Sunday, 1st. February 2026

It is the first of the month and I have morphed into a Layered Pensioner! Actually, two thoughts occurred to me this morning, the other being that now it is February it really does feel like we are in a new year. January has gone forever!

In order to combat the cold at home I have, in recent months, become adept at wearing considerably more clothes than I used to. For example, today I have on three t-shirts (one of which is long-sleeved), a woollen jumper and an overshirt. Not my heaviest overshirt but a fairly stout overshirt nonetheless.

The downside of all this jollity is, of course, the cost of washing clothes. It would appear that there is a downside to almost everything. So, I can reduce my heating bill (gas) but my washing bill (electricity) will be slightly higher. A bit like governments and taxes I suppose. It can feel like you take three steps forward and one step backward.

However, since I am a beer glass half-full sort of person, I am quids in – two steps forward is better than none at all!