Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, all the more shorter in this part of the world (I'm back in Glasgow) with "night" beginning at 4pm this afternoon. It's wet and windy, although not too cold. My dad and I were debating whether wet and mild or dry and cold is better winter weather, and we resolved that equal measures of each are as good as it gets.
The Scottish enthusiasm for celebrating the New Year is no surprise, with the depression brought on by the long dark days. The ill health in (the west of) Scotland has recently been associated with a lack of daylight in the winter. While I don't dispute that, the climate in general is not conducive to good health. The inclement weather is not encouraging of outside exercise nor healthy eating. Glasgow has become the closest Scotland gets to a sprawl, with outlying suburbs and poor public transport, so people are inclined to use cars. The hills of the city make cycling only for the most athletic. It's no wonder we turn to deep-fried Mars Bars.
I read the Sunday Times today for the first time in a while, and it was dire. Plenty of articles about the recession involving rich people unable to afford maids anymore, Euro-Pound parity forcing rich Brits out of rural France and a patronising piece in the Style section about neo-feminism. I think I was more offended by the anti-intellectualism of the pieces in what holds itself out to be a "serious" newspaper, rather than their actual substantive content. Not worth the paper it's printed on.
The Scottish enthusiasm for celebrating the New Year is no surprise, with the depression brought on by the long dark days. The ill health in (the west of) Scotland has recently been associated with a lack of daylight in the winter. While I don't dispute that, the climate in general is not conducive to good health. The inclement weather is not encouraging of outside exercise nor healthy eating. Glasgow has become the closest Scotland gets to a sprawl, with outlying suburbs and poor public transport, so people are inclined to use cars. The hills of the city make cycling only for the most athletic. It's no wonder we turn to deep-fried Mars Bars.
I read the Sunday Times today for the first time in a while, and it was dire. Plenty of articles about the recession involving rich people unable to afford maids anymore, Euro-Pound parity forcing rich Brits out of rural France and a patronising piece in the Style section about neo-feminism. I think I was more offended by the anti-intellectualism of the pieces in what holds itself out to be a "serious" newspaper, rather than their actual substantive content. Not worth the paper it's printed on.
0 comments:
Post a Comment