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Bon Journal

Early darkness

Barely 4 pm and it's already dark.

Yesterday as I swept up the fallen leaves from my garden, I noticed that the Japanese maple had a distinctive wine colour, not like the maroon red of summer. Today, to my surprise, I discovered that it has shed its leaves overnight. Barren until next spring, the tree sleeps.

I used to thank the long English winters for keeping me indoors and focussed on my research. Later I thanked it for inspiring me to compose melancholic songs. And now, I look forward to catching up on my personal and financial matters.

Darkness will arrive earlier and earlier. So I might as well as go to bed early to catch the morning sun. But my body clock is still running on US time. I've been waking up late and going to bed late for a year now. Five trips to the US, and I've still not re-adjusted to European time.

What's horrible about the winter is having to wear winter clothes. Having spent the first few years of my life in the tropics and all of my childhood in the subtropics, I am still not keen on wearing layers of clothing and not being to see my limbs.

The body hungers for hot and greasy food to keep warm. And so, I've reluctantly abandoned my vegetarian diet. Today I baked a casserole of marinated chicken wings. Tomorrow I will go outside, to prevent myself from getting stir crazy from being couped up inside. Yes, it's easy to stay inside when it's dark and cold outside. I can see why people can get depressed in the winter.

25 November 2001 Sunday