November Darkness

'November is a dark month in Sweden, with November 2009 offering up only 17.5 hours of sunlight in many parts of Sweden, an average of 35 minutes a day.' - The Local, 16 Nov 2010

this photo is from early Nov; now my bike is buried beneath mounds of thick snow

I don't know what the averages in sunlight hours have been for 2010, but I don't imagine they're far off from '09. 


November is a difficult month in that every day is 3-5 minutes shorter in sunlight than the last, totaling a loss of over 2 hours and 7 minutes throughout the month. On Nov 30, the sun rose at 8:16am and set at 14:57pm. And the end of winter is still so far away. 


With this in mind, I am happy to say that November has come to a close and I made it through this long, dark month. Now on to the beginning of the Christmas season, when nearly every window - business and residence alike - is decorated with either a stjärna or Adventjlusstaker. It's surprising how big a difference these bright beacons can make in lighting up an otherwise cold, dark walk home. And distracting thoughts of losing feeling in my toes.... and fingers... and ears... and nose....