Mo'menths April 2026: Fool Me Once

April, the start of a new year... of sorts. Spring finally arrives, although the mornings are still chilly enough to still require mittens on the bike ride to work. It is however, great to have longer days and more sunshine, especially as the month went on. I played Bingo for the first time, while it was fun, it did solidify my belief that games of chance are not for me. This month's interesting fact: the UK tax year starts on 6 April because of a calendar dispute, a Pope the British Crown had fallen out with, and a Treasury that refused to lose a single day of revenue. When Britain switched from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar in 1752 and removed 11 days from the year, people were furious, they'd lost 11 days of their lives but were still expected to pay a full year's worth of taxes. The Treasury simply shifted the tax year start date to compensate, and after one more adjustment in 1800, it landed on 6 April and has stayed there ever since. Which is to say, if you have ever wondered why the UK tax year ends on an oddly specific date in early April, you can blame the Pope, a calendar, and HMRC's ancestors being very much themselves about the whole thing.

• A month with a few disappointments but I remain optimistic about the year ahead.
• The theatre trips might have peaked too early in the year with The Play That Goes Wrong.
• Played Bingo for the first time although I didn't win anything, it was a blast with old friends and colleagues.

This month started with a series of disappointments that got me thinking about the concept of "The Three Faces". It is a Japanese concept that suggests that we all have three faces: The Public Persona (the face we show to the world), The Intimate Self (the face we show to our friends and family), and The Hidden Core (the face we show to ourselves). The takeaway for me was that I need to be more mindful about what I share with people who don't know me well, because they might not have the context to hold it properly, and that there are times when honesty is not the best policy, because life is complicated like that.

Not exactly a lesson everyone would want to openly share, and I probably should take my own advice and keep it in the intimate self. But then again, I think there's a difference between sharing a concept that moved you and sharing the details that prompted it. The former feels like fair game. The latter, stays exactly where it belongs.

I had a little reunion with some friends from my previous job in the form of a game of Bingo, which was a lot of fun if not a reminder that me and games of chance don't mix. It was great to catch up with everyone and have a good laugh, but I didn't win anything, which is not surprising given my track record with games of chance. But it was a nice way to spend an evening and I'm glad I went.

I shipped a read-aloud player for my posts this month, and it's become one of my favourite features. The idea came from wanting to make my writing more accessible, and it's nice knowing someone could listen to a post while doing the dishes or taking a walk. It reads from the title onwards, highlights the word being spoken so you can follow along, and there's a floating pause button that sticks with you as you scroll. You can pick from different voices and adjust the speed. It's pretty intuitive once you start playing with it. Getting it working smoothly across different browsers was trickier than I expected, but it's there now and it feels good to have it live.

In films this month, the magic number of films was 20, which marks a new personal best, which brings my total for the year to a nice round number of 70. I was going for 69, but I decided to watch The Devil Wears Prada before I watch the second one on the first of May. I also went for a third screening of Project Hail Mary, this time in IMAX, because as Rocky would agree, the magic number is three. Odeon screened come classics this month, Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park: The Lost World, which I hadn't seen in the cinema before, so I took the opportunity to see them on the big screen. The first was quite enjoyable, the second was... not. I don't know if it's just that the first one is a classic and the second one is a bit of a mess, but I found myself getting bored during the second one, which is not something I expected to happen with a film about dinosaurs. The special effects were impressive, but the story and characters didn't hold my attention. The standout film for me was The Drama, which starred Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. They play a couple who are about to get married but after a drunken game of telling what the worst thing they did, Zendaya's character reveals a secret that threatens their relationship. The film is a roller-coaster of emotions, with moments of pure comedy, heartwarming romance and intense... erm... drama. The story got me thinking about the nature of secrets and how they can impact how we see the people we thought we knew.

Another film that stood out was Mother Mary, a story about a pop star, Mother Mary, played by Anne Hathaway, reuniting with her estranged best friend and former costume designer, Sam Anselm, played by Michaela Coel on the eve of her comeback performance. The film is a strange one, the performance by both leads is fantastic, but I found myself struggling to connect with the story. I did enjoy the soundtracks (yes there are two!) and the cinematography was excellent, I particularly loved the various transitions throughout the film. One more film worth mentioning is Hokum, which is an horror mystery thriller about a novelist who goes to a remote inn to scatter his parents' ashes and finds out the inn is haunted by a witch. This film is hands down the most terrifying film I've seen in a while, all the jumpscares were well executed and earned, and there's something about a physical threat that just gets to me in a way that psychological horror doesn't. The story is also quite engaging, with a good mix of mystery and horror, and the performances by the cast were solid. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good scare.

In theatre, I saw The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre, and it was a lot of fun. I went in with high expectations because I had heard good things about it, and it delivered on all fronts. The physical comedy was excellent, no notes on the acting and the set design blew my mind. I was acquainted with a lovely couple sitting next to me and we had a great time laughing together. I had a realisation that this is one of the few times where I was fully awake throughout a performance, and I think that's a testament to how engaging the show was. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good laugh and a fun night out.

In books, I finally started book 9 of The Wandering Inn, Tears of Liscor by pirateaba, which is as sad as I expected it to be. This chapter focuses on the city of Liscor, which is a major hub in the world of The Wandering Inn. The Goblin Lord's army is closing in on the city, pursued by the human army led by Tyrion Veltras, who has an agenda of his own. In fact everyone has their own agenda in this chapter, and it was interesting to see how the different characters navigate the complex political landscape of Liscor. The writing is as engaging as ever, and I am looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds in the next book which is book 10 The Wind Runner.

In music, there wasn't really one song or album that I obsessed over this month, but after watching Mother Mary towards the end of the month, I found myself listening to the accompanying "Greatest hits" album on repeat. It's usually not the kind of music I would listen to but there is something about music from films that I find myself drawn to, and this album is no exception.

The main event in May is Tough Mudder on Saturday 9th May. I did it last year and I apparently had too much fun, so I signed up again. Like last year, I am doing the 15K with a couple of friends but hopefully unlike then, I will get there in time to actually do it alongside them instead of being a few hours late and having to do it solo.

The theatre schedule for May is Hadestown, which as with all the other shows I have seen this year, I have heard great things about it, so I'm really looking forward to it. Film-wise, I have a few things lined up, including The Devil Wears Prada 2 to kick off the month, a classic in the form of Jaws, there are three horrors that all look quite promising Obsession, Passenger, and Backrooms, but I think the one I'm quietly most excited about is Tuner, it is the one that is more likely to disappoint me because I am expecting so much from it and it might do what Crime 101 failed to do.

Thanks for coming along for the fourth Mo'menths. May follows, Allons-y!