‘There’s a bit of a stretch in the evenings…’

Has anybody said it to you yet? ‘There is a bit of a stretch in the evenings already’ or some other combination of those words with the same message?

We must surely be the keenest observers of changing seasons in the entire world. Visitors sometimes comment that the Irish talk too much about the weather; but if there is a better conversation opener, we have yet to find it.

Back to ‘the stretch in the evenings’; no sooner has the 21 December faded into the rear view mirror than we start pairing the clock with the clouds in search of any noticeable increase in daylight. The fact that the ‘stretch’ is only two or three minutes a day after the shortest day, is neither here nor there.

Reversing back to the lead-in to the shortest day, it’s as if the whole thing comes as some shocking surprise. A Martian would be forgiven for thinking this shortening of the days had arrived in Ireland this year for the first time. ‘God Almighty, it’s all a night now… ‘sher’ it’s dark at four o’clock these days.’ Then someone pips in with a glimmer of hope: ‘Ah, never mind; isn’t it the shortest day next week and you won’t find till there’s a stretch in the evenings!’

Joe Duffy called me on air in Spain shortly after we had opened Paddy’s Point Pub. What Joe rang about would take too long to tell you right now (it certainly wasn’t due to a moan from me), but he finished by asking me about the weather. ‘What do you see when you look out the window of Paddy’s Point, Bernie?’ ‘Sunshine, Joe… there are 320 days of sunshine here.’ ‘So is there anything you miss about Ireland when you are in Spain, Bernie?’ ‘Indeed there is, Joe, I couldn’t live without th’oul GAA, the changing seasons and Paddy Cole (musician)!’ (That’s a long time ago; Paddy is very unwell at the moment and we send him our very best wishes.)

Let’s stick with Irish seasons. I just love the constant change and watching nature doing what nature does. I happily change my routine to embrace whatever sort of a day God chose to give us. I explained to Joe (yes, Lads, name-dropping is my thing!) that almost every day is the same in Spain; you get up and the sun is shining… albeit at different temperatures; but there is more to life than sampling the sun.

Back home and come 21 June we celebrate the longest day. All this surplus sun used to be used for making hay and saving turf. Modern machinery and changing lifestyles has eased the burden on the sun – but we still stare in awe as it nurtures and then ripens the fruits and vegetables we need to survive. Then in late summer you begin to hear the first moanings of what lies ahead: ‘Ah, lookit, with the longest day behind us, it will be no time before the days start closing in… as soon as the children go back to school, the evenings are ‘bet’.

We season sustainers don’t really need to know the scientific reasons for the seasons. That the Earth’s orbit around the sun is an eclipse and not a circle seems to have very little relationship to seeing the first snowdrop or a sheltered clump of daffodils. The fields turn green, as the bleating lambs lap it up. Spring brings a youthful beauty, new life, new hope, and teaches us to expect change.

The long days of summer invite us to spend more time outside. The beach may beckon, water shimmers in the sunlight, and the ‘clash of the ash’ echo from many of the two thousand GAA grounds across the country. Summer is indeed a time of abundance and joy.

Autumn brings its own change. The farmers engage in harvesting the fruits of the soil, leaves turn brilliant shades of colour. The evenings are crisp and cool and somehow, this season becomes a time for reflection.

Winter is a time of consolidation and solitude, as we slot into a period of rest and rejuvenation. This is the season of contrasts; the beauty of the landscape – but also the harshness of cold, rain and winds.

So, you see why the four different seasons offer so much and teach us of nature’s changing cycles. The most important life lesson is to appreciate that nothing stays the same and nothing lasts.

As we enter January, we are likely to encounter the coldest day of the year. In keeping with our motto of making the most of every day… may we just wish you a happy coldest day!

Don’t Forget

The weather forecast is a programme in which it takes five minutes to say something which could be covered in 40 words.