January this year has been dreary, damp and down right depressing. Not only was the only bit of 'snow' we managed to get a few seconds of sleet instead, but many people seem to have been struck down with colds and flus; perhaps symptoms of the 'January Blues'. But I can tell you for a fact that a cure for this is not a 15K trudge around Richmond park at 9 on a Saturday morning!

So why does January seem to be such a sad month? To be honest it's probably just coming down from the high of Christmas; the hangover month of the year. Everybody's a little broke after those Boxing Day sales and life resumes as normal, packing away every santa in sight.

And anyway, there's only so many Lemsips one can drink without wanting to throw one in somebody's face. Personally, I'm currently in a state of self-pity drowning in tissues and medicine - enough to drive a person insane! So I for one will be glad to see the back of January and hopefully February won't be so glum.

Anna McConnell St Mark's Catholic School