Ramblings about Rhythms

Today is the third cloudless, beautiful day in a row. I've not much mentioned the weather since I arrived, partly because it's hardly been worth mentioning, partly because I'm rather conscious that some who read this Blog will be 'enjoying' pretty poor weather and partly because despite hardly mentioning it I've already been told off by one reader for mentioning it 'too much'.

So why mention it this morning? Well simply because I'm puzzled. In Scotland in the summer in particular and all the more so (I should say 'a fortiori' for those who used to be in law or local government) when the sun shines, I am up by 0600. Well I woke this morning at some time after five and turned over and went back to sleep, then I woke just after six and did the same. Then I woke just after seven and lay awake thinking (an unusual event by itself) before eventually persuading my body to get out of bed and get on with the day.

Is it because my routine has been upset - I don't have to be out for Croquet this morning at 0845? Is it because I was up too late last night? No. I was in bed before midnight. Is my life too strenuous? No. I had a pretty relaxed and easy day yesterday. The previous night I had a solid eight hours sleep. So am I having to face the fact that my body just ain't as young as it used to be and needs some extra rest occasionally? Well perhaps so or perhaps, harking back to a posting a while ago on being in tune with nature I have to adjust. Here people as a general rule go to bed very early by UK and European standards and get up early too. People never ring you after 9pm but will happily ring you at 7am - and do (which is fine by me!).

This is much more in tune with the rhythms of the day if one talks in terms of dawn and dusk.

One thing that the European visitor notices about New Zealand (probably not to the same extent in Auckland) is that restaurant's are closed by 9pm more often than not except sometimes at weekends. If one is in Spain or Italy in particular meals don't start until then. The day has a natural rhythm very different to New Zealand: probably explainable by temperature rather than dawn and dusk.

In the UK we seem to have just bucked any notion of natural rhythm.

All this is very interesting for me to ponder upon but probably rather less interesting for the reader. It also demonstrates rather well my pleonastic abilities.

This posting could probably have read: In New Zealand people follow a different rhythm of the day to most of Europe. We get up early, we go to bed early and if you want to eat in a restaurant don't get there late or you'll be gulping your meal. I got up late. I wonder why.