Hours of Darkness

Here in the UK, the “clocks go back” an hour sometime this weekend and Summertime ends. I’ve always wondered what happened to late-night train timetables and buses, and TV schedules (do they all have to run again?). For one day, I gain an extra hour of sleep that I intend to make full use of.

Unfortunately, it also means the end of after-work gardening until next year in the Spring, when the clocks go forward. I’ll be coming home from work in the dark and unless I invest in floodlights, I won’t be able to do anything outside until the weekends. It’s going to be quite jarring after spending almost every working day heading out into the garden to do something immediately after getting back from work.

My brain will compensate by sending me into “low power” mode and I will begin my winter hibernation, which basically involves sleeping longer and longer hours as the Autumn turns to Winter.

There’s not all that much to do now anyway. I may give the grass a final cut, I’m awaiting a whole load of lily bulbs, there’s a couple of bare-root roses for the arch that will want planting and the occasional grass raking to remove the worst of the fallen leaves.

When Winter does arrive and it’s cold and dark outside, perhaps blowing a gale, snowing or raining hard, I’ll be happy to snuggle up in bed and go to sleep, dreaming of how the garden will look next year.

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