Still with low light levels and the problems they cause...
:: In the Guardian this morning I read about the light boxes that have been installed at bus stops in a town in northern Sweden in an effort to reduce SAD. It makes me wonder if people will go and stand in the shelters and deliberatley miss buses in order to get some UV rays. They could become hubs of social life; I see coffee and cake stands, mulled wine, a DJ perhaps, all popping up around the bus stops as locals in sunglasses crowd into the shelter and party like it's summer.
:: I tried reading The Emotional Calendar by John Sharp after hearing him speak very sensibly on Radio 4, but the book failed to change anything for me. It contains too many anecdotes, and is oddly superficial considering the author's credentials. The premise is interesting and a fascinating area of study; I'm sure there's a good book waiting to be written on the subject, but this was too upbeat and cheerleading-self-help-positive-style to be really insightful or useful.
:: It might help to arrange a business trip to somewhere warm and sunny with nice spicy food. Simon packed his swimming trunks and a pair of shorts yesterday, and flew off to visit to Kuala Lumpur this week - after he's been to the not-so-warm Shanghai. Friends ask why I don't go with him on these trips, but someone needs to stay with Phoebe and take her to the bus stop in the dark, and pick her up from the bus stop in the dark. She brightens up my day, anyway, and I wouldn't miss that for anything, so I'll just have to wait until she's gone to university before I can gad about in search of unseasonal sun.
:: I'm using the dark to force hyacinth bulbs in vases. No point in not taking advantage of it.
:: And black and white films look so much better in winter when the light and dark and shade seem to come into play more vividly. I just watched Victim (again) which was remarkably subtle and forward-thinking for its time.
