h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Usually when the clocks go back in October, a feeling of gloom overwhelms me. The thought of five months of long dark nights, cold weather, scraping ice off the car every morning and only seeing the garden at weekends

But this year, I am positively chirpy about it

For one thing, this'll be my last long dark winter in UK for who knows how long.

All of October it was too dark in the morning to have a safe pre-work walk, but I was able to get out there today. Boy! do I feel better for it

And another thing is that since November started, it hasn't rained and the daylight hours have been sunny

Not one frost in Perthshire yet either I've never known the first frosts to be so late. No complaints though

Finally, perhaps for the first time in years, I'm actually looking forward to some long dark nights in front of a blazing fire, with good music, good food, a and good company

Needless to say, none of this will persuade me to stay in the UK

I was driving to work the other day not log after the sun had risen, and there was a thin veil of cloud obscuring it. The sunlight refracted into two bright spots either side of the sun, and there was a halo around it. Drving back the same day, the sun was going down but the rainstorm in front of me had the most intense rainbow. Even winter has its compensations.

How many hours of daylight do you have there in the winter?

Still feels like summer here in Texas

Not for much longer though - cold front coming tonight

Midwinter, we have about 7 hours of full daylight That's when it's not raining or snowing of course

But there are definitely compensations, as you say Felonious

I can't say I have an awful lot of sympathy for you Gosho Wrap up warm now, ya hear?

You consider it to be winter, already?



*looks at calendar*

It's only November 1, and winter doesn't officially start for another 6 or 7 weeks.

Hopefully, we won't have much harsh winter weather until close to that date.

Hi, Hypatia,

I am much further south than Fb, and we get about nine hours daylight, but a lot less if it is dull and overcast. Today has been dry, as was yesterday, but dull. It felt strange that there was no wind either. We have had such a lot this last year I've got used to weighting everything down in case it blows away.

When younger I loved the dark days of winter, but like it less and less as I get older. The open fire is lovely, and I love Christmas if it is cold and frosty, but I hate it when it is mild, humid and wet, which it often us these days.

Hi, Frenchbean,

We all know why you are so chirpy Nothing like a new romance to make the sun shine and the eyes sparkle

It feels sad that you are so glad to be leaving us, but I do understand the urge to head for sunnier climes, especially when you can take your new beau with you.

I have resolved to take every day as it comes and make the best of it. I have realised of late that none of us know when our time will come. I have been gardening with my other half today, and I am very conscious of how hard he finds even moderate exercise.

Still, I know he would rather peg it while doing something useful than in the armchair. We have had a laugh today at these two old crocks struggling to do in a day what we used to do in a couple of hours - Gardening, that is THAT would be the other way round

Websailor

Little loves the winter! He's dying for it to snow. Roy, on the other hand isn't so keen, if it means trogging up my hill with ice underfoot.

I'm not keen on scraping the ice off the car every morning, either, Fb! However, the patterns of frost, ice and snow can be very beautiful, and as long as it's crisp and not wet or slushy, it can be really satisfying.

What's the view north of the border about having single and double summertime?

Here, this will bring a smile to the face of the SADdest person...

http://www.goblertoys.com/pages2/rover2.html

Brilliant, Felonious I want one!

We have about 10.5 hours of daylight during our shortest days. We are also prone to gray, gloomy skies in winter.

Acht! Gardening! I have so much to do outside to get everything ready for winter and no time to do any of it. I barely have time to pop in here and check on friends.

Hi friends. Consider yourselves checked on.

I feel thoroughly checked

I'm not really leaving you Web Sailor: I'll still be in hootoo

I completely agree with living life to the full I would far rather remain active and have fun, rather than sit safe and sound, just in case anything nasty might happen

Take risks. Don't have regrets.

Gardening, or something else, WebSailor?

I do love the ice that forms when we have days of misty frosts; days when the temps never get above freezing and the ice crystals develop in long chains on every leaf, twig and spider's web

Double summertime? It wouldn't get dark until past midnight I overheard somebody chatting about it at work today, but I didn't pay so much attention. It's amazing how selective my brain is now that I know I shan't be here much longer

Hi Fb,
Still v busy, but it looks like I will be in Sydney around Feb. If it is one of your ports of call we could have a micro-meet!! Either way, hope things work out great. Me - I'm not eligible despite a Masters. Oh well one more chance in 2-3 years I think!!
SBE

1 November is the official first day of Winter in Ireland.

"It's only November 1, and winter doesn't officially start for another 6 or 7 weeks."

I've never quite understood why the summer and winter solstices are called the 'first day of summer' and 'first day of winter' in the US, when summer and winter are both quite clearly under way by that date

Mind you, it's not exactly accurate to call them midsummer day and midwinter day either... well, maybe not midsummer day. Midwinter day (Dec 21st) is more accurate in the UK than midsummer day (June 21st) cos there's usually more summer after midsummer day than before.

Although the weather gets colder before mid-December, we rarely have snow before then, in fact it rarely snows before the first part of January. But the snow and ice may not completely melt until mid-March or even later.

Then we have "Groundhog's Day" on Feb. 2, which of course "predicts" whether it will be an eary spring, or whether we'll have 6 more weeks of winter weather. Almost invariably (no matter what the groundhog "predicts"), it's still mid-march before the weather starts to feel more like spring.

To me it seems more reasonable that winter shouldn't start until the the real wintery weather is about to start, especially since the wintery weather is going to continue on into March.

In Britain it gets colder in Jan and Feb, but by December 21st it feels like there's already been at least two months of winter

I thought that the winter months were December, January and February, although I've always felt that November feels like winter too, but it's never as cold as January or February . Spring is March to May and Summer is June to August, leaving September to November as Autumn. Nature doesn't seem to adhere to arbitrary boundaries, however ...

Nature doesn't adhere to strict boundaries, but it does obey the rule that in continental climates such as the USA and Southern and Central Europe, the seasons arrive much later than in maritime climates such as Northern Europe. So 1 November is a reasonable date for the start of Winter in Ireland, while 21 December is a more reasonable date for Central Europe. Southeast England, being more continental in its climate than Ireland, probably experiences the start of Winter about 9 November, on average.

Traditionally, Christmas Day was "midwinter's day" in England, which would put the start of Winter at 9 November, which is dead on!

You're a fountain of knowledge, Gnomon!