Kildare Library Service

Elaine Patterson, Newbridge Headquarters.

Did you know that January is full of fun and quirky observance days, here are a few of my favourites to share with you.

Did you know January known as Hot Tea Month and National Hobby Month? At any rate during this month why not learn about the history of tea or try a new type of tea? The library catalogue has books on tea recipes, the history of tea, the tea trade and the health benefits of tea. You could also hold a virtual tea party via zoom or meet someone for a cup of tea. We also have many books on tea available to borrow through Borrowbox here.

You could also pick up an old hobby or try a new one or learn more about a hobby that interests you, be it knitting, sewing, drawing, fishing, gaming or whatever you are intrigued by. Our e-services, which can be found here-BorrowBox, Emagazines, UniversalClass and the library catalogue have loads of materials on a wide variety of hobbies and crafts that might be of use to you. Alternatively, why not celebrate both Hot Tea Month and National Hobby Month by doing a hobby of yours while drinking tea (depending on the activity this may not be possible)? Some other interesting observance days in January include:

National Cheese Lover’s Day on the 20th Jan: If you are a lover of cheese, why not try a different kind of cheese on this day? Alternatively, you could try a cheese-based recipe or have a cheese-based meal such as pizza, lasagne or Marconi Cheese. There are several books in the library catalogue on cheese recipes and the history and craft of cheesemaking. 

National Puzzle Day on the 29th Jan: There are many kinds of puzzles: word (scrabble, crosswords), jigsaws, logic (sudoku), riddles and board games such as Azul, Catan, Bananagrams and chess. If you have no puzzles at home, there are also many good free puzzle apps available online that you could try. So, on this day why not do a puzzle, either alone or with family?

National Hot Chocolate Day on the 31st Jan: We’re all familiar with the favourite comfort drink of hot chocolate. To mark this day why not try out a new hot chocolate recipe? You can search online for hot chocolate recipes or invent your own. There are also two books in the catalogue that focus on this drink: Hot chocolate: rich and indulgent winter drinks by Hannah and Tea, coffee & chocolate: how we fell in love with caffeine by Melanie King.