Today marks 40 days since Xmas day

and that means that if Jesus was born on 25th December, and if his parents were Greek Orthodox (which clearly they were not * ) then no visitors would have been permitted entry to the barn except for the in-laws. And that means that no matter how many gifts of chocolates, Converse All-Stars or computer gaming consoles, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (**) had brought with them on their long journey from Iran (on average; one may have had a longer journey and the other, a shorter one), they would have had to wait outside until today (***). They would have been permitted to hand over the goods but not to come into contact with mother and baby, especially not to touch or breath on them despite the fact that they had travelled only from the Levant and not from Wuhan

Today is also almost exactly halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox (tomorrow is more accurate). So if you are like me, and see the solstices as the North and South points on a compass (Winter being North and Summer being South) and the equinoxes as the East and West points on a compass (Spring = East and Autumn = West) then today (tomorrow actually) is North East, and although I was born in South East London, my heritage is from the North-East – quite possibly farther North-East than the British coastline.

And so I enjoy the fact that today is my birthday. I celebrate the fact that my bike-rides to and from work are no longer in full darkness, but mostly in day/twilight.

I took a few treats in to work to celebrate – not much remaining despite the tininess of my department – CAD technicians are as fond of Jammie Dodgers as pandas are of bamboo shoots and koalas are of eucalyptus leaves.

This is my last F-in birthday – my next one will begin with S for Senior, and with any luck, reduced ticket prices for buses, trains, museums and galleries, unless this magical threshold is raised to something more 21st Century in the next 366 days.

* To the best of my understanding, the Greek Orthodox religion cannot have begun before the BVM arrived accidentally on Agios Oros (Holy Mountain), when the ship she was travelling in with St John the Evangelist from Jaffa to Cyprus to visit Lazarus, was blown off-course. This cannot possibly have happened before the escapade in the barn.

** Yes I know, but I like this group of three names, so please humour me

*** Though if one had travelled on foot from India it would have taken him 46 days to reach the barn