Daylight Saving Ends

It's been an odd day today weatherwise (I have a friend who used to berate me for this terrible 'Americanism' as far back as the 1960s).  I texted Jayne at 0920 to check to make sure that the weather was as bad down on the plains (where the croquet club is) as it was up in the hills where I live.  She said that there was no rain and she could see plenty of blue sky.  How odd.  We are only about 7 kilometers apart. So I played croquet with my sunglasses on.  Driving home from croquet, however, as soon as I left the coastal plains I was getting close to a really heavy thunderstorm.  

Looking towards Cape Kidnappers from Poraiti above Napier

Panorama with Cape Kidnappers in the far distance and the thunderclouds approaching from the centre of the Island.

I've been here at this time of year for the last five years but I cannot recall the end of daylight saving time being quite so noticeable.  When I collected Fraser from the gym last night at 7pm it was pitch black.  At 4.30 this afternoon the sky was dark and I shut the ranch sliders to keep out the chill and put the lights on.  Eh?  

Wendy and I were talking last night about the fact that I had only 21 sleeps to my return to Scotland.  It seems almost like tomorrow.  But as Wendy said it's actually one eighth of my time still to go.  Given the number of croquet matches I still have to play I'm going to need that time.  But I hope that we have some more sun before I go.

Daylight Saving Ends

Now that daylight saving has ended I know that I’ll not be alone in having to come to terms with the reality that is long nights.  As it gets dark earlier and gets cooler the whole essence of life that is New Zealand begins to falter.  For me life in New Zealand is a life lived outdoors.  I probably spend an average of well over 6 hours a day outdoors.  I drive a car without a roof.  I have large ranch sliders which remain open most of the day (and would be open most of the evening if it were not for the insects who come in to the light).  As the days draw in those opportunities for outside living grow fewer.

The long nights in Scotland never worried me.  I would hunker down with the central heating and the fire and use the long winter nights (midwinter on Lewis means that it’s dark at 4.30pm and not light until 8.30am) for all the things that one can do on long winter nights.  I relished them.  But then I knew that when midsummer came it would be light throughout the night – it is possible to read the paper outside at 2 am on midsummer’s night provided, of course, it’s not raining!  Everything is relative however and when I’m on Lewis on a warm summer’s day I look at the temperature in Napier and often find that my summer temperature might be exactly the same as the winter temperature in Napier. 

All this is, however, rather academic for me because in 15 days 19 hours and 34 minutes (approximately) I shall be leaving my New Zealand autumn to rejoin Scotland in the spring.

It’s not a bad life, I have to admit.

Daylight Saving

The clocks went forward in the UK at 0100 today, Sunday 30 March for daylight saving (British Summer Time) so the UK is now at GMT + 1 hour. In France and Spain the clocks also went forward 1 hour. Both Countries are usually 1 hours ahead of the UK and now they are on Central European Summer Time (CEST) which is GMT + 2 hours.

In New Zealand we are still on Daylight Saving Time (DST) until Sunday, 6 April 2008 at 03:00 and are on GMT + 13 hours. When we come off summer time next weekend we will be on GMT + 12 hours.

All summer we have been 13 hours ahead of the UK. Now we are 12 hours ahead. After next Sunday we will be 11 hours ahead.

All summer we have been 12 hours ahead of Central Europe. Now we are 11 hours ahead. After next Sunday we will be 10 hours ahead.

Until it starts all over again next September when 'winter' starts in the UK and Europe and 'summer' starts here.

Isn't life complicated.

See The World Clock