Dark mornings (and afternoons)

Fascinating stuff Elegran. Well it is to me anyway but then I HAVE been classified today as an Analytical Thinker .

The problem with using standardised GMT throughout Britain has more to do with longitude than latitude. There is nothing we can do that will alter the shortness of the days in the north (except to take full advantage of the LONGER days in the summertime). However if the chosen meridian had been centred on a line through, say, Edinburgh rather than Greenwich then most parts of the country would be more than 10 minutes different from solar time. Our weather maps tend to show the British Isles as being quite 'upright' when in reality they slope to the west and because Greenwich is to the east of the land mass, everywhere else has their 'real' time behind clock time, by up to 25 mins in the most westerly parts. Which is why we see in the chart, sunset in Penzance occurring 25mins behind Brighton although they are on much the same Latitude.

Yes, most of the country is to the West of London, if you look at the map at the right angle.

What bugs me a little is that noon at the Greenwich meridien is the marker from which the co-ordinates, datelines and time zones of the whole world are fixed, yet every year we get this chorus that we should abandon our own time zone so as to be in line with an area where noon is at least an hour earlier.

The lower light levels and shorter winter days at more northern latitudes go a long way to explain the northern love of firewater, from the Water of Life to Vodka, and also the Scandinavian winter suicide rate and the stereotypical dour Scot.

I made a graph years ago to show all that, for gardening purposes. I still live my life to aummer time unless I am socialising, as I no longer have school runs this year to worry about and can eat when I please. I feel far happier for it. I do suffer from SAD and really need that extra hour of daylight at the end of the day, not first thing in the morning when it is too cold for me to get out in it.

Thanks for the information Elegran I do not get up till its light in the winter, by the time a few jobs have been done its about 3.15 then it starts to get dark again, My favourite day is the 21st of December, Then I tell myself its much lighter on the 22nd. There is not a lot of daylight in the Hebrides in the winter. A Vodka or two does help

After the winter solstice it all starts getting brighter. You can understand why people have been holding ceremonies for thousands of years to make sure that the sun does come back. It must have been pretty scary when they did not know what was causing it to rise later and set earlier each day.

I wonder whether the webcam at Maes Howe will be working this year?

I had to put on the lights at three pm this afternoon. Really dreary.

The very nearly full moon, is shining brightly and its only 10 to 4,

I love the short days of winter as much as the long days of summer. I love shutting the curtains as the evening draws in, even if it is not long after 3.00pm. It is usually cold outsight and the warmth and lights on in the house make me feel so secure, like hibernating hedgehog.

While I understand the quite specific problems of those suffering from SAD, I think the rest of us need to learn to enjoy each season for itself whether, long or short days, rain, sunlight or snow. None of these different day lengths or weather conditions last long. Each has its own particular beauty. Enjoy it.