Simone Reddington

February is the shortest month of the year and without a leap year, like this February, it has certainly flown over.  I am happy about that, as it is always my least favourite month.  By this point, it has been winter for far too long and my excitement for the new year expired ages ago.  Even by the UK’s standards, the weather in 2026 so far has been utterly miserable.  The Met Office confirmed earlier that this month that it has rained somewhere in the country every single day.  As somebody who doesn’t drive, the rain deters me from leaving the house unless I need, so I have barely done anything interesting recently.  I spent most of the month doing driving lessons, or practising with my mother in her car, as I had my test this week and failed.  This destroyed the last bit of enthusiasm left in me, as I sit and reflect my highlights for this month. 

However, life still goes on. I’ve booked another driving test, and I feel even more determined to pass.   It may still be freezing cold outside, but its finally stopped raining in my local area.  It is still daylight when I start work at 5pm and spring officially starts next month.  Brighter days are on the way.   

Here are the things that have got me through February.  

• Wuthering Heights album- I am still yet to see Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation of Emily Bronte’s classic book, but I have been listening to Charli XCX’s soundtrack album on repeat since its release on the day before Valentine’s Day.  Since the release of her hugely successful Brat album nearly two years ago, Charli XCX has dominated the charts and popular culture with her hedonistic, party-girl image.  It therefore makes sense that she was asked to create the soundtrack for one of the most highly anticipated cinematic releases of the year.  While one might be forgiven for not associating Ms XCX’s electropop sound with a story set in the Victorian era, it actually does work very well.  Listening to her darkly atmospheric album transports me straight to the bleak Yorkshire moors.  My favourite tracks are ‘Seeing Things’ and ‘Altars’, which perfectly depict Cathy Heathcliff’s passionate but extremely toxic relationship.  

• The Royal George- One of my local pubs had a complete refurbishment late last year after it was taken over by new management and I finally had the chance to dine in its restaurant this month.  The Royal George in Peterlee, County Durham, is a traditional pub that serves a wide variety of freshly cooked, hearty meals.  I chose a creamy pork and mushroom pie with chips and vegetables for my main course, which was tasty, but I much preferred my starter.  The spicy pil pil prawns served on sourdough bread tasted divine and I would certainly order them again.   

• The Traitors Ireland- I was obsessed with The Traitors when it aired in January, so I couldn’t resist watching the Irish version of the gameshow when it launched on BBC iPlayer this month.  If you’ve been living under a rock for the past three years and don’t what The Traitors is, it’s a reality TV show where twenty-two contestants meet in a castle and three of them are selected by the host to be ‘Traitors’ who need to select one of the other contestants (known as the ‘Faithfuls’) to be killed off every night.  However, they must do so by avoiding suspicion from the Faithfuls, as there is also a vote every evening where all the contestants must eliminate the player who they believe to be a Faithful.  It’s very entertaining, and the British version has aired four series hosted by the brilliant Claudia Winkleman.  The Irish remake is just as good, and Derry Girls actress Siobhan McSweeney establishes herself as an excellent TV presenter.  

• Preloved Pull & Bear jacket- I already wrote about finding this gorgeous suede jacket from one of my local charity shops in my @charityshophaul, but it went on its first outing with me the other evening when I went out for tea with my family.  The bold, mustard-yellow colour can brighten up any outfit to make it look more fun, and I honestly think that it would complement most of my outfit.  On this occasion, I teamed it with dark jeans and a glittery black jumper.  It really goes well with gold jewellery and the sparkles in my top. Expect to see this on my Instagram a lot from now on. 

• Hannah Spencer’s victory- In today’s politically divided world, watching the news can be extremely depressing.  The rise of the far-right is terrifying, as every day I see politicians and the media try to appeal to working-class people by blaming social problems caused by capitalism and corporate greed upon vulnerable minority groups.  I was therefore overjoyed yesterday morning when I saw that Hannah Spencer, the candidate for the Green Party, won the Gorton and Denton by-election.  I really loved her speech in which she celebrated the diversity in the community that she has been elected to represent and stated her belief that everybody deserves to afford “a nice life”, which should not be a controversial statement.  I also laughed when I saw the Reform candidate nearly cry when he realised that he’d lost.  There is hope in the world after all.