Your feelings are understandable. Exploring and accepting them may help you move on
I was with my ex-partner for more than 20 years. We were mostly happy and I expected us to be together for life. For well over half the relationship, I was the sole breadwinner and, at my ex's request, managed our finances. We were reasonably well off, with savings and without a mortgage. We even had a holiday home, albeit a static caravan.
I retired early, and the problems we had in our relationship grew. We had both loved travel, but I was repeatedly told we couldn't afford it, which I knew was nonsense. I went back to work in a demanding new field, but my ex showed no interest. I spent more time away from home and began therapy (my suggestion of couples' therapy was rejected). After a year of therapy, I said I was leaving.
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In October 2020, I published the first OUT TODAY column. Even then, I couldn't keep up with all the new music, so in addition to my shorter SOUND BYTES write-ups, I started curating a collection of about a dozen albums and shared it with you about once a month. As everyone's attention span got shortened, fought for by algorithms, content scraped by bots, and fabricated with AI…
After several delays in the hope that the visibility issues would eventually clear and the medical helicopter could be operated, a decision was eventually made that the races in all three classes are cancelled. Racing could not safely get underway without the medical helicopter being able to fly, as the closest hospital by road is over 45 minutes away from the circuit.
As a farewell to Phillip Island, MotoGP riders completed a parade lap behind the safety car and greeted the very patient fans on the main straight, with Jack Miller as the star of the brief show.
Zara Daniela Sun, 25/Oct/2026 - 04:40
The clocks go back today, the last Sunday in October.
25th October is the earliest possible date the clocks can go back, ushering in darker evenings at the earliest opportunity.
When did the clocks go back?
before 1916: they didn't
1916-1924: various dates in late Sept/early Oct
1925-1938: the day after the first Saturday in October
1939-1947: it's complicated (thanks to Double Summer Time)
1948-1949: the day after the last Saturday in October
1950-1952: the day after the third Saturday in October
1953-1960: the day after the first Saturday in October
1961-1967: the day after the third Saturday in October
1968-1970: they didn't (thanks to Double Summer Time)
1971-today: the last Sunday in October
» For a full history of British Summer Time dates see my 2025 clocksback blogpost
When do the clocks go back?
At 2am BST, reverting to 1am GMT.
It's been 2am ever since 1916.
2am on Sunday was chosen because it was the quietest time of the week, after trains had stopped running but before shift workers and churchgoers set out.
This means there are two half-past ones, indeed an entire hour repeats.
It means you could have two twins, the elder born at 1.55 and the younger at 1.05.
It also means October is the longest month of the year, one hour longer than January, May, July, August and December (and two hours longer than March).
» For much more about British Summer Time see Wikipedia
Why do the clocks go back?
Essentially it's to provide more daylight in the evenings from April to October.
The initial trigger in 1916 was to support the war effort by increasing daylight during the working day and reducing energy consumption for lighting.
In the UK the man with the original idea was Chislehurst builder William Willett.
» For more on William Willett see my 2007 clocksback blogposts (also my 2015 clocksfoward blogpost)
» For more on daylight changes see my 2021 clocksback blogpost
How long do the clocks go back?
There are always either 21 or 22 weeks of Greenwich Mean Time before the clocks go forward.
This year it's 22, sorry.
There are 22 weeks of GMT most of the time (17 years out of every 28, i.e. 61% of the time)
It's 21 next year, hurrah.
» For the longest periods of British Summer Time see my 2022 clocksback blogpost
Why do the clocks go back asymmetrically?
Clocks go back two months before the winter solstice but go forward three months afterwards.
This means they go back when sunset is around 5pm GMT, but don't go forward until sunset is around 6pm GMT. This is neither balanced nor ideal.
If things were better balanced we'd put our clocks forward at the end of February rather than the end of March.
This would avoid a slew of March evenings that are darker than they need to be.
I understand the reason for the imbalance is that October evenings are mild (so it's still worth going out), whereas March evenings are cool (so there's less incentive to head outdoors), but I suspect farming comes into it somewhere too.
» For more asymmetry see my 2011 February Forward blogpost
Where do the clocks go back?
They go back today all across the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
Also across the EU (including Ireland and Portugal, whose Summer Time is the same as ours).
Also in many other European countries (including Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine, the Balkans and the Baltics).
Also Israel and Lebanon (Palestine switched last night and Egypt jumps back on Thursday).
Meanwhile the USA, the eastern half of Canada and most of the Caribbean go back next weekend.
Their clocks always go back one week after us (whereas their clocks go forward two or three weeks before us).
» For more national detail see my Wikipedia's dedicated page
Where don't the clocks go back?
All of Asia (except Israel, Palestine and Lebanon).
All of Africa (except Egypt).
Equatorial countries (because Daylight Saving isn't useful where sunset times don't vary much).
Also the whole of the southern hemisphere (except New Zealand, southeast Australia and northern Chile).
What happens when the clocks go back?
Essentially the time of sunset suddenly jumps an hour earlier. People hate that.
It's only been a week since the last day London had a sunset after 6pm.
Now suddenly sunset is before 5pm, and it all feels terribly premature.
But make the most of tonight's 4.45pm sunset.
It may feel miserable but it'll be 31st January before we get a sunset later than that.
Sunrises work completely differently.
This morning's sunrise is at 6.40am, which we last had on 19th September.
We next get a 6.40am sunrise on March 3rd, and then again on March 30th.
This all feels counterintuitive, but we pay far less attention to sunrise than sunset.
» For more on sunrise/sunset changes see my 2021 equinox post
Why don't we modify when the clocks go back?
So much debate, so many arguments.
Daylight saving has always been controversial ever since it started.
Why should we do it, why don't we stop doing it, why don't we delay it, why don't we do it twice?
There have been numerous parliamentary debates about altering it, also EU directives suggesting it ceases, also drives to introduce Double Summertime instead, all backed up by arguments that work for some people and not for others.
Here's a comments box especially for people who want to discuss changing our daylight saving rules. I'll delete it later. comments
» For shallow BST commentary see my 2002 clocksback blogpost
» For more on Double Summertime see my 2011 DST blogpost
» For more on the EU termination proposal see my 2019 EU blogpost
Whither do the clocks go back?
They went back an hour at 2am, which was simultaneously 1am, and won't go forward again for 154 days. Get used to it.
To use these documents effectively, I suggest you filter out operational military doctrine and take what is most applicable to your needs. For those in a colder climate, the Canadian guides provide useful advice. I think each are good to print, fully read, bookmark with tabs, and store on a shelf.
Beware: storing as a PDF could be next to useless in an emergency situation, if the lights go out. Printing is key. Also consider storing your collection of vital knowledge resources in a waterproof box.
I'd suggest experimenting with many of the techniques found in these guides before you actually need to use them. Get your reps in now so you're not figuring it out under the pressure of an emergency.
The seven guides below are just a sample of what's available, but they cover the fundamentals. There are many other survival books worth obtaining, but most must be purchased. I suggest books on canning techniques, home repair, and food growing for example.
Finally, military-style survival guides are purpose built. They are typically written for the stranded soldier who is surviving until rescue. The knowledge from these military guides is indispensable, but for more of a homesteading approach the last publication, Survival Illustrated, is a must-have.
Here are the guides:
US Army FM 3-05.70 Survival Manual: This 600-plus page publication covers shelter construction, water procurement, primitive fire building, food foraging, poisonous plants, field-expedient weapons, and distinct biome operations across desert, arctic, and tropical environments.
US Marine Corps MCRP 3-02H Survival, Evasion, and Recovery: A quick-reference field handbook for navigation, evasion movement, thermal protection, signaling, and tactical camouflage.
US Air Force AFH 10-644 SERE Manual: Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) curriculum. It details physical survival physiology, psychological stressors, specialized signaling gear, and equipment improvisation.
US Military FM 4-25.11 First Aid Manual: A joint Army, Navy, and Air Force manual detailing tactical field care. It outlines emergency treatment for severe hemorrhages, open chest wounds, shock, fractures, splinting, environmental injuries (hypothermia and heat stroke), and field sanitation.
Canadian Armed Forces B-GL-382-006/FP-001 Survival Manual: Technical instruction for survival across temperate, tropical, and subarctic biomes, emphasizing shelter construction, improvised navigation, firecraft, and wild food harvesting.
Canadian Forces Down But Not Out Survival Manual: Canadian Forces wilderness survival handbook developed for aircrews operating in remote northern regions, it details extreme cold-weather survival, snow trench and quinzhee construction, signaling, and wild edible flora.
Survival Illustrated: Written by Jessica Wildfire, this survival publication provides comprehensive and practical survival guidance for homesteaders and average citizens. Everyone can benefit from this publication that Jessica so generously created.
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The temperature is plunging and I can feel the velvet darkness falling upon London. As dusk gathers in the ancient churches and the dusty old museums in the late afternoon, the distinction between past and present becomes almost permeable at this time of year. Then, once the daylight fades and the streetlights flicker into life, I feel the desire to go walking out in search of the dark nights of old London.
Examining hundreds of glass plates - many more than a century old - once used by the London & Middlesex Archaeological Society for magic lantern shows at the Bishopsgate Institute, I am in thrall to these images of night long ago in London. They set my imagination racing with nocturnal visions of the gloom and the glamour of our city in darkness, where mist hangs in the air eternally, casting an aura round each lamp, where the full moon is always breaking through the clouds and where the recent downpour glistens upon every pavement - where old London has become an apparition that coalesced out of the fog.
Somewhere out there, they are loading the mail onto trains, and the presses are rolling in Fleet St, and the lorries are setting out with the early editions, and the barrows are rolling into Spitalfields and Covent Garden, and the Billingsgate porters are running helter-skelter down St Mary at Hill with crates of fish on their heads, and the horns are blaring along the river as Tower Bridge opens in the moonlight to admit another cargo vessel into the crowded pool of London. Meanwhile, across the empty city, Londoners slumber and dream while footsteps of lonely policemen on the beat echo in the dark deserted streets.
Glass slides courtesy Bishopsgate Institute
Read my other nocturnal stories
Action at Phillip Island has been delayed due to weather conditions. Because of heavy rain, the medical helicopter cannot take off, making it unsafe.
Conditions are expected to improve around 11am local time, at which point a new assessment will be made. Warm up will be the first session under the current plan. But all depends on how conditions develop.
David Emmett Sat, 24/Oct/2026 - 22:17
J. Wellington Wimpy, of Popeye comics fame, had a favorite expression. It went like this: "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a cheeseburger today." As the Earth gets hotter and hotter, most countries have made commitments to reduce their climate warming emissions by 2030, or 2050, or 2077, or ... [continued]
The post Canada And EU Are Slip Sliding Away On Vehicle Emissions appeared first on CleanTechnica.
This Week in 2016
- Hillary Clinton's Staff Recognize She Doesn't Understand Encryption And Is Supporting 'The Impossible'
- FBI Facial Recognition Expert Helps Denver PD Arrest Wrong Man Twice For The Same Crime
- Appeals Court Affirms NSA Surveillance Can Be Used To Investigate Domestic Criminal Suspects
- CNN Tells Viewers It's Illegal For Them To Read Wikileaks Document Dumps. CNN Is Wrong
- Arrested Backpage Execs Ask Kamala Harris To Drop Bogus Case She Herself Has Admitted She Has No Authority To Bring
- Team Prenda Loses Big Again: Told To Pay Over $650k For Bogus Defamation Lawsuit
This Week in 2011
- British Historian On Porn And Internet Censorship: North Korea Is Right — The Internet Is Our Enemy
- Warner Bros. Buys Story That Was Written In The Reddit Comments; Then Tells Author To Stop Redditing
- Bill Gates Called To Testify In Antitrust Trial Over Windows 95; No This Isn't An Old Post
- Google Realizing That Its Real Names Policy Is Excessive
- UK Parliament Recommends Websites Be Liable For Anonymous Comments If They Won't Reveal Identities
- Who Gets The Copyright On The Photo Of A Beaten Gaddafi, Captured Off A Cameraphone
This Week in 2006
- On The Corner of Hollywood and Wall
- Why YouTube Could Make Things Difficult For Google
- No, I Don't Think Anyone Believes Boycottwalmart.com Is Actually A Wal-Mart Site
- Universal Music Finally Sues Video Sites… Just Not YouTube
- Internet Addiction Not Quite An Addiction…
- Without Copyright Extension, The Beatles Will Never Have Incentive To Write Another Song
There are three lessons that we can learn from the last ever sprint race for the MotoGP class at Phillip Island. That keeping your head is the decisive factor when it comes to championship fights. That some riders bounce better than others, making mistakes much more costly. And that Phillip Island truly is a magical motorcycle racing circuit.
To start with the latter, and arguably the most important point. The sprint race at Phillip Island was a timely reminder of just why so many fans love the circuit so deeply. At the front, a tight battle with multiple overtakes. Different riders on different bikes all being able to battle on equal footing. Riders qualifying in ninth and nearly making it onto the podium. Fast, scintillating action, and a spectacle to die for. Motorcycle racing is above all emotion, and the Phillip Island sprint race was pure emotion, exhilaration, excitement, passion.
David Emmett Sat, 24/Oct/2026 - 21:26
Tesla just passed Waymo in Austin in weekly driverless miles. If its recent 20% weekly growth holds, it passes Waymo nationally in roughly 11 weeks and is doing the volume of Uber + Lyft across three Texas metros by mid-February. The accumulating unsupervised miles are already large enough to start ... [continued]
The post If Tesla's Robotaxi Miles Keep Compounding at 20% a Week, the Math Gets Interesting Fast appeared first on CleanTechnica.
An 'audit' of the Bureau of Meteorology main dataset for measuring climate change claims it contains 'widespread errors'. It doesn't stack up
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Australia's climate has warmed by more than 1.5C since 1910, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's main long-term temperature data.
If you were so motivated, you might think if you could discredit this data, then you would undermine the whole climate change story and even - perhaps - the rationale for cutting Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.
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Volkswagen, like pretty much all foreign brands, has really been struggling in China in recent years. The whole German auto industry is basically in crisis because their cash cow in China has shifted and now prefers buying cool new EVs from Chinese companies. Well, Volkswagen decided to team up with ... [continued]
The post Volkswagen Unleashes Wicked ID. Unyx 09 in China for $27,000 appeared first on CleanTechnica.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize recently made its final cuts to determine the finalists for the 2027 edition. I used to cover the prize very closely and thoroughly, back when it was called the Zayed Future Energy Prize. I think the name was changed in large part because they wanted to ... [continued]
The post Zayed Sustainability Prize Picks Finalists from 10,233 Submissions appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Before choosing the replacement technology, forecast the future market. Bad assumptions about demand can make weak solutions and oversized investment opportunities look compelling.
The post Energy Transition Plans Keep Freezing Today's Demand Into Tomorrow appeared first on CleanTechnica.
"Rage, rage against the dying of the light" Dylan Thomas exhorted us, and with the clocks soon to change, I need no such instruction as I'm already feeling blue. We've had a wonderful summer, and until several weeks ago, my partner and I were able to spend our evenings having a picnic meal looking over the seaside at Frinton like the old couple we are becoming. Now, the nights are getting longer and colder, and so it's back to sitting in front of the television; so here's what we've been watching.
Slow Horses, Apple TV
Gary Oldman, star of Slow Horses image by Gage Skidmore. via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
I persuaded the other half to splash out on an Apple TV subscription so we could watch For All Mankind, and thankfully she likes Slow Horses so we're watching the latest episodes.
The best TV shows know when to stop: The Wire and Breaking Bad finished after five seasons. Unfortunately, Slow Horses didn't. Adapted from the Slough House novels by Mick Herron (Mick Jagger is a fan of them and sings the theme tune) the show is set in the world of failed MI5 agents exiled to the eponymous decaying premises in London. There is apparently enough material left for another two series, but sometimes, less is more, and sadly, series six is a prime example of this. "Plot armour" - aka the inability to kill off major characters - is in full effect, so the show's two main protagonists, Jackson Lamb (played by Gary Oldman) and River Cartwright are invincible despite otherwise skilled opponents plotting their demise at every turn.
Oldman delights as the cynical and seedy Lamb, and at launch, in making spies incompetent without reducing them to Johnny English levels of farce, the show turned the genre on its head; but it has now become somewhat monotone and therefore monotonous.
The precursor of TV series were film serials shown before the main feature, which would end with an improbable cliff-hanger to get the audience into the cinema the following week, to see how Batman, Flash Gordon et al. would survive. In order to keep the tension up, this is the route Slow Horses has gone down: villains will spray bullets around like confetti; but like The A-Team, never does a fired shot land on target. If one can suspend logical thought, it's entertaining enough, but otherwise it's very much the law of diminishing returns. 2/5.
Image © Paramount Skydance Corporation
Michael Palin in the Philippines, Channel 5
While there's too much of Slow Horses, there was too little of this show, which I was surprised to discover when writing this review, is over after just three short episodes (but you can still watch it online). The increasingly irascible John Cleese famously asked for Michael Palin as his luxury when on Desert Island Discs and it remains a solid choice.
Sadly, since the series was filmed, Palin has injured himself and had to cancel the tour promoting the book he's written as part of doing this show, so I fear this could be his last such outing; if so, and you haven't seen it, watch it. No-one does the Englishman abroad better than Palin, nor ever has; he's a more avuncular Whicker, a less self-satisfied Clive James. As with all good travel writers and journalists, it's less about where he's visiting, more about how he reflects on his environment, and his exuberance when swimming in a huge shoal of fish will brighten up even the wettest, coldest evening. 5/5.
Celebrity Traitors, BBC One
Ardross Castle image by sylvia duckworth. via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
"Watercooler TV" is, like "viral videos", the Holy Grail for producers, and this show is still hitting that target. Claudia Winkleman - who increasingly represents the unhappy union of an Oompa-Loompa and a member of the Addams Family - instructs a group of celebrities (some of whom I'd never heard of) who are cloistered in a Scottish castle. They are divided into Traitors, seeking to eliminate the other contestants, and Faithfuls, who try and work out the identities of the enemies within.
In this season, a Traitor 'outed' themselves straight away, an unusual tactic, otherwise there is little to go on for the Faithfuls, who tie themselves in knots to discern whether the way in which one of the competitors held their teacup or said goodnight to the others marks them out as a Bad Egg.
It is, of course, glorious nonsense. As the omniscient viewer, we see the machinations of the Traitors, who gather at midnight wearing hooded cloaks as they decide who to "murder" next. Pointless tasks are undertaken by all during the day to win more money - which is all donated to charity.
There is no suffering or humiliation, as on I'm a Celebrity…, likewise a dearth of displays of swimwear-clad contestants showering in waterfalls, so this is very much family viewing, but it's harmless enough fare and provides a neutral topic of conversation when engaging with friends and family.
So, if you want to have a stress-free meeting next time you see your racist relatives or conspiracy-theorist associates, make sure you've watched a few episodes so you're au fait with the zeitgeist. 3/5.
All Creatures Great and Small, Channel 5
Malham Cove, Yorkshire image by Andrew Curtis. via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Yes, those of us over a certain age will still miss Robert Hardy and Peter Davison as the Farnon frères in the original series on BBC, and recall fondly the sight of Christopher Timothy being overly intimate with a birthing cow. I suspect many of the audience of this Channel 5 re-boot remember the original, but the new cast fill the roles well, although seeing Samuel West, who plays Siegfried Farnon, also appearing in Slow Horses as a dastardly villain is somewhat jarring.
This is the ideal autumnal entertainment, and like the original, has now reached seven series, although another has already been commissioned. The Yorkshire Dales as a backdrop never fail to lift the spirits, and although this incarnation of the show has covered difficult topics such as PTSD, bereavement and domestic abuse, overall, this is the epitome of "feel good" television. Animals are saved, light humour is interjected, vintage cars and buses and horses and carts take us around bucolic vistas.
I'm sure if he was alive today, Orwell would have pointed out the perils of looking back to an idyllic past, but I've outlived Orwell and sometimes I just want feel-good television to stop me contemplating the world burning. This does the trick. 4/5.
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Why did the Knicks lose the first two games of the season? It's a veteran team, they know how to start an NBA season, but the fans and the press aren't ready to move on yet. They're still reveling in the feeling of the Knicks winning. But imho there is no feeling with that, the feeling was in the moment, and man they did give us some moment. We will relish the video for the rest of time. But for now, every game they play will feel significant because of who they were not who they are now. #
