It is certainly the time of year that many of us consider going abroad to escape the sudden gloom. And it is quite sudden; at the drop of a hat we have our clocks turned back and we start leaving work in the dark. Winter is here, and we should all go into hibernation. Like a little hedgehog, poking our collective heads out when spring appears.

Unfortunately, the bills keep piling up even during winter – in fact more so because we consume more energy to keep our homes warm. So we have to go out ‘rabbitting’ as Anthony Burgess called it in A Clockwork Orange.

I need to invest in one of those light boxes to keep the gloom at bay, keep the vitamin D levels topped up. Better still, I need to invest in a holiday to sunnier climbs – Thailand perhaps.