Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The couple refusing to live in the same time zone as the rest of us

Pensioners Jim and Barabara Casey are rebelling against the government and living in a time zone of their own

Siobhan Fenton
Friday 19 February 2016 09:54 GMT
Comments
The Greenwich Shepherd Gate Clock at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich on March 26, 2012 in London, England
The Greenwich Shepherd Gate Clock at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich on March 26, 2012 in London, England (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Coming home from holiday can be a disappointment at the best of times.

The inevitable return to normal routine, colder climes and everyday life is cherished by few. However, one couple in Cumbria have taken the post-holiday blues to a whole other level, by bringing a new time zone home with them.

Following a holiday in Tenerife, Jim and Barbara Casey realised that they enjoyed being one hour ahead of GMT so much that they’d keep the time zone when they returned to the UK.

The couple have reset their clocks and fully committed to Tenerife time. They say that there are many perks to the practice, including getting the best seats in restaurants and avoiding crowds and traffic jams.

They’ve termed their practice WARP; Winter Adjustment for Retired People.

Mr Casey told The Daily Telegraph: “We find it great, it makes the day a bit longer. We are on continental time and we can never be late. There are so many benefits to it. When we go out to a restaurant here for lunch then there’s nobody there so we get served first and get the best seats. We miss a lot of the rush hour traffic too and it means when we go shopping there’s always somewhere to park.”

Another perk, according to the couple, is that it enables them break free from convention and take a stand against the government.

Indeed, the Caseys are so committed to rebelling against government norms that if the country were to commit to WARP too, they have said they may move their clocks forward another hour just to be different.

Support for a 'Universal Timezone' has gathered pace globally, after being backed by economists.

It has been argued that synchronised time zones will allow for easier transactions between businesses and markets.

Indonesia has proposed abolishing two of its three time zones for economic reasons.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in