I, for one, will never say no to daylight saving – it feels a bit like we’re sneaking extra hours into the day. I have fond memories of soaking up that extended sunshine. Nowadays, it means taking a walk along the coast or going for a swim after work, all thanks to the extra daylight.

For weeks, the mornings and evenings have been getting brighter, almost without us noticing. The birds begin chirping earlier, and sunlight filters in before you’re even fully awake.

Tomorrow, we change the clocks, shifting forward by one hour. There’s always a debate about whether daylight saving time is a good thing, but I, for one, am fully in favor.

As someone who rises early, the Sydney sky starts to blush pink around 5:30 a.m., signaling the arrival of day. Daylight saving, coupled with the onset of summer, means extra daylight for both the morning and evening. I love it – walking in the morning, and then again in the evening, I’m happy to make the most of it.

What I cherish most about daylight saving is leaving work at the end of the day and it’s still light outside. The sun hasn’t set during the evening commute, and the stars haven’t taken over the sky when I finally get home.

I have so many cherished memories of those extra hours of daylight. As a kid, I’d spend the evenings shooting netball hoops or walking the dogs after dinner. It felt like I was cheating time – stretching the hours of play beyond the usual school-home-dinner-bed routine.

Now, it’s the same sense of freedom – walking along the coast or taking a swim after work. Even though I head to bed early, the late sunset still feels like a little victory over the clock.

One of my favorite memories is from my time in Paris, where the sun would set on the Seine at 7 p.m. in October. On a boat ride, watching dancers practice on the riverbanks, it was hard to imagine such a vibrant city plunged into early winter darkness.

While I do love the coziness of winter – the crisp air, the warmth of flannelette sheets, and hot-water bottles – the sweet spot for me is spring. These past few weeks leading up to the clock change are some of my favorites. The air feels different, diners fill outdoor tables, and fish and chips on the beach is possible without freezing.

I’m not the biggest fan of the scorching Australian summer, though. The mornings can be thick with humidity, and waking up to already high temperatures feels like a race against the heat. Five years on from Australia’s black summer bushfires, the season carries a lingering fear of waking to the smell of smoke.

Some countries don’t observe daylight saving, and even a few Australian states opt out. It can be a strange adjustment for our bodies, especially for kids and pets. Our internal clocks lag for a bit, and we find ourselves saying, “It’s 10 a.m., but it feels like 11 a.m.”

Yet every year, we debate the pros and cons of daylight saving, much like we chat about the weather. Unlike the weather, though, we know exactly when daylight saving is coming, but it still feels like a surprise when it arrives. Regardless, I’ll always welcome those extra daylight hours – to walk, swim, and soak up the sun.?