Jump Cut

[poliphilo]

One of the results of putting the clocks back is that winter, instead of creeping up on us, arrives in a single pounce. It's disorientating. Unnatural. The nights are slowly drawing in and suddenly there's a jump cut and you find it's getting dark when you're putting on the kettle for afternoon tea. Stuart Heritage in the Guardian says we put up with this for the sake of Britain's eight remaining milkmen. My suspicion is it causes much more annoyance than it saves.

Comments

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I basically agree, but as a data point I should say that I felt very happy setting off for work not to be doing it in the dark, as I had been last week. (I also get my milk delivered, mostly as a small way of supporting the dairy industry.)

I always thought it was Scottish farmers who were said to insist on it - though I never understood that, since (being self-employed) they could always work to GMT even if everyone else was still on BST.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We have our milk delivered too- and we keep the contract going for much the same reasons.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

In the United States in recent years, it has been the candy industry which has been driving it -- which is why we continue on Daylight Saving Time until the ridiculously late date of "after Halloween." They insist on maintaining it long enough to help trick-or-treating.

[matrixmann]

Why for the last remaining milkmen?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Because they do their rounds in the early morning.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

I'm one of the few people who welcomes the clocks going back. An hour's daylight before work is a real godsend when you have dogs to walk or livestock to check up on.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, I can see that,

And I'll admit it's been nice these past few days to be getting up in full daylight.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

I agree.

I hate it!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think we carry on out of habit. I don't see there's any real point to it.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I would rather never be on daylight saving time, and be on real time all year round. Which is what you are currently on, and what we will soon be on.

Yes, you get less light in the evening, but more in the morning. But morning is when it is supposed to be light, and evening is when it is supposed to be dark, so I'd rather be in the situation where we that is what is happening.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't think I mind which time we choose- just so long as we stick with it.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I would rather be on the closer-to-real time, but, if it was a choice, I'd take "being always on Daylight Saving Time" over "switching back and forth."

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

Isn't it about time we kept with British summer time.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

BST or regular time- I don't mind which; I just wish we'd stop messing about.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

I really hate it getting dark so early and we're further south so our darkness falls later than yours. But I still hate it.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's the disruption I dislike. I don't mind the dark evenings- they can be rather cosy- I just wish they didn't arrive so suddenly.

[lora-diary.livejournal.com]

And we have this trouble every year. One year we put our clocks the other one we don't do that. This year we still didn't put it. But who knows?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think we should just leave the clocks alone.

[w. lotus (from livejournal.com)]

We are about to do the same thing. The idea of travel to handbell rehearsal Monday afternoons in the dark does not fill me with joy.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Do you have far to go? Do you walk?

[w. lotus (from livejournal.com)]

I travel about 45 minutes by subway to get there. It isn't far, but it means once we turn the clocks back I leave home just before dusk and come out of the subway on the other end after dark.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's a long journey, then.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

I'd much rather it was dark in the morning and lighter in the evening. but that would entail us switching permanently to British Summer Time and abandoning Greenwich Mean Time. I don't think the Powers that Be could cope with that - the ones who love Black Rod and Maundy Thursday and the Privy Council and suchlike. It's traditional, innit?