Time

I've been having odd thoughts about time today. In the wee small hours of this morning we left British Summer Time behind, put the clocks back, and, suddenly, we're heading into winter. I quite like the fact that time was invented in Greenwich, less than ten miles away from where I'm sitting, over there (*points*). All time stems from the Greenwich meridian so I blame Greenwich for the darker nights but who do I blame for the arbitrary nature of BST v BST?

Of course, in the autumn, the nights draw in and mornings get slower to show light, with the sun having a longer and longer snooze before popping over the horizon. The leaves turn red and brown and fall, the temperature begins to drop and the lights of Christmas start to appear. I like our seasons in the UK, I like hot summers and cold winters. I like gradually wearing more clothes in winter, turning on the heating and getting used to more darkness than daylight. It still comes as a surprise to me that it gets dark earlier and earlier as the year draws to a close. You'd think I'd know by now.

As a card-carrying official Christmas-oholic I get irritated by Christmas emerging sooner every year. Both Oxford Street and Regent Street already have their Christmas lights up - but not yet switched on, thankfully - and the shops are gradually starting to stock cards and wotnot. I have a specific rule that the count-down to Christmas does not start until December - I plan things before then, obviously, but don't really do anything. On 1 December all my Christmas CDs get downloaded onto my iPod again and the Christmas DVDs come out and get dusted down. The Tree gets adopted 12 days before Christmas and out come the old (and not-so-old) decorations, some of which I've had forever, and I can remember where virtually every single one comes from. Is that odd? O well....

I've got a great lead-up to the festive season planned this year:

~ Alphabeat at Heaven
~ Brenda Holloway and Chris Clark at the intimate Jazz Cafe
~ Brenda Holloway and Chris Clark and a host of others at Hammersmith
~ 'Sweet Charity' at the Chocolate Factory
~ The Unthanks (formerly Rachel Unthank & The Winterset) at Shepherd's Bush
~ Here Come The Girls at Hammersmith with Lulu, Chaka Khan and Anastasia
~ New York Dolls at The Forum
~ Alison Moyet at The Royal Festival Hall
~ Steeleye Span at The Barbican (*so* looking forward to seeing Maddy and the Steeleyes)
~ 'Nation' at The National Theatre
~ Ray Davies at Hammersmith
~ Pet Shop Boys at the O2 Arena
~ Public Image Limited at Brixton Academy
~ Boy George at the Leicester Square Theatre
~ Matthew Bourne's 'Swan Lake' at Sadlers Wells

And, of course, there's the German Christmas Market along the South Bank to browse, 'Winter Wonderland' in Hyde Park (that's where I got my magik hat two years ago) and, no doubt, lots more to add to the list. I need a pantomime. I need an art exhibition of some sort (maybe a trip to the Tate Modern?). I need Christmas parties. Naturally, I need freezing weather and snow...

Then the cycle starts again and I face a milestone...

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Phew! I got to the end of this blog without referring to Bowie's song of the same name in which Time "falls wanking to the floor ..." O poo, I just did!