April, traditionally a rainy period, gives way to May, when flowers will bloom because of the water provided to them by the April rains. By extension, that a period of discomfort can provide the basis for a period of happiness.
April here in southern Spain is the start of Spring, a little earlier than in Britain, and plants and trees are starting to push out shoots and buds. It's a good time to start planting.
April is also a busy month for us socially, especially this year, 2025.
April 1st
April Fools' Day in the UK, USA and other English-speaking countries.
Please see here for more about the significance of this date in English-speaking culture:
April Fool! - Eye on Spain
April Fools' Day - Wikipedia
[Image courtesy of Freepik]
April 1st is also the date of the official end of the Civil War in Spain in 1939, 86 years ago,
and the beginning of the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, which lasted some 36 years until his death in November 1975.
[Video courtesy of YouTube]
April 5th
The end of the UK Tax Year in the UK, the only country I know where the Tax Year is not from January 1st to December 31st.
Why do the British have to be different?
Miles instead of kilometres; Fahrenheit instead of Celsius; pints instead of litres; drive on the left with a right-hand drive car; and so it goes on.
[Image courtesy of Bestinvest]
April 6th
My brother's birthday. Simon will be 72.
I hope to see him later in April, when I visit the UK for Father's Day to see my two kids and four grandkids.
Simon lives near Bristol with his second wife Marilyn (Simon was widowed in 2001). Simon volunteers for the Blood Bike Service, a charity which delivers hospital notes, x-rays and body parts for transplants.
Brother Simon on his bloodbike [Photo: BBB]
April 10th - 14th
I fly to the UK for the first time this year on April 10th, a Thursday. The plan is to visit my children Amy (41) in London and Tom (38) in Hastings (East Sussex) and their children over a long weekend.
I fly Ryanair from Malaga into London Stansted, then get the fast bus connection into Stratford Shopping Centre (East London).
[Photo courtesy of Ryanair]
Amy lives a short walk from there in a new flat she has bought. I haven't seen it yet, other than in photos, so I look forward to that.
On the night of my arrival Amy is playing in an orchestral concert (she is first oboist). I shall enjoy that, then we'll go for dinner together.
On Friday evening after school her two boys, my grandchildren, will come to Amy - she and the boys' father Carlo are divorced but share custody of Felix (8) and Jude (5).
On Saturday we'll all hop on a train to Hastings to stay with my son Tom, wife Susannah and their children, Wilbur (6) and Buckley (1).
Amy [Tutors United]
There we'll celebrate my 75th birthday (a month early) and on Sunday lunchtime Father's Day and Tom's 38th birthday, a few days later, in one of the great pub restaurants in the seaside town.
On Monday 14th I shall take the train from St Leonard's-on-Sea, next door to Hastings, to London Gatwick for my Wizzair flight back to Malaga.
I may break my journey in East Croydon (Surrey), which is a fascinating cosmopolitan town, with a large international population.
Tom [Photo: Paul Whitelock]
April 16th - 23rd
On Wednesday April 16th we fly to Marseille (France) for a week's holiday near Avignon with Rita's daughter and family. This is also Tom's 38th birthday.
Katrin and Gero and their three children Anton (19), Madita (16) and Lotte (14) are driving from the Heilbronn area of southern Germany with their VW Transporter and their caravan, and we shall be joining them on the campsite. But, not under canvas - we have booked a "house" with its own facilities on the same campsite which overlooks the river.
This will be my first ever visit to this part of France and I can't wait to dance on the bridge at Avignon ("Sur le pont d'Avignon, on y dan-se, on y dan-se .....").
[Video courtesy of YouTube]
April 23rd
St George's Day in England.
In my experience the least celebrated of the four British Isles patron saints, the other three being St David (Wales - March 1st), St Patrick (Ireland - March 17th) and St Andrew (Scotland - November 30th).
We shall not be celebrating either. On an English airline they may have mentioned it, but we are flying Ryanair, the Irish low-cost carrier, so I doubt it will come up.
[Image courtesy of Britannica]
Last Word
I'm not aware of anything else due to happen in the month of April. But I reckon that's enough to be going on with, don't you?
Links:
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Meet Amy: Our New CEO - Tutors United
SUSANNAH AUSTIN - NIGHTWALKING - Vídeo Dailymotion
West End Live 2016 Sunny Afternoon
© Only Joe King
Photos and Images:
Alami, Bestinvest, Bristol Blood Bike, Britannica, Freepik, Paul Whitelock, Ryanair, Tutors United, YouTube
Tags:
Alami, Amy Whitelock Gibbs, Bestinvest, BBB, Bristol Blood Bike, Britannica, Buckley, Carlo, Felix, Freepik, Hastings, Joe King, Jude, Kinks, LinkedIn, "Nightwalking", Paul Whitelock, St Leonard's, Stratford, "Sunny Afternoon", Susannah Austin, Tom Whitelock, Tutors United, Wilbur, YouTube