I knew I was right!

I’m delighted to now have scientific support for my cravings for sunshine and a generally milder climate. Let’s hear it all round for Dr Oliver Gillie, someone whom I’ve only been able to identify as a “science researcher and writer”, and who has called for "urgent action" by the Scottish Government to tackle the lack of sunshine. He has already, I am led to understand, pressed the Government to help Scotland’s climate catch-up with those experienced in the Mediterranean zone.

Let me be the first to volunteer for the innovative “South of France Re-location Programme” I feel sure the Scottish Government is going to announce any day now (I’ve already submitted a proposal to the First Minister and The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing outlining my living costs and personal needs).

Commenting on his report, he said: "Scotland has an extreme climate characterised by very little sunshine - it gets as little sunshine as some places in the Arctic Circle.”

Hooray! At last! Someone has confirmed what I knew all along; which takes me to my point.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like what this man has to say. He has brought a serious issue to debate in the public forum. But along with research studies that point out that people who eat chips four times or more a week have a poorer chance of running a marathon, this is research that states the bloomin’ obvious.

Even when I was less affected by it, I’ve always known Scotland has worse weather than many other parts of the world. And as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate just how valuable those few rays of sunshine are, and just how bad some people feel in the depths of winter when we’ve had ten straight days of rain, and only a few meagre hours of what passes for daylight. And I count myself amongst those people.

But I do believe that this is only part of a more complex analysis. Sure it would be great to have a more Mediterranean climate alone. I for one would jump at the chance to compose these thoughts from the veranda of a modest but comfortable villa somewhere in the South of France. But I believe that Scotland’s wider ills are as much to do with society as meteorology.

The continental lifestyle takes the passing of time at a different pace. It places more value on the things that I believe we have lost as a society: family ties, community spirit; and a good long lunch hour. Simple things and simple pleasures have more meaning to more people. Visitors to France are bemused by the seemingly endless fetes and celebrations held across every city, town, village and hamlet to celebrate things a grand as Bastille Day and as modest as the 50th anniversary of the opening of the local swimming pool (honestly!).

What this does is ensure that the community is pulled along with common purpose. It ensures there are no strangers amongst our neighbours, and it helps build something that is greater than the sum of the parts from the individual contributions we can all make.

By all means then, let’s try to do something about the climate; subsidise the cost of sunshine lamps; or give everyone an injection of vitamin D to get through the winter months. Move to France if you like, and think you can make a living of some sort there (I remain open to all reasonable offers), but if we do neither of these things, our communities can come together in a spirit of greater co-operation and ambition to help those less fortunate than us, and breath some new life and vitality into our country.