Month: January 2017

Today’s the Day!

Well if you’re reading this on Saturday 21st January it is.
​ 
The day we at AL3 Towers have been waiting for all year is St Dunandusted’s Day!
​
A day that has somehow been lost in history. Perhaps discarded as it didn’t have the marketing potential of the “special” holidays like Christmas, Easter, Pancake Day and Valentines?
​
Jan 21 is equally as special here at AL3 and we feel duty-bound to share it with you in our never ending effort to educate and inform.
St Dunandusted is the patron saint of “Normal”.
While “experts” argue about the origins, or even the actual existence of this forgotten saint, the facts are that this day marks the return of “normal” for many people throughout the civilised world or, as we like to call it, St. Albans.
Blue Monday – Survived
​Christmas Day – Done
New Year’s Eve – Done
New Year’s Day Hangover – Gone (Nearly)
Twelfth Night and the decoration packing away – Done.
First day back at school and/or work – Survived.
Now back to “Normal”.
​​
First task is DUMP (Dispose Unwanted Man Presents).
Yes, it’s the day you can officially get rid of the Limited Xmas Edition Dove for Men Gift Box without guilt and safe in the knowledge that Aunt Mabel is unlikely to pop in uninvited and ask why the aforementioned gift-pack is lying unopened under the coffee table.
In reality, you either have no room in the bathroom cabinet as it’s still got last year’s in there or you hate the smell of the stuff.
Incidentally, it’s also safe to store away novelty puzzles and amusing cat sketch books until you get time to drop them off at the charity shop or re-wrap as presents for anyone you know who is unfortunate enough to have a birthday in January.​
​
 Next up, of course, is ETC (End of Timetable Confusion)
The day also marks the time that all the wheelie bin days are back to normal. No longer do you come home from work and suffer feelings of self-doubt when you see next door have put their bins out. You hurriedly hunt around the house for the recycling calendar to check that you aren’t losing your mind and repeating the mantra “One day later last week, two days later the week before, back to normal this week” over and over again. Then you relax, your neighbour was wrong and you were right (but inwardly you thank them as you actually thought it was general waste and not paper, plastic and glass week). Cue replacement of the calendar back under the coffee table on top of the Dove gift pack.
Speaking of timetables, you’ll see the council sending out the gritters. Usually on the wrong days, and always missing the side roads.
​
Crucially, St Dunandusted Day means the implementation of 
​SHH (Stop Happy Hellos).
Now then. You really can (REALLY CAN!) stop saying “Happy New Year” to anyone you happen to meet when taking your unwanted gifts to the charity shop.
Let’s be honest If you haven’t said it by now the chances are you aren’t that bothered how happy their 2017 is or you consider them “covered” by your Facebook post or that text you sent early on New Year’s Eve to all the contacts on your phone (yes, even the ones you meant to delete after last year’s text).
​
It’s a worrying time of year for the 
WIMP (When Is My Payday?)
Yep, it still seems as far away as it was when you got paid a week early in December. You check the bank account and see that little minus sign.

For one, albeit brief, moment  you consider selling Aunt Mabel’s gift on eBay to raise funds but you remember last year when you tried to offload the shoe polishing kit she got you and the one bid you got was for 49p with the proviso you paid £6:20 for sending it to them recorded delivery. 

You are skint, you are always skint on St Dunandusted’s Day, don’t worry.

But you do worry, Dunandusted Day means Valentines is coming and you promised yourself you’d do flowers and chocolates (even Hotel du Chocchy Woccy ones) this year.
Mind you Easter Eggs are on the shelves now so maybe you could combine the two?

Oh, and last, but by no means least, it’s  the day that 74% of you have already broken at least one of your New Year’s Resolutions.

We’ve already broken ours at AL3 by mentioning Wheelie Bins, Recycling, Easter and Valentine’s Day but good luck to you all with losing weight, eating healthier, stopping smoking and/or drinking (actually let’s make that “drinking less” no need to be silly) , going to the gym, spending more time with family and friends, having more me time, learning a new skill and finding the love of your life.
​
​All of which you should be doing anyway as it’s normal and that’s what St Dunandusted’s Day is about after all.