The changing daylight hours thread

[Azazel]

4 weeks (ish) to go until the nights start drawing out!

[ManiaMuse]

5 hours ago, Azazel said:

4 weeks (ish) to go until the nights start drawing out!

Only about 3 weeks left untill sunset stops getting later! Just another 14 minutes of evening light left to lose where I am so it stops feeling like such a drastic change in the light levels compared to in September when we are losing the most daylight day-on-day.

Still quite a drudge until late February when things start to feel noticeably better but we will get there eventually.

[damianslaw]

We are entering the period of the year I call 'the dark days before christmas'.

On gloomy overcast days such as today, light levels stay woefully low, and dusky light sets in by 4pm.

It is going dark now as I speak at 3.50pm. Its days like today sun and light worshippers start thinking of summer holidays and long for the complete opposite feeling that the opposite end of the year in late May brings! Late afternoons become an extension of the evenings.

 

 

Edited November 22, 2023 by damianslaw

[damianslaw]

Entering full on winter low light mode now.. only 2 and half weeks until we bottom out light levels in evening, i.e. when we hit earliest sunset.

Those 3.30pm close the curtains days are knocking.. but on sunny clear afternoons we evade them such as anticipated tomorrow and Saturday.

Last year was great in this respect the first 18 days of Dec were very sunny and we had very few early dusks.. 

[damianslaw]

Clear mid afternoons this time of year make the world of difference. Yesterday dusk light set in at 3.30pm, dark by 4pm. Today still good light levels past 4pm, makes for far more appealing feeling. 

[Somerset girl]

Sunset in two minutes here and it is fairly bright compared with earlier in the week. 

The light doesn't fade or seem to fade as fast when it's like that. 

I've been thinking about darker evenings etc and preference of .

When I was younger I used to love darker evenings as I found summed evenings too light to sleep in so I felt tired all the time , in winter I used to love sitting in a big armchair , hot mug of soup, favourite reading book and a blanket.  I felt very cosy and safe and never mind the dark nights .The Christmas lights made it extra special and even after Christmas I coped 

The last fes years ( 5 ) I've been very ill and suddenly found the winter nights very anxiety inducing and depressing and even Christmas didn't help. 

However following an operation I'm now recovering and finding that child like joy again in the darker evenings . 

Next week I shall think about the tree and Christmas lights , find a book and curl up in a blanket and read . 

Not long until the evenings draw out again , bit longer for the  mornings but okncd we get into mid Feb they gallop away. 

 

[Maz]

Positive thinking got me to mid November, but SAD has really bitten since, with persistently dull weather.  Tired, anxious, feeling trapped, disinterested etc. 

Yesterday and today a real bonus.  Sitting in the sun now, wrapped up, but feeling some warmth.  Really hoping the cold spell brings some sunny days.  Snow is a bonus, transforms the light levels instantly.

The dark days pass.  It doesn’t really get any “worse” from now on in, well under a month to earliest sunset, then shortest day, and can then count upwards again.

Those with SAD, just feeling the gloom of winter, or discussing the impacts of light levels/ day length, keep posting here. I find it really valuable reading about others experiences as I’m sure many others do.

Hang in there, or for those with reverse SAD, enjoy!!!

 

[ManiaMuse]

3 hours ago, Maz said:

Positive thinking got me to mid November, but SAD has really bitten since, with persistently dull weather.  Tired, anxious, feeling trapped, disinterested etc. 

Yesterday and today a real bonus.  Sitting in the sun now, wrapped up, but feeling some warmth.  Really hoping the cold spell brings some sunny days.  Snow is a bonus, transforms the light levels instantly.

The dark days pass.  It doesn’t really get any “worse” from now on in, well under a month to earliest sunset, then shortest day, and can then count upwards again.

Those with SAD, just feeling the gloom of winter, or discussing the impacts of light levels/ day length, keep posting here. I find it really valuable reading about others experiences as I’m sure many others do.

Hang in there, or for those with reverse SAD, enjoy!!!

 

Yeah this time of year is the worse but it isn't too long before we start the long drag back to longer days.  Sunsets only get another 10 minutes earlier here which isn't really that noticeable in the grand scheme of things. With a bit of luck we will have more clearer days like today during the cold spell which really makes a difference to how dark the afternoons/evenings feel.

People start putting their Christmas lights up around now which makes December a bit more bearable. It is a shame that we take them down when we get to January/February.

My tip is to make sure you get outside as much as possible during the daytime, even when it is not sunny. Just getting outside for 20-30 minutes at lunchtime can improve your mood.

 

 

[sarahng]

Today was dire here - don't think it got properly light all day!  But I agree with others, not long now until the shortest day, and even though January and February are generally miserable, it gets better every single day in terms of day length.  It won't be long!

[kold weather]

I've got the Xmas lights up now, it really does make a surprising difference to the light levels, particularly on days like today which are on the dark side.

Its partly why I can cope pretty well for December but find Jan and the first half of Feb such a slog. Still it won't be long before the nights start to draw out again, even if the mornings have some way to go still (by the time we gain 10 mins in the morning, we've gained about 40 in the evening)

[*Stormforce~beka*]

54 minutes ago, kold weather said:

I've got the Xmas lights up now, it really does make a surprising difference to the light levels, particularly on days like today which are on the dark side.

Its partly why I can cope pretty well for December but find Jan and the first half of Feb such a slog. Still it won't be long before the nights start to draw out again, even if the mornings have some way to go still (by the time we gain 10 mins in the morning, we've gained about 40 in the evening)

Same. The lights help!

[damianslaw]

This dry cold clear airmass is the tonic at this time of year. With sunset pre 4pm, on wet overcast or just cloudy days it would be a dusky light now, even fully dark nearly, yet on days under such conditions as now and rest of the week we keep light well past 4pm, indeed probably add an extra an hour. 

Edited November 28, 2023 by damianslaw

[*Stormforce~beka*]

44 minutes ago, damianslaw said:

This dry cold clear airmass is the tonic at this time of year. With sunset pre 4pm, on wet overcast or just cloudy days it would be a dusky light now, even fully dark nearly, yet on days under such conditions as now and rest of the week we keep light well past 4pm, indeed probably add an extra an hour. 

Cloud and pitch black here ...

[ChannelThunder]

What a grim time of year. The light levels are nasty from lunchtime onwards and everything looks so sorry for itself, with the last of the greenery from summer having gone now. 

Then you go into the model thread and it's raining posts and excitement. I wish I could share their enthusiasm! Roll on the end of Feb when things start to turn back for the better.

[ManiaMuse]

8 hours ago, ChannelThunder said:

What a grim time of year. The light levels are nasty from lunchtime onwards and everything looks so sorry for itself, with the last of the greenery from summer having gone now. 

Then you go into the model thread and it's raining posts and excitement. I wish I could share their enthusiasm! Roll on the end of Feb when things start to turn back for the better.

Cloud levels in the afternoon makes a big difference to how it feels during this time of year.

The model thread is always some light amusement to read first thing in the morning.

[mb018538]

3 weeks to go fellow darkness haters! 

7-8 weeks before we really start to notice some difference. Not long. It'll soon fly by, as most of autumn has.

[damianslaw]

4 hours ago, mb018538 said:

3 weeks to go fellow darkness haters! 

7-8 weeks before we really start to notice some difference. Not long. It'll soon fly by, as most of autumn has.

December thanks to christmas rushes by, can be quite frenzied, people in a more heightened state.

It takes away from the low level light, but only if you enjoy christmas. 

[Maz]

7 hours ago, damianslaw said:

December thanks to christmas rushes by, can be quite frenzied, people in a more heightened state.

It takes away from the low level light, but only if you enjoy christmas. 

I’m afraid I am a Christmas grinch!  Autistic and peak ‘SAD’ I really struggle through Christmas.  Take the light away, then take my normal routine away, then force me to social/ family events and overwhelm me with noise etc.  And then repeat for new year.  Take the mickey if I look stressed or not enjoying myself too, that really helps.

I’m better once back in the normal work routine in January and can ever so gradually spot the smallest signs of spring.

Anyway, sunny and frosty this week is a real tonic. Sat outside for lunch every day!!!  Snow would provide a magical transformation to the light, hoping we get some here at the weekend or early next week.

 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Maz

[hillbilly]

12 hours ago, mb018538 said:

3 weeks to go fellow darkness haters! 

7-8 weeks before we really start to notice some difference. Not long. It'll soon fly by, as most of autumn has.

It is 2 weeks for evening darkness to bottom out but will be more than 4 weeks before mornings make the change

[ManiaMuse]

Only another 2 minutes of evening light to lose here now.

Sunset time just stays about the same for quite a while but at least it doesn't get much worse.

[cheeky_monkey]

4 hours ago, ManiaMuse said:

Only another 2 minutes of evening light to lose here now.

Sunset time just stays about the same for quite a while but at least it doesn't get much worse.

3 minutes to lose here in the evening but still over 20 mins to lose in the morning

[damianslaw]

A week until we bottom out.. unlike last year with the glorious sunny clear weather which helped to delay the onset of early dusks, this year we won't be spared. A very dark dull period ahead, thanks to overcast wet skies or misty low cloud tomorrow night onwards, indeed won't feel light at all.. 

 

[damianslaw]

The low light is back. Days like today you reach for the winter sun brochures... 

[sarahng]

We've bottomed out the early sunsets at last.  It will get no worse than today and in a few days the nights will start drawing out!  Still another 12 minutes to lose in the mornings though!

[Dangerous55019]

Well today marks the start of the beginning of the end… For another year anyway!

Because as of today we stop loosing daylight at the evening end of the day. The actual earliest sunset is on either Wednesday or Thursday (according to the Time and Date website) … but there are only mere seconds in it.

The actual winter solstice is on Friday the 22nd of December at 03:27 in the morning… Plus we carry on loosing daylight at the morning end of the day until the 1st of January!

So you can see why I called it the beginning of the end. Lol  

Anyway… I’ll shut up now as I’m rambling .