Thoughts on Daylight Saving Time
This Sunday is the end of Daylight Saving Time, which just adds insult to injury. For weeks the days have been getting shorter to the point where I can no longer go for a bike ride after work. It's the beginning of the end of the summer and fall, which means shorter days and colder temperatures. I like winter, winter sports, and being indoors near a warm fire. It's just the short daylight hours that get me down. At the very least, the end of Daylight Saving Time will give me spring and summer to look forward to.
With less time to cycle, I've started jogging to fill the exercise gap. I still have my old Saucony running shoes that I bought in 1999 when I last tried to start. I'm doing much better this time and I'm loving it. A few weeks ago I bought a pair of sweatpants to prepare for the colder temperatures. Fortunately St. Gallen isn't as chilly as Canada, so jogging over the winter might just be possible!
The end of the season also has me reflecting on the year. For the most part it has been great. During the winter and spring I was planning and highly anticipating my first major solo bike tour. The tour happened in June and the accomplishment gave me immense personal satisfaction. I'd do it again in a snap, but next time with a detour around Sweden. In the meantime I'm giving consideration to the Cape Town Argus bike race that takes place in March.
Autumn is always a good time to visit Canada. For the first two weeks of October I was in Sudbury to visit family. The fall colours were beautiful and I enjoyed them on two hikes in the Killarney Provincial Park and jogs along the Laurentian trail. I'm beginning to re-discover the beauty of home that I long took for granted. I plan to return in the spring or early summer.
With less time to spend outdoors, I've taken up guitar as a new hobby. I've always enjoyed guitar music and always wished that I could play. It's a pity that years of violin instruction hasn't given me the satisfaction that I anticipate I'll have with the guitar. Fortunately the violin has given me a head start with the music theory and the coordination between my left and right hands. For two months I was renting a classical guitar, but today I swapped it for a Canadian made Norman acoustic. It sounds great and I look forward to learning with it. Tough luck for my neighbours.
