Summer Time

The clocks went forward a week ago, and oh my! how it feels like summer already. It might be exactly the same temperature as last week, but the extra hour of daylight makes evenings so much more relaxed. I am in the mind of dinner al fresco, cool drinks whilst watching the kids play happily, and the television going dusty from lack of use (or lack of housework, but let's not get picky).The downside to summer time, or at least the start of summer time, is the darker mornings. I have really struggled to get up at my normal time, and have been running late almost every day.

The annual debate over daylight savings seems to grow quieter every year. Even the farmers are more accepting than before. I wonder if we will ever dispense with the bi-annual clock changes and just move clocks forward an hour permanently. It would be a right pain in the neck with really dark winter mornings, but then winter mornings are already dark, and wouldn't it be nice for the kids to have some daylight after school? It's apparently very bad for movies and television, but good for the golfing industry (so that's ok then... snooze). Would people be more active with extra daylight in winter even if it was cold?

I think if just one country moved the clocks forward an hour permanently then others would follow suit. Maybe it's up to New Zealand to lead the way. It was a New Zealander (well, British New Zealander) who put forward the first proposal of daylight savings times as we know it (George Vernon Hudson, so he could collect insects). New Zealand was also the first country to allow women the vote; have outlawed nuclear power; and have it's top 3 positions of power held by women all at the same time* so I think they would be the perfect country to do it.

Personally, I would love the clocks to move foward an hour permanently. We are so much more active as a result, and though a lot of that is down to nice weather, I know a certain amount is due to extra daylight.

Let me know what you think? Should we have permanent daylight savings time?




*New Zealand facts courtesy of Jamie Frater (except the one about sufferage, which I already knew)


Picture courtesy of http://almostalwaysthinking.com/2009/07/