Topic: British summer time ends

[Jayb]

If the weather isn't depressing enough at the moment, clocks go back an hour when British summer time ends this weekend. Oh joy!
Would anyone like to summer time end altogether or changed in anyway?

[daveyboi]

I am afraid I am for sticking with things as they are rather than changing things.

I like the lighter mornings even when I have to go to work .

[squeezyjohn]

If it were up to me ... I'd shift the whole British time zone forward one hour like it is in the rest of Europe.  There are bits of France on central european time that are west of me ... and they cope fine.

But I realise that I'm not a mornings person ... and what could be my extended light evenings would take away from another person's early mornings ... there's only so much daylight to go around unfortunately!

[OllieC]

This way, up here you just about get the kids to & from school in the light. I wanted to scrap it when I was in the South but now we're up here I think it should stay the same.

Look forward to those evenings sitting around the fire, warm and snuggly from the weather outside...

[squeezyjohn]

It's true that winter daylight is less the further north you go ... but I still think that being able to eat outside in the light evenings during April, May, September and October like you can in Northern Holland with their later time zone is more of a bonus to give a good mood than an hour in the morning when you're dashing around bleary-eyed anyway.

But maybe it's just me that would prefer to forget the mornings.

[Poppy Mole]

I must admit to also enjoying the early dark evenings between now & Christmas & then look forward to watching the nights draw out minute by minute in the new year. \there is only so many daylight hours in winter so you will never please everyone & when it's chucking it down with rain, (like it is now!), it's going to be dark anyway.

[galina]

I wish it stayed BST year round. 

Getting up in the dark isn't so bad when most of the day is in light.  But when the outdoors day ends at four and then there are very long evenings under artificial light, that is quite depressing.  Totally psychological, but when it is darker indoors, I feel much colder too and want to turn the heating up.  Does anybody else feel colder when it is dark?  As my eyes are getting older, I appreciate daylight indoors for doing many jobs too.

During/after the war they even had double summer time because that used less energy.  I wonder whether this reasoning still holds?  And I don't understand why winter time stays on for so long?  Only on 30th of March 2014 will summertime come back.  December 21st is the shortest day, less than 2 months away - but it is more than 3 months after the shortest day before summertime starts again.

[squeezyjohn]

Well for the morning routine as someone with children ... the light you get between 7 and 8am is completely wasted getting them ready, dressed and breakfasted indoors when the lights are on anyway ... there's no way in the world I could use that light to get a sneaky hour down on the allotment - and by the time they've had dinner it's dark again !!!

I get the impression it's more for farmers .... and maybe a little bit to do with safety for people going to work early in the mornings.  There can never be a solution that pleases everyone.

[Jayb]

Gosh, I'd never considered some may prefer early dark evenings, I just hate them!

Getting up in the dark isn't so bad when most of the day is in light.  But when the outdoors day ends at four and then there are very long evenings under artificial light, that is quite depressing.  Totally psychological, but when it is darker indoors, I feel much colder too and want to turn the heating up.  Does anybody else feel colder when it is dark? 

During/after the war they even had double summer time because that used less energy.  I wonder whether this reasoning still holds?  And I don't understand why winter time stays on for so long?  Only on 30th of March 2014 will summertime come back.  December 21st is the shortest day, less than 2 months away - but it is more than 3 months after the shortest day before summertime starts again.

Once those early dark evenings arrive I find I want to eat earlier, snuggle up and go to bed early too. I'm less active and it's a struggle to do stuff round the house in the evenings. Definitely feel the cold more with early dark evenings.

I think it wouldn't be so bad if it changed again if Feb?

From what I notice around here, the farmers work whatever hours are needed to get jobs, such as Lambing, ploughing, planting, harvesting etc done. Having as many of those in daylight must be a bonus, though I doubt many just do a 9-5 day.

[Digeroo]

I would have double in mid summer time so we would have even lighter evenings in the mid summer.  I actually mostly have my own time zone.  I do not change my watch during the winter it is too difficult. 

I just want to hibernate now.  Though I have bought an artificial fire effect, simply a fan two red lights and a piece of fabric, which actually seems to cheer me up.

[Obelixx]

Farmers here work all hours too and if it's harvest time they're at it till 3am using full beam to get the wheat in before the rain starts or the machines have to go to the next farm and then start again at 5am when it's light.   Same with sugar beet and sweetcorn which are harvested after the equinox but they'll go on until midnight to get it in.   Spuds tend to be done in daylight.

I'd like to stay on European summer time and don't see why the UK can't do the same.  I know farmers north of the border like the time changes but Denmark is at the same latitude and they cope and most of Norway, Sweden and Finland are further north than Scotland and still get crops in and animals fed, milked etc.

[pumkinlover]

So wish the clocks did not go back! I do not mind getting up in the dark because it will get light so that's ok. I hate driving home from work in the dark and on my days off it means that you do not have enough gardening time.
It is also such a faff changing the clocks.

[Golach]

I like the clocks going forward and back.  To me, the clocks going back heralds the start of winter when the earth sleeps.  The clocks going forward in the Spring I love because it means summer's on it's way (hopefully) and I get the feel good factor, watch for my bumblebees returning (they do every year and use the same hole in the eaves to set up their nest), love seeing the colourful crocus and other spring flowers.

Nature awakens from her long sleep.

They tried BST all year round back in the 60s and it was an absolute disaster.  I lived in Aberdeen at the time and still remember it being pitch black at 10am.  There were also so many accidents, many fatal and involved young children going to or from school.

Wasn't a good idea then, and isn't a good idea now.

[BarriedaleNick]

Actually the 60s (68-71) trial was a considerable success in terms of saving lives and injuries...
 
From RoSPA (and a thousand other hits)
"This confirms earlier research which showed that the 1968/71 experiment, when British Standard Time (GMT + 1) was employed all year round (the clocks were advanced in March 1968 and not put back until October 1971) saved around 2,500 deaths and serious injuries each year of the trial period."
 
For that and many other reasons I think it is a great idea and one wholeheartedly supported by RoSPA
 

[theothermarg]

I can remember the experiment as I was in my early 20's but cannot remember it making any difference to my life  but then I was way south of the Scottish border
marg

[Robert_Brenchley]

I remember a lot of worries about kids going to school in the dark. It wasn't popular.

[Jeannine]

Laughing as I write this, everything I did went all wrong, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time all day on Monday...then I realised ours doesn't change till the 3rd of November

I shall never listen to you lot again.....

XX Jeannine

[pumkinlover]

Laughing as I write this, everything I did went all wrong, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time all day on Monday...then I realised ours doesn't change till the 3rd of November

I shall never listen to you lot again.....

XX Jeannine

We have that effect!!