General Chat

Two of the days i the year that I hate: clocks back and clocks forward.

There are too many things that either don't change themselves or should change but don't.
Central heating timer, two car clocks, immersion heater timer, my old phone, dining room clock/radio, weather station, bedroom clock, bathroom clock, cooker clock, microwave clock, at the very least need changing manually.

Then there's several radio-controlled clocks that should have changed but haven't. They get lined up on a particular window-sill which gets the best signal and they may or may not pick it up.
And my watch is an hour fast.
Why do we still have to do it?

Not a problem for those of us in Western Australia, Brian, two State Referendums years apart rejected the notion of Daylight Saving.

We don't go back until next Sunday (November 5th), in sync with the US and thanks to George "Dubya" Bush who believed it when he was told that lengthening summer time would save money in fuel and energy in March and November!

BC has passed a referendum to stay on DST all year round, but we want to do it in sync with Washington, Oregon & California, who all also want to stay on DST, but have to get it approved by the crew in Washington, DC!

I'd have preferred staying on Standard Time, and doing away with DST, but the referendum results said otherwise!

We have a clock which receives a signal from Frankfurt (I think) every minute or however long it is. I always enjoy watching it going back an hour, which in practice means going forward eleven hours, all on it's own. Yesterday I forgot to look, I'm still kicking myself now!

I talk to my sister in Canada every Sunday afternoon on messenger

Reminded her yesterday we had gone back an hour and she was oh shoot I could have had an extra hour in bed !

We sync again next week when her clocks go back :-D

I would prefer to stay on GMT ("winter time" in UK) all year to get the lighter mornings and for it to be dark at bedtime mid-summer.
My watch still hasn't changed and I've a nasty feeling it won't.
I've done the dining room and bedroom clocks and our daughter has done the oven and microwave.

I would prefer to stay on UK Summer time, so as to have daylight for longer in the afternoons, which would be more useful to me.
Here in Scotland, it's now dark by about 4.30pm, even though still only October.

AG...4.30pm? Um up here further north its dark by about 6.30pm! Was that typo?

Edit; Well it was about 6.30 before the clocks went back this weekend so now maybe 5.30 if thats correct??

Well, sunset (which is perhaps what I should have said) is about 4.40 at the moment, so I suppose it's still lightish until a bit later.

Tonight is lighter, because of the clear sky after a lovely sunny day.
As I write, it's 5.10, and definitely getting dark.
It's darker in the house than outside, of course, and I have the light on.

Google suggests it's fully dark about 55 mins after sunset.

So you're right, Florence!
I was thinking of sunset, rather than actual darkness.

But I would still prefer to stay on BST, for an extra hour of light.

All my clocks require manual changing but in all there are only 5. because of the power cuts we get, there is no point having any clocks that work off electricity!

My heating is not set on a timer. I put it on if I feel it chilly maybe late afternoon. As for hot water, that isnt controlled my me. i hear it on late at night or if we have used a lot with washing dishes and showers, it will come on automatically until temp reaches 50 degrees.

All the gadgets, phones pc, kindlle etc are updated automatically.

Its swings and roundabouts really and also depends on whether you live in the north or the south.

Changing the clocks now means the schoolchildren are going to school in the light. Here in mid winter it doesnt get light until 9am and by 3pm its dark!

George Dubya was persuaded that staying on DST longer, by changing on the 2nd Sunday in March and first Sunday in November would save money because kiddies would be going to school and coming home in the light. So he had the law passed, and we here in Canada dutifully followed suit, as we are so tied in with the US in business and trade.

Basically it works out to about 4 months on Standard time and 8 months on DST

What liars those energy people were!

Heating and light costs have risen, because they are turned on earlier in the morning and are on later in the evening.

After all, 7 am DST is still 6 am Standard with regard to temperature and sunrise!

Regarding sunset ............. today it will about 5:55 pm, and totally dark by 6:30 pm

In December it will be at 4:13 pm and totally dark within 30 minutes. Sunrise will be around 8 am.