The husband sees some walking their dogs early but I guess they have to be walked before everyone goes to work or school. Some go surfing before work. If you start work at 6, and don't get home till late and want to spend your evenings with your family, when else would you exercise? I don't believe in exercise myself but I can't knock anyone who does.

I try to have a technology-free buffer before bed, my exception is the ever-useful TuneIn Radio on my iThing ... The other night I was soothed to sleep by cricket commentary from South African radio ... Internet radio is ace.

Tonight is also an exception, the OH is on a girl's night out in the City, the kid is over at Granny's and I have AC/DC going full bore on the TV.

I am playing cricket tomorrow but you can do that with a hangover ...

If I go to bed before 1am in such circumstances I consider it time wasted.

You did choose to live in the mountains Go to west end and they are still queuing up for cafe's at 11pm let alone nightclubs...

Correction, you CAN play cricket with a hangover, it just isn't advisable.

I was asleep before 1am, I am getting old ...

I have also made an observation this morning as I was perusing this link:

Mags, Mags, Mags, Mags

I fancy the knitting mag cover girls more than the "Lad's Mags".

It's like a ghost town round here after 7.0 pm

Indeed: I suspect that if I lived in QLD I would adopt similar practices - to fit exercise around work. Start earlier, finish earlier.

So this practise is quite common by the sounds of it. If they're not in bed, they're not out.

Unlike Frank I like to sleep in a city that never wakes up.

I like Brisbane.

So true

A lot of the bayside is like a ghost town at midday

I went into the city last night at 8.30 to watch football - 12 minute walk to the station through Windsor - deserted streets, houses in darkness, even the dogs were silent! Reminded me of walking home in Brighton at about 3am

I go to bed at 8:30, having had a nap on the sofa too! Up at 4:45 or 5 am thanks to DD's swimming training. I often wakr up in the middle of the night too. Irritatingly, I still wake up as soon as it starts getting light- not a problem in winter, but in summer I get very short of sleep. At the weekends, I've done the ironing before there is any sign of life from the others. OH says it is the knock-out drops I put into his morning coffee.

You have to get up at 4am if you want to exercise outside in Queensland in summer! I often set the alarm for 4am - go for a run and then back to sleep for a few hours.

I wake up with natural daylight and birdsong/sqwark.

In summer then I am wide awake at bloody 4.30 am. Its hot, its sunny and I cant stand it.

No blinds etc have stopped me hearing/seeing the din.

I find it bizzare, 4.30 am to me is the middle of the night.

Our neighbour opposite, the lights go out at 8.30 each night but they are out on the pool deck yelling at 6 am, kids often screaming in the pool too. You couldnt sleep if you wanted to.

Yeah. It's not considered rude to knock on our boat at 7am to try and sell us overpriced marine stuff I've got no intention of buying. Hideous morning breath is your friend.

You're not my long lost sibling are you? This seems sensible practice and I would do the same given your circumstances..

I wish I could sleep as lightly as others: no amount of natural noise or light has an effect on me: if I need to sleep - I will.

But loud, sharp noises have me awake - shots, pagers, and at home, anything out of the ordinary, strange noises in the house.