It's hibernation time here in the Loire Valley. It's not so much that the weather is cold, even though it has turned chilly. The heat comes on in the morning. A fire burns in the wood stove for most of the day. But it's not the cold, it's the dark. We still have a month to go before we experience the shortest days. Today, the sun comes up a 7:45 and sets at 5:30. A month from now, it will rise after 8:30 and set at 5:00. So I feel like I'm entering the hibernation period. At least I'm sleeping well. I'm getting up nearly 2 hours later than I was a couple of months ago.
I took these two pictures a few days ago at 5:07 p.m. I was standing about a quarter of a mile from the house.
It had been a nice sunny day. I hope we have more of those this month and next. There are three houses in this photo. Ours is the one with the on the left with the dark brown roof tiles and two skylight windows.
Above is this morning's radar weather image. It's typical of the season. That big green blob will move across the northern half of France. We'll be on the southern edge of it, I think, under clouds with rain showers.
Life on the farm runs along those lines Ken. The 21st of December always looked forward to, the Winter solstice. Then the snowdrops appear, and the driveway daffodils poke their green shoots to the air. And light is returning. Your map highlights an Ostend to Genoa route through France, Lux, and Switzerland my family & I took in the 60's. A memorably wonderful experience.
ReplyDeletePats.
I’m glad you’re getting more sleep. I always thought you got up waaayy too early.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
When I taught French at the U. of Illinois in the 1970s, I always requested to have the 8:00 classes that nobody else really wanted. I've always been an early bird.
DeleteThe time change makes us really feel the darkness- we'll be feeling it this evening in the USA. Glad you are sleepying well.
ReplyDeleteHope you are too, E. Hope Lewis is doing well.
DeleteIt's wild to me that there are periods for you when the sun isn't up until after 8:30.
ReplyDeleteThe sun rises here at 8:30 a.m. or later from Dec. 10 until Jan. 22.
DeleteIt sets before 6:00 p.m. from Oct. 30 until Feb. 3. Those are short days.
We shifted from daylight savings time back to standard time today. I've never liked losing the extra hour of light at the end of the day. Sunset will occur today in Boston at 4:30 and will shorten to 4:10 or so in mid-December. If we didn't shift to an earlier sunrise, however, millions of children would be waiting in the dark for the school bus, and nobody thinks that is a good idea. I think you have a good idea, Ken, it's time to hibernate.
ReplyDeleteThat really is an early sunset, Bob. But your sunrise is two hours earlier than ours. Saint-Aignan is on the 47th parallel, while Quebec City, which is 300 miles north of Boston, is on the 46th. Today we'll get 9 hours and 42 minutes of daylight. Boston will get 10 hours and 5 minutes.
DeleteOur Finnish friends told us that people there sleep much longer in the winter than they do in summer. Until we visited during the summer solstice, I didn't really believe them. But it's true; we slept around 5-6 hours a night for our time there, like everyone else, without feeling tired. It was weird. -- Chrissoup
ReplyDeleteHi Chris. I was younger when I lived in Paris, but the short hours of daylight in December didn't bother me back then. Maybe that was partly because Paris is so brightly lit nearly 24 hours a day. Out here in the country, it's just plain dark. And I believe people in the northern French countryside did more or less hibernate before electricity came in. I don't know if I sleep shorter hours in summer. I'll have to pay attention next summer.
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