The changing daylight hours thread

[Snowy Easterlies]

January is a noticeably lighter month than December,especially the second half and especially in the evenings !!!

it still gets dark before or at about 5pm in Jan anyway, in October it doesn't get dark till at least 6-7pm but people moan about it getting dark "early" its all psychological  

[Costa Del Fal]

Much of the last two pages, 'celebrating' the soon-to-be-lengthening daylight, comprise some of the most depressing crap I have ever had the misfortune to read on the internet. Seriously.

Works both ways doesn't it. You can have your moan in June! Our time is coming round now again.

[Bottesford]

January is a horrible month on the whole. A bit of snow cheers things up a bit but otherwise its generally a difficult time for many. At the moment its ok as its christmas and everyone is partying & getting ready for the holidays. In Jan you're spent up, partied out and looking at a minimum of 2-3 months of mostly cold & dark conditions. Certainly the days are getting longer but you don't notice it at all in Jan (well unless you watch the exact sun angle each day looking for that little move - much like laserguy in June/July!). By end of Feb (much like August) you notice change and in me, rapid increases in joy levels! 

Still you need contrast and if we didn't have this 'indoor' season when would you get your indoor projects/gaming/hobbies done?

[DAVID SNOW]

Well guess what LG, some of us here suffer from SAD so I can't tell you how much that can affect your mood and how much better daylight can make you feel. Need I remind you how much you complain about the heat in summer. We're all different, it would be boring if we weren't. Fair enough poke friendly fun at people, but to call it 'crap' is a bit much.

 

Have you invested in one of those 'light boxes'? They do help apparently.

[Gray-Wolf]

Much of the last two pages, 'celebrating' the soon-to-be-lengthening daylight, comprise some of the most depressing crap I have ever had the misfortune to read on the internet. Seriously.

 

Seems odd that for thousands of years we have been celebrating the return of the Sun as one of our most intense seasonal celebrations LG ? even the christian's incorporated it into their calender when they accepted they couldn't obliterate it?

 

The noting of sunset position on the solstice, and then the celebrations a few days later, as it had noticeably moved back north ( confirming its return!), were an essential part of our cultural heritage.

 

Where would we be without our summer and the food it helps us produce? Your always whining that  AGW adherents would have us back in the stone age and then go wishing us into a post apocalyptic Armageddon with no chance of growing crops or fattening our animals??? 

Edited December 14, 2014 by Gray-Wolf

[laserguy]

Seems odd that for thousands of years we have been celebrating the return of the Sun as one of our most intense seasonal celebrations LG ? even the christian's incorporated it into their calender when they accepted they couldn't obliterate it?

 

The noting of sunset position on the solstice, and then the celebrations a few days later, as it had noticeably moved back north ( confirming its return!), were an essential part of our cultural heritage.

 

Where would we be without our summer and the food it helps us produce? Your always whining that  AGW adherents would have us back in the stone age and then go wishing us into a post apocalyptic Armageddon with no chance of growing crops or fattening our animals??? 

 

I don't celebrate the 'return of the sun' - I dread it. As for our food, most of it comes from abroad these days, thanks to the gift of fossil fuels providing transport,pesticides,fertilisers,irrigation etc etc. Let those countries have the damn sun - we don't need it.

[Jax]

Not often I agree with much or something you say GW.

 

 

I don't celebrate the 'return of the sun' - I dread it. As for our food, most of it comes from abroad these days, thanks to the gift of fossil fuels providing transport,pesticides,fertilisers,irrigation etc etc. Let those countries have the damn sun - we don't need it.

We?  Pretty sure your in a the minority there not the collective.

 

We! need to do more to be food independant rather than importing it like we do, if there ever was a breakdown in the supply chain the UK would not last long at it's current rate of consuming produce from abroad rather than here.

[Lauren]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure living in near constant cold and darkness is not only physically bad for us, but mentally too.....

[DAVID SNOW]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure living in near constant cold and darkness is not only physically bad for us, but mentally too.....

 

Did you see my post L ? Up the page  a bit

[Eugene]

January is a horrible month on the whole. A bit of snow cheers things up a bit but otherwise its generally a difficult time for many. At the moment its ok as its christmas and everyone is partying & getting ready for the holidays. In Jan you're spent up, partied out and looking at a minimum of 2-3 months of mostly cold & dark conditions. Certainly the days are getting longer but you don't notice it at all in Jan (well unless you watch the exact sun angle each day looking for that little move - much like laserguy in June/July!). By end of Feb (much like August) you notice change and in me, rapid increases in joy levels! 

Still you need contrast and if we didn't have this 'indoor' season when would you get your indoor projects/gaming/hobbies done?

 

 

People continue to go out whatever month it is, its a joy to go out without worrying about being stung, sunburnt or getting heat stroke.

 

January is a fantastic month with tons to do unlike the utter boredom of July with nothing much happening.

[Lauren]

Did you see my post L ? Up the page  a bit

 

Yes, I did sorry! I don't think I'm bad enough to need one, I just try to get out and about in the daylight as much as possible which seems to work. I know a lot of people have it worse though. We tend to get a lot more referrals in winter, so I think seasonality does have quite an impact on mental health, more than people realise. I don't think it is a coincidence that highest suicide rates in the world are in the areas in the arctic and antarctic circles. Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins that we need and it is most strongly delivered to us in the sun, which is why many living in cold regions have it on prescription because they simply cannot get enough from their diet and it causes health problems.

[DAVID SNOW]

Yes, I did sorry! I don't think I'm bad enough to need one, I just try to get out and about in the daylight as much as possible which seems to work. I know a lot of people have it worse though. We tend to get a lot more referrals in winter, so I think seasonality does have quite an impact on mental health, more than people realise. I don't think it is a coincidence that highest suicide rates in the world are in the areas in the arctic and antarctic circles. Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins that we need and it is most strongly delivered to us in the sun, which is why many living in cold regions have it on prescription because they simply cannot get enough from their diet and it causes health problems.

 Thanks.

[hillbilly]

Yes, I did sorry! I don't think I'm bad enough to need one, I just try to get out and about in the daylight as much as possible which seems to work. I know a lot of people have it worse though. We tend to get a lot more referrals in winter, so I think seasonality does have quite an impact on mental health, more than people realise. I don't think it is a coincidence that highest suicide rates in the world are in the areas in the arctic and antarctic circles. Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins that we need and it is most strongly delivered to us in the sun, which is why many living in cold regions have it on prescription because they simply cannot get enough from their diet and it causes health problems.

I believe we get more than enough vitamin D in summer to last the whole winter,its those who hibernate in summer who have problems...and all those who use factor 50 +......

[Peejayem]

People continue to go out whatever month it is, its a joy to go out without worrying about being stung, sunburnt or getting heat stroke.

 

January is a fantastic month with tons to do unlike the utter boredom of July with nothing much happening.

 

Such as?

[Snowy Easterlies]

it really isn't that bad out there, i deliver leaflets in the evenings sometimes its much better to do that now than in summer when its humid and you are sweating buckets, it is a bit awkward doing in the dark though, but its still nice to get out and about rather than just be stuck indoors

[Mokidugway]

Usually go to Canary Islands in January ,it relieves the monotony of it ....

[picog]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure living in near constant cold and darkness is not only physically bad for us, but mentally too.....

That has been shown among Laplanders by comparing those who have chosen to stay with those who have chosen to move south because of the darkness in the winter. People who remain in Lapland are less psychologically healthy and more prone to depression and other mental illnesses than those who chose to move away. So, wanting darkness is not an especialy healthy sign.

[Milhouse]

Were on the up!

 

http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/kingston-upon-hull.html

[picog]

Were on the up!

 

http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/kingston-upon-hull.html

Our first later sunset day is Thursday in Ludlow area. Moves from 3.57 to 3.58.

[Milhouse]

Our first later sunset day is Thursday in Ludlow area. Moves from 3.57 to 3.58.

 

Interesting to see that its that much later than it is here. 3.57 there as opposed to 3.40 here.

[Bottesford]

People continue to go out whatever month it is, its a joy to go out without worrying about being stung, sunburnt or getting heat stroke.

 

January is a fantastic month with tons to do unlike the utter boredom of July with nothing much happening.

 

I'm aware of the usual wind up in some all of your posts but surely even you can't use the 'overwhelming' threat of being stung or getting heat stroke in the UK of all places as an argument against summer! Still it made me chuckle.

[Weather-history]

Such as?

Plenty of hobbies/pastimes to choose.

People need to learn a thing called adaptibilty. There ain't a god damn thing you can do about the axis and the orbit. If people are not happy then move abroad, if you can't adapt. Sitting back and bemoaning isn't going to to achieve anything.

[Nick L]

Great. The descent into difficult sleeping after night shifts begins.

[Crepuscular Ray]

I don't celebrate the 'return of the sun' - I dread it. As for our food, most of it comes from abroad these days, thanks to the gift of fossil fuels providing transport,pesticides,fertilisers,irrigation etc etc. Let those countries have the damn sun - we don't need it.

You dread daylight? Are you a vampire?

 

I think you need an economic reality check wrt how much extra we'd have to pay for food if we and others at our latitudes couldn't grow any crops. 

 

Whatever, neither your wishes nor mine will have any effect on day length.

 

Bring on the long days of summer!!!!!

[Peejayem]

Plenty of hobbies/pastimes to choose.

People need to learn a thing called adaptibilty. There ain't a god damn thing you can do about the axis and the orbit. If people are not happy then move abroad, if you can't adapt. Sitting back and bemoaning isn't going to to achieve anything.

 

I have plenty of hobbies and pastimes, thank you.

 

I wasn't the one moaning about how the time of year hampers my pursuit of them