Happy New Year of the Rat

You’re never more than 6 feet away from a rat in London! Apparently, that’s not actually true but it's sensational enough to be memorable. Rats have a poor reputation but are quite remarkable creatures, having excellent navigational skills and the ability to memorise complicated routes Their swimming skills are particularly impressive. These rodents can swim for half a mile across open water and hold their breath for 3 minutes whilst squeezing themselves through narrow pipes! Thus, they can thrive in the sewer systems of our cities.

January 25th 2020 welcomes the Chinese New Year of the (metal) Rat. The Rat is the first of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, so here we begin a new cycle. People born in the year of the Rat are thought to be quick-thinking, optimistic, energetic, creative, thrifty and successful, but content with a quiet life!

2020 also has a ‘yun’ (leap) month – they happen every few years in the Chinese calendar. So, you’ll be pleased to know, you'll get a second chance at April this year, just in case you make a mess of it the first time around!

If you were born in 2008, 1996, 1984, 1948, etc., you are a Rat. This is your year, so get out there and pursue those pipe dreams – may they lead to exciting and fragrant destinations!

Wishing you a happy and successful year of the Rat!
Kung Hei Fat Choi