Scottish Sun

About a month from the winter solstice here in Scotland, and once you get out of the city and away from the buildings it becomes truly evident how much the sun's path through the sky has changed.

The sun no longer rises in the morning. It more just plays hide and seek, occasionally peeking through a gap between buildings, maybe teasing you by peering out over the rooftops, but never completely clearing them. It stays low in the sky, before lazily returning to bask other parts of the world in all its glory.

Clearly the sun is bored of the northern hemisphere at the moment, and is seeking greener pastures amongst our southern friends.

Or perhaps, as a wise Scot confided in me today, perhaps the Sun is smarter than we give it credit for. Perhaps the Sun has heard somewhere along the grapevine that Scottish winters are notoriously miserable - cold, cloudy, dark - and is merely leading by example. Perhaps it is getting to that time of year when we humans should reconsider rising from our beds each morning. Maybe we should sleep in a little longer, only stay out for a few hours, then hurry back home to some warmth and comfort. If the Sun knows about avoiding Scottish winters, why shouldn't we?

I think the Sun could be on to something here...