Yesteryear.....

Yes, it is the first day of my short Spring Break - after weeks of almost-summer. Never mind, it may be that there will be the occasional ten minutes in the Lake District when a blip may be possible.

The word "yesteryear" was invented by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. He did that in order to express the word "antan" while he was busy translating the Ballade des dames du temps jadis ("Ballad of the Ladies of Times Past") a poem by François Villon which celebrates famous women in history and mythology.

Mais où sont les neiges d'antan! - Oh, where are the snows of yesteryear!

It is a GOOD word! We should use it more.