Spring Forward

Written on the 31st March 2022.

It’s that time of year when the days are getting slightly longer and slightly warmer. Last week officially saw us into spring, making it apt that we “spring forward” last Sunday – “losing” an hour in order to optimise daylight for the next seven months.

The decision to adopt British Summer Time in the UK was taken during World War 1, shortly after Germany, to allow an increase in productivity. During World War 2, we experienced British Double Summertime, when the clocks went forward two hours instead of just one. Clearly, post-war, it was decided to maintain this system of taking advantage of the natural abundance of daylight, and now we are all used to moving our clocks back and forth. The Royal Observatory, home of Greenwich Mean Time, is the perfect place to discover more about the history of the clocks changing, and to straddle the Prime Meridian by placing one foot in the east and one in the west at the same time https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/uk-time-briti...

But what does the change in time signify for us at Juniper?

For Nicki, it’s about having more daylight at the end of the day to get out on her mountain bike, to fill her lungs with air and to let off some steam as she feels the crunch of gravel under her tyres whilst going full-speed downhill. She’s also planning some well-earned holidays by the sea, where she can get back into her hobbies of kayaking, paddle boarding and sea swimming!

Emily is looking forward to taking advantage of the longer days and warmer weather by spending family time in the garden and taking walks along the canal. When she has ‘time off’, she’ll be playing golf and netball or having drinks with friends on the front lawn.

The beginning of spring means new beginnings and hope for me! I love to do all (ok, almost all!) of the above, but mostly I appreciate the early morning light and the sense that the day is beckoning me, anticipating my arrival, as opposed to the opposite in colder months. I have officially packed away my bulky winter coat and am in “spring wear”.

What will you do with the “extra” time over the coming months and what steps can you take to make sure that your hopes become a reality? We’d love to hear about your summer plans