Happy Groundhog Day!

Ahah! February 2nd, Groundhog Day. It’s a bit late in the day, so may I be the last to wish you a happy Groundhog Day. Or many happy returns for yesterday, or something.

So today we not only found out that the world is getting hotter according to some scientists in Paris, but Phil the Punxsatawney Groundhog has agreed that it is warmer and spring is here. For those of you unaware of the proceedings, the official Punxsatawney Groundhog Website explains that Phil the Groundhog has come out of his burrow on Gobbler’s Knob, seen that he has not cast a shadow on the ground and that it is therefore cloudy, so Spring is now here and it’s safe to come out (had he cast a shadow he’d have gone back indoors for another 6 weeks). It’s a bit like waking up with a hangover, walking to the bathroom, and if you can see you’re casting a shadow it’s okay to get up because you can now face looking at natural light again.
So there you go. Spring is here. No “66-90%” certainty there. The people of Pennsylvania have asked their furry friend and he is certain – spring is here early and it’s safe to go out and about.

He’s also pretty confident that although it would have very many varied hilarious consequences, tomorrow is unlikely to be exactly the same as today…