Into the darkness....

I've always been fairly frightened of the dark. However, I learnt pretty quickly that if you want to live in London during the colder months then that is something you are just going to have to get used too.

Ever since the clocks went back an hour at the end of October, it now gets dark at 4.30pm. Yep you read correctly...four thirty p.m... and we haven't even officially entered winter yet. Don't be fooled either that during the limited amount of daytime we get that it is all sunshine. Some days it is just grey or "white cloud" (as BBC weather authoritatively tells me).

It's not the cold that makes the British depressed little bunnies in Winter...it's the blooming dark.

This November we have had fairly mild temperatures. It surprisingly is not that cold - roughly around 10 degrees (I know I'm acclimatizing aren't I!).

I'm getting used to the dark. My next step is to get used to the grey-ness, the mist that is so low it isn't raining but the air feels wet, the days without sunshine. Layering and un-layering. Everyone looking scary with their hoodies on...how are we going to tell who the rioters are?

It's not all that bad. S and I are really loving:
- hot soup.
- cosy pubs with real fire places.
- open air ice skating rinks.
- yummy, hearty food like pies and sticky date pudding and porridge.
- boots, scarves, hats and gloves.
- skiing at Christmas.
- winter Christmas markets.
- mulled hot wine.
- Christmas decorations in the London shops that make it feel like Christmas. In fact there is a definite Christmas vibe here.
- booking in theater shows and going to museums to keep us indoors.
- the nutcracker ballet and pantomime.
- feeling cosy.

I promise that that is my rant. No more mention of weather. Except for the fact that S and I are thinking of getting an alarm that lets off simulated sun light to prevent SAD (seasonal adjustment disorder)...is that going too far or do you think the North Face jackets are enough???

Xoxo
E