This week I am in mourning; grieving for an end of daylight savings that feels like it is gone too soon, far before its necessary time… And as a result it seems to have set off some sort of seasonal jet-lag within me.
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| Last Daylight Savings Beach Trip |
The first week after the clocks change, I feel like I’m forever playing catch up with my body clock. And yes, even though we theoretically gain an extra hour sleep, when you have a child who is not old enough to understand the joys or mechanics of sleeping in, it’s but a wasted delight. The knock on effect continues with me wanting to be in bed ridiculously early followed by being wide awake far before I’m obliged to be. And don’t get me started on the child, who suddenly thinks it’s acceptable to be awake at 4am, thinking its
5am (his apparently preferred time to rise).
We also lament the loss of long lazy evenings of sunshine; of late day dips at the beach, or childhood twilight antics in the backyard. No more hanging my washing out at 4pm and having it dry the same day. Then there’s the arrival of the non-existent level of enthusiasm in which to exercise (and somehow avoid putting on all that winter weight). But most mournful of all, no more daylight to greet me as I return home from work at 7pm. Now the sky is cloaked in its inky blackness, making the weariness more acute and the impetus to get my evening jobs done even less appealing.
As you can tell, I don’t do the dark well. Once the sun skulks off to bed, my motivation mopes off right along with it. I long to curl up on the lounge in my most comfy clothes and eat hearty foods and make our home “sloth central” headquarters. Of course this is but a futile fight to undertake; responsibilities sadly don’t end to coincide with dusk.
The change in season seems to have crept up on me; the crisp cool air biting at my face as I wait at train station, being wrenched from my warm bed as I try to soothe my child back into his slumber. Plus I can’t help but feel we were royally ripped off this Spring just gone, my balmy days of perfect temps being replaced with an unseasonably long wintry presence. The result of it is I am just not an Autumn or Winter girl. The sunny seasons are what sustains me, and allows be to breathe. I feel as if I hold my breath March through August, willing that warmth to seep back into my icy bones.
Perhaps I was a bear in a former life, such is my strong desire to just hibernate away these wintry months. Oh to find a sunny spot filtered from the chills of cold and snooze the 6 month stretch through until the days become lighter and longer again…
I know I ought to be thankful that the NSW Labour Government got something right and lengthened the blissful daylight savings period in recent years (and I am also grateful I don’t reside in QLD where apparently this phenomenon is responsible for fading the curtains and therefore unable to be implemented…) but oh, extended sunlight I do miss you so. I shall be counting down to October when we let there be extended light in our lives once more.
Wow! You remind me so much of me!!
I’m a Summer girl, and am counting down the days until DLST returns!
Seriously considering flying north for Winter!
Lovely post. I am the opposite – I love this time of year and all that it brings – and get more done, for some reason.
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I miss it already too. And whilst in theory my kids should be going to bed more easily at night, they aren’t. They are however getting up incredibly early!
I’m a morning person too, but truly anything before 6 is pushing it!
Oh my lovely east coast friends be grateful that you even have the delight that is daylight saving.
Us west coasters are apparently far too dumb to understand basic concepts of how the earth works and vote against it time and time again for fear of fading curtains (the extra hour of sunlight you know), non-milk-able cows and naughty children who simply cannot sleep.
We were lucky enough to have a three year trial 07/08/09 before being given an opportunity to vote at yet another referendum where the stupid people won.
It fades the curtains in WA too. We did yet another trial a few years back and it was brilliant, but the referendum came back with a resounding no. sigh.