You know you are a night owl when it's not so strange to....

[cateycloggs]

Having been over stimulated by talk of night mowing on another thread I thought I'd see what over night owls really love about the night hours. I find At this time of year the smell of the night air can be as intoxicating as strong drink. Relecting on that I've realised it's always been the case with me since I was a young child I have postponed sleep and felt better and better after midnight. I have been watching TV tonight but often sit in silence just enjoying. Though now I can hear a wee bird starting to sing.

So I don't think it is strange to want to go out and garden in the night. What else is not so strange?

Oh no Frownette, I was just feeling a bit queasy earlier and sleepy nothing a bit of Viennetta and a cup of hot chocolate could not srt out. I am sorry you are feeling so unwell, I wondered about hayfever for myself as I did wander around the garden. Hope you will feel better, dare I recommend a good sleep? You need to get in a good supply for the sleepless though the price of paracetamol is absurd and coffee is not much better. Take care, it's light again, what are we vampires?

I think I prefer Ladykillers as paradoxically it has more heart. Kind Hearts is a tour de force and Guinness obviously loved all the impersonations. But for all that none of his characters can survive whereas in Ladykillers he and his gang are outfoxed by a tiny, Victorian, out of the world lady he lives to tell the tale.

The film sounds brilliant, just read about it. If you have a spare bit of vienetta going I'd be a happy lady :)

I'll crash out after I've got some things done and walked over to relative's house, I can use the spare room and be fussed over a bit. Hope you bear up fellow vampire

Well there is a bit but I have to warn you I went mad and experimentally bought a pink so-called Neopolian one. The pink adds nothing but I forced it down. I am fine, thank you and am glad to hear you have a relative near to give you shelter, you must feel worse than you said so get well soon.

Another question have you heard their noises? is it a squealing or grunting type of noise, I have heard they can be loud.

They snuffle, no other word for it, unless you touch them, they they Huff Huff at you.

The photo is taken from inside my living room - the door opens directly into the garden.

haven't seen ladykillers!

What? How can you have never seen it (the original not the remake).

I go out into the garden at night and keep the cats company. I also look for bats with the bat detector. I used to be a nightshift worker and I like being up at night because it's so quiet and peaceful.

Err, well, @sashh I just haven't?!

@mybrainhertz yeah it is peaceful

Kind hearts and coronets is brilliant too. As is the Lavender Hill mob. Off on a tangent but I highly recommend Cottage To Let with Alistair Sims, John Mills and a young George Cole (in his first ever acting role). And The Green Man with Alistair Sims and George Cole again (although he's a young man by this time).

@sashh

Another question have you heard their noises? is it a squealing or grunting type of noise, I have heard they can be loud.

They snuffle, no other word for it, unless you touch them, they they Huff Huff at you.

The photo is taken from inside my living room - the door opens directly into the garden.

@sashh, sorry have been away all day, actually just had a quick google about this and it said what you said. I was really thinking of how often in the early morning hours sitting in my living room which is alongside our side garden path and gate and a fence to neighbour's garden, I haear quite alarming squealing/screaming sounds. Usually don't investigate if my own cat is not outside but I do know there foxes, rats and squirrels out there as well as hedgehogs and other cats so there is a wide possibility of mayhem being caused. I suppose there may even be a badger snuffling around as some of the fence gaps are getting wider. Our garden is very open grass area with a few trees and bushes around the edges our neighbours on four sides are in various states of wildness and cultivation, hence the wildlife. We also get a lot of bats and owls, tiny frogs and toads too. It's lovely considering the front has one of the busy suburban routes out of the city. Brilliant sunset now glinting on the green leaves, it's going to be a hot night. Maybe I should put out some water for the wildlife?

@PainterinPeril, yes I've seen all of those, do you watch TalkingPictures, basically it's a repertory of British films from 40s onwards, it's fascinating to see how many films many acors made before appearing later in life in sitcoms in the 70s. Like John Laurie for instance. Earlier I was trying to remember if it was Alec Guinness who was in the first St Trinians playing the headmistress but having googled it , that was Alistair Sims. Did you hear the recent radio production of Kind Hearts and Coronets with Harry Enfield, it wa sad really if you had never seen the film you'd be a bit nonplussed by the banality. Maybe it was a repeat I had never heard it before, not worth it in my opnion.

I'm a bit of a night owl and an early bird, I've never needed much sleep. From early childhood I loved riding in the dark, or at sunrise in summer. Or walking around the countryside late/ early. Reading by moonlight up a tree, or just sitting in a field or woods and enjoying the peace and wildlife.

Currently fox cub watching is a favourite, they play like puppies. Last night they'd stolen takeaway packaging from somewhere, and were playing tug of war with it before shredding the box. When it's very cold in winter the deer sometimes come at 3am to eat hay the horses have left in the field.

Water sounds like a good idea.

@TrainspottingWelsh why don't I get the cubs , it's always the fully grown aggressive ones! Well they sound aggressive.

@cateycloggs I watched a clip of The Ladykillers today, the older lady was my favourite! Thanks @PainterInPeril, Lavender Hill Mob next.

@TrainspottingWelsh, despite growing up in a semirural area and taking frequent walks uplanes and across fields and over the riverbank, I only ever saw foxes or cubs at a great distance. Came to live in big city (2nd city according to some) within 2 miles of centre lived in old house with orchard at the back where I spent some hot days studying to be joined by a vixen and her 5 cubs playing within inches of me. I envy your confidence in spending so much time out and about at night.

@Frownette we have them making weird and wonderful noises too. We have to warn guests because it can sound like someone is being murdered, even when they are perfectly content. If it's any consolation cubs are like unsupervised, unruly pups with extra sharp teeth, and almost anything left out is usually found looking like it's been on the receiving end of someone with a machete and an anger problem.

@cateycloggs yes, generally I see them more in towns and cities, I think it's only because I live here and spend time outside when it's quiet I see them, I've always been an outdoorsy rural dweller and I can count on one hand the occasions I've seen them close up on walks or out of windows.
It's also not really confidence, just something I've always done, and realistically far safer to meander around at night in the middle of nowhere than it is to walk through a city in daylight.

I often do my nails, start watching a film or a book after 1-2am

@Frownette, Hi , how are you feeling now, you seemed quite unwell this morning? What fascinates me about old films especially old films themselves set back in the past is watching the performance, speech mannerisms, body language, and costumes, settings you can feel a sense of history reflected through the screen no matter what the story is. I love the feeling of connection to over 100 years now.

Just looked up her details: Mrs Wilberforce ( a redolent name in itself) was played by Katie Johnson (18 November 1878 in Clayton, Sussex – 4 May 1957 in Elham, Kent) was an English actress who appeared on stage from 1894 . She won a BAFTA as Best Actress, imagine the life and experience she put into that performance. I am sure she was a much more sophisticated person than she played as an actress.

It's not that I am the past was great type of person, I think it's being older you appreciate how we are all grounded in the past for good or ill. My own parents were older and my grandparents would have been of an age with this actress for instance so maybe I can imagine seeing the grandmother I never knew in her. I might have to cross-reference myself to a films thread.

Popping out to the garden now to water the hedghogs and anyone else around.

I’m imagining potted hedgehogs now

I once read a thread on here about people who go to bed early, wake middle of the night for a few hours, get up and do stuff then go back to bed for a bit.

At the time I was in the midst of broken sleep hell with DC2.

Now I can see how it would be great to have some quiet time to be productive (something I’m not very good at though) with zero distractions.

And now reading you all, it sounds like utter freedom to just sleep/wake however it suits you. I am a big sleeper, would love to get 9 hours per night, but hover somewhere around 7. I never wake up feeling refreshed or energized….

Anyway, a couple of questions spring to mind - are you more introverted or extroverted? And do you have a partner/spouse?

As I say, the thought of no time pressure for work/school/dinner etc and just space to go at your natural rhythm sounds great, and as an introvert, really appeals to me… but I’m wondering how it all fits in with other family members too?!

@LoonyMoony, don't want to rdely ignor you evn though you have probably gone to bed now. I actuall started chatting to a neighbour in garden after we found a dead pigeon, wasn't consumed by ravening hedghogs. i'm fortunate to be post retirement age and live alone so do what I please. My ideal is 7 hours sleep but have always been a sleep postponer so tend to get out of sync with normal hours. Maybe this last year it is something many have experienced whereas before they had to keep a strict timetable.

Now the cats are in and I've had an early morning porridge so may get the proverbial average sleep tonight. Good Night to any one still here.

Hi, everybody.

I was once walking home in the middle of the night, across a large lawn. Some strange loud kind of screeching noise could be heard, when I got closer it was 2 hedgehogs DTD.

I am supposed to be going to bed, not posting on MN

On the old films front I want to give a shout out for, 'Hobson's choice'

Sorry pressed enter too soon.

Anyway it is a bit of a 'oh, that's X' watch.

I'd also recommend 'Whisky Galore'- the title says it all.

@RickiTarr

I’m imagining potted hedgehogs now

No, there were none to be seen , I left some water out and some slugs were appearing if the hogs want a snack.

@TheSilveryPussycat, that was probably the kind of sound I have heard before but did not investigate, none to be seen tonight though my neighbour, our cats and the dead pigeon were out for several hours. That's what counts as a party round these parts.

@sashh, I've seen that film as well, Charles Laughton and John Mills wasn't it, can't remember who played the daughter who wanted independence.

I wonder if other peole here had the strong urge to push sleep backfrom a very young age? I mean like 4 or 5 I can remember just not wanting to go to sleep even thogh I love sleeping itself. That is quite apart from the insecurity I mentioned before. Part of it I feel like a different person when I wake up and it takes ages to feel like myself - I mean 10 to 12 hours so i never want to begin the process again by sleeping

I have a circadian rythmn disorder called delayed sleep phase synfrom (DSPS) where my body clock is naturally set in a very different pattern to other people. I am autistic, it is very common in both autism and ADHD but also sometimes occurs in the general population.

DSPS (Delayed-Sleep-Phase-Syndrome) is the name of a very good facebook group if you think this might apply to you.

I love night time, especially at this time of year. I'm in Scotland so it never gets properly dark. I love to go to the beach either very late at night or 4am time. I also love the calm and quiet and sit and work overnight.