At my latitude in Bristol, there are about 12 fewer hours of sunlight at the winter solstice compared to the summer. That’s half a day’s less light.

What’s more, the noontime midwinter sun sits far lower in the sky than its midsummer counterpart. This means the sunlight we do get has only a fraction of its June-time wattage.

There could not be a clearer signal from the living world to do less.