies darkened and I had to quickly turn around and try to beat the rain home.  The stats don't lie though.  In the first 26 days of the month, there has been 90mm of rain.  Rain has fallen on 17 out of 27 days this month.  As for hours of sunshine, on 6 days in January the sun did not even peak through the clouds, not even for one recorded minute.  The average amount of daily sunshine is only 3 hrs per day.  The rest of the time is under a grey sky.  The winds are ever present, the lowest daily average being 11 knots, the highest being 35 knots.  The 5 day forecast calls for rain, rain, rain, high winds, and rain.  Basically, January in Bermuda kinda sucks.  If I am going to write a nice Bermuda blog, it is going to have to be from memory.  I will try to do that soon.  But for now will continue to read my book listening to the thunder and rainstorm.