what does clock change day mean to you?

Spring forward, fall back.

Ah, it’s that time of year again. Wondering whether we should be feeling hungry as it’s only midday, but hang on, that’s actually 1, or is it technically 11? Ferreting around trying to find the cooker manual to change the clock; irritatingly I have a built-in microwave above a built-in oven and each have a digital display, but I don’t have enough hands to get them to exactly the same time so they are always a few seconds out. Oh, and remembering that my car clock is now correct again having been an hour behind since March. My children always ask me whether they have an hour extra or an hour less as I don’t think any of them possess a timekeeping device which doesn’t automatically update so they don’t really know what the time is according to their body clocks. My son lives in France so is always an hour ahead anyway so my daughter (who is the designated family organiser) refers to “baguette time” when arranging our weekly Discord.

For me, I’ve always welcomed this clock change as I feel blissfully ahead of myself, and able to enjoy an extra hour of peace and quiet. I have always been an early bird, and when my children were younger, I could get a clear 4 hours of time to myself if I got up at 5am, so that’s always been my motivation. (We home-educated, and I was a lone parent, hence the necessity for solitude for me and the 9am wake-up for my offspring.) I love watching the day emerge from its blanket of nighttime, and I’m lucky that I have never had to wake up to an alarm in my daily life. Having said that, I have always had animals, who are far more efficient than any alarm when it comes to when they want me to get up. My dog and cat grumpily waited an extra 45 minutes for their breakfast today, and the guinea pigs were clamouring around the bars of their enclosure when I went down at 4.50am (GMT) to get a cup of tea.

I am trying to be disciplined about having Sundays “off” as it’s so hard as a freelancer to not feel I ought to be achieving something, but apart from doing a quick bit of work so I’m prepared for tomorrow, I’ve had a lazy day. I walked my dog at 6am so it was getting light, and yet there was nobody on the Cuckoo Trail. I saw my first Redwing of the season, and watched Goldcrests in the denuded trees. Roebucks were barking, and the Ravens were high on their pylon perch. Cobwebs, heavy with dew, festooned the stems and branches, and the wet leaves softened my footsteps. Housework, baking bread, and watching Downton Abbey have been the activities for the day, and now I am ready for sleep. A day for feeling fortunate indeed.

I hope your Clock-Change Day has been similarly peaceful.