Tuesday 24 September 2013

British Summer Time

Today it has been misty all day and the sun has never appeared although it is quite mild.   This morning the lawn was covered in beautifully woven fine cobwebs - hundreds of them, spun I guess by very small spiders overnight.   Reminded me of my reason for calling my blog site 'weaverofgrass', here is the poem for anyone who hasn't read it. (written by me, I hasten to add).
In that bright hour
when the sky glows
with the promise of a rising sun;
when the air is cool
and moist,
and dew lies heavy on the ground -
then come the weavers,
threading their strands through the grass
so that at evening,
when the sun is low,
it shines through silken threads
that shimmer in the fading light
and make a field
of gossamer.

It only seems to happen at this time of the year.   The other thing that happens at this time of the year is that the nights begin to get dark very early.   Tonight it was very dark here by seven o'clock.
On October 27th we put the clocks back an hour and it will be dark even earlier.   For those folk who live alone it does make for very long, lonely nights.

I remember during the war when we had Double British Summer Time and the clocks were put forward two hours to give the farmers more time to work in the fields in the daylight.   

Do you think that we should return to this now?   Or should we leave things as they are?  Or should we do away with the idea of British Summer Time altogether?   I would be interested to hear your views.

26 comments:

Gwil W said...

I didn't know why your blog was called Weaver of Grass so thanks for the explanation Pat. Regarding the daylight and the clocks I think we should choose whatever is safest variant for the kids going to and from school.

angryparsnip said...

Since I have no idea how Double British Summer Time works I can't comment.
I despise the clock turning back and forward. I think it messes up our internal clock.
The last year I lived in California the time change messed up me and so many of my friends. As we are all 50+ (some of us older) I am not sure if that was a factor but we all had a hard time with the the time change. It took us forever to adjust.
No matter where you live it seem the schoolkids leave and come home in the dark. Winter is winter.
Now that I live in Tucson no back and forth with the clocks and I am so happy.
What a lovely poem, silken threads.

cheers, parsnip

Reader Wil said...

Your poem pictures a beautiful paintings of Silver threads in the autumn.
Have a great autumn week.

Cloudia said...

So beautiful and affecting.

It is darker earlier here in the sub tropics as well. Your post evokes piquant memories of darkening days and long cold nights, touching me deeply. Thanks so much, dear P


Aloha from Honolulu

Helsie said...

Here in Queensland we don't do Daylight Saving Time as we call it in Oz. Much of the rest of the eastern coast of Australia does. The thing is here we could do with a bit of extra daylight. Even in Summer it is dark by seven. I've always found it hard to understand why you need to change the clocks somewhere where it is still light at 10pm .Personally I like a bit of dark around bedtime!

Irene said...

I think we should stay on the summertime schedule because I so dislike it getting dark so early in the wintertime when I have to go out and walk my dog. I would mind it less being dark in the morning when I got up, because it usually is anyway being an early riser. I love your poem.

Hildred said...

Lovely poem Pat, and a great explanation of your blog name. Like your apple heading - it reflects life in the Similkameen these days, - everybody harvesting in the orchards.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

I love the poem and the pretty webs full of dew.

We have Daylight Savings Time from the first weekend in March to the First weekend in November - it used to be from May to late September - but for some reason a few years ago they switched it - I prefer it this way - gives us light in the evening for just a bit more time. When we lived in very southern California - we were just an hour's drive to the Arizona border and in Arizona they don't use Daylight Savings Time - and the tv stations for our area all originated in Arizona - talk about confusion when California would change times and Arizona wouldn't. For one thing - the evening news was on at 4 p.m. California time - weird.

ChrisJ said...

That is a beautiful poem. Weaver.

ChrisJ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tom Stephenson said...

I hate to be pedantic, Weave, but shouldn't you be called 'Weaver IN Grass'?

Heather said...

Your poem is beautiful Pat and so fitting for this time of the year. I have often wondered how you came by your blog name.
I had almost forgotten about Double Summer Time but do remember as a child thinking that it never got dark in summer! I'm not sure we'd cope with it now and am certain that the rest of the world wouldn't! Maybe it would be best to leaves things as they are.

mrsnesbitt said...

Love the poem Pat xxx Fabulous. I remember as a child going to Sunday School and turning up too early as Mum had turned the clock pointers backwards instead of forwards - or vise versa - whatever the time the only person I saw was the milkman who laughed when I said I liked to get there early.

Terry and Linda said...

We call it Daylight Savings time ... I for once wish it would just stay at Daylight Savings time I so hate the long cold dark.


Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

Terry and Linda said...

By the way our time changes back to Rocky Mountain Standard time on November 3.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

The Weaver of Grass said...

I would never call you pedantic Tom - what's the odd 'pointing out' between friends!? I suppose in theory you are right anyway although in defence, it doesn't sound quite as poetic to my ear.
As to the Daylight Saving, your replies are so mixed that it seems whatever is done some will like it and some not. Perhaps Gwil says it all when he speaks of safety for kids going to school.
Thanks for joining in.

Em Parkinson said...

Lovely poem Pat. In your defense regarding 'in' vs 'of', you're not a spider.

Interesting about the sunset time. It isn't getting dark here until about 7.40pm.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Lovely poem and i love those spider webs!

Some people are suggesting staying on Summer Time all year to avoid dark evenings, but in Scotland that would mean never getting light until 10am in the winter (even later further north than Edinburgh)

David Oliver said...

Of gossamer glow.

I'm being presumptuous. I'm sorry.

Anonymous said...

The poem is so evocative of this cusp of the year. Delightful, Pat.

A Heron's View said...

I read recently that the EU would like Ireland and the UK be on european time and that doing so would be better for business however, personally I think it would be better to remain on Winter Time all the year around and those who do business with europe just need to go to work earlier.

Cro Magnon said...

Your new header photo looks exactly like my Bramley..... what does one do with them all (after all the usual stuff, of course)?

Cro Magnon said...

P.S. To Mr Heron: The UK, Ireland, Portugal, and Morocco, are all still on European Time. As unoccupied countries we were not forced to change to German time, as were so many of the 'surrender monkey' places.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Nice to hear from you again Dick. I have tried to leave a reply on your blog but can't get it accepted. Hope you are keeping well.

Loren said...

Beautiful poem and a revelation on the title of your blog.

I love the Fall spiderwebs that mark the end of summer even here in the Pacific Northwest.

Golden West said...

Hi Pat,

I would like to see the time stay its own course, with no clock changing. And yes, what a lovely poem - glad to know the origin of your blog's name!

We are still in the mid 70s here and waiting for our first measurable rain since May - true autumn can't come soon enough!