Days between stations

I like to spend some time in Carlisle on my way South. There are nice places for tea, huge bookshops to get lost in, Tullie House for a spot of culture and the Cathedral for peace and quiet.
I'm amazed again, how once I cross the border, I seem to be in a time warp. Not quite like Ethiopia, where they are still in 2007 and the clocks start from 0.00h at sunrise (06.00 Rest of the World Time) to 12 at sunset (18.00). There are also 13months in a year, but I'm digressing.
In Carlisle, as in Stratford last week, time seems to have jumped forward into the Festive Season. Lights in the streets, shops and shoppers all very Christmassy. In Dumfries we aren't festive yet. It's another 2 weeks until the first door on the Advent calendars, for goodness' sake. It's NOVEMBER.
I'm speeding South now. I fully expect to be greeted at my destination by a posse of Santa's elves. Back to Scotland and sanity on Saturday :-)