Quintin Jardine's blog

No, I haven’t been ill, or in the huff. I’ve been pre-occupied, that’s all, with all manner of things; with working off nine hours’ jet-lag then having another mini-bout of same, the result of moving back to Scotland from Spain the day after the clocks went back, with catching up on Scottish business, with starting to prepare for the Lennoxlove Book Festival on November 19, and all sorts of other stuff. Vancouver, as always was great, enjoyable events with appreciative audiences, and new friends made; cheers to Chevy, Gail and Linwood. Public thanks also, to Barry Auger, a gracious, generous and hugely entertaining host, to his other half, the unsinkable Alma Lee, to Susan and Lonnie, to Peri Maric, who will never walk alone, and to Hal Wake and his team.

But now I’m settled in for a couple of winter months in Scotland. Since I got back, at least half a dozen people have asked me what I’m doing in Gullane in November when I could be in Spain. The answer is, I like it here; it’s where I’m from, and bottom line it’s where I live. If I wanted to winter properly, I’d go a lot further south than L’Escala, trust me. That said, there is one way in which Catalunya does score in the winter and that is through its time zone. I don’t mind the dark mornings too much, but I do enjoy not having to turn on the lights until after five, even in the very dead of winter. I’ve noticed a few people saying the same via the media over the last few days. Is momentum for a change starting to grow? At the moment, government is not looking at switching to Central European time or to permanent BST, but given the present parliamentary situation it must surely be open to persuasion.