Living through winter in a town where income is
mainly seasonal can be exceptionally challenging and
frustrating.
As winter sets in less and fewer people come to the
seaside for the weekend, the swallows leave for Europe
(those with and without feathers) and business hours
are shortened. You can feel the entire town slowing
down and semi-hibernating.
By midwinter you notice the stock on shelves not being
fully replenished in smaller stores and will hardly ever
see more than a handful of people out after dark. It is
not uncommon for people who live in the same road
as each other to not see one another from the onset of
winter through to the onset of spring.