What Time Is It?
It’s a seemingly innocent question and one I often ask Farmboy when I wake up while we’re on holidays. Not having an alarm clock or similar, he is often closest to a watch or mobile phone to give me the time.
On Tuesday morning, I was particularly interested in the time as we were hoping to get ourselves an early start, knowing we had quite a few kilometres to cover during the final day of travel home.
Farmboy’s response went something along the lines of “which time would you like”, which led to us both cracking up laughing.
We discovered a down side to being away from television, radio and other media coverage while away. There isn’t anyone to remind you that daylight savings has begun.
In Wagga Wagga, we noticed that the time on the supermarket sign next to the caravan park was an hour out. I remember having a conversation with Farmboy about it. We weren’t 100% sure it was meant to BE the time. You see, it was one of those signs that alternates between the time and perhaps the weather or something similar. However, this one we could not work out what the figures were supposed to be. It was a passing conversation and one we didn’t spend too much energy trying to figure out.
Enter Mildura late the next day and there’s another IGA sign that’s an hour out. How strange??? Still, we thought nothing of it.
When I came out of Woolworths after tea that night (grabbing a few bits and pieces for the next day) and commented that their clock was an hour faster than my watch as well, Farmboy started to get suspicious.
“What’s the date today?” he asked me. “Is it possible that daylight savings has begun?” he questioned. “Surely it can’t have started already”, I responded. “Isn’t it the October long weekend?” Farmboy asked me. “I reckon daylight savings starts on the long weekend”, he added.
Hmmm….. Seems we missed it. Which was no big deal given we weren’t on specific time restraints. Although it did mean we’d checked out of the caravan park in Wagga Wagga at quarter past 10 rather than quarter past 9 like we’d thought (and check out time is supposed to be 10am).
And when we thought about it, people did seem to be eating early at the caravan park (not that we’d paid a lot of attention). Turns out, we just ate late (or according to our body clocks rather than the actual time).
So, when I questioned him on the time. He wasn’t sure if I wanted Eastern Standard Time or Eastern Daylight Saving Time. Or did I want the time it would be back home (where we were headed that day)? And would I like that in standard time or daylight saving time?
It all got a little bit confusing for a while there. Even our mobile phones (which are identical) were confused. Mine changed to daylight savings time and Farmboys didn’t.
Although in the end, I think it was the easiest way to transition to daylight savings time. Sure, we lost an hour and then gained half of it back again when we crossed the border. But at the end of the day, we got home when we did and started today on whatever time the powers that be tell us we “should” be following. At least we weren’t an hour late for church or any other event.
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I hate daylight savings for this exact reason. Not worrying about when where or how much the time changes saves me a lot of stress. The only problem is having to deal with people who do have it - makes my life a misery.
Eg my assignment is due at 5pm tomorrow, but to ensure it’s received correctly it needs to arrive before 2pm DST as that is when the people leave the office. Of course it needs to be there earlier than that so they can physically check it for me. So maybe if I email it at 1pm - except we’re an hour behind them, so 12pm. I’ve just lost 5 hours in which I could have done my assignment.
Lucky I’ve finished it already
I always change my clocks on the Saturday rather than the Sunday. This year I did it but forgot to tell hubby who got confused when he noticed the TV programs were “all wrong”……
I used to work weekends and living in QLD that was not a problem, no daylight savings up there.
However we got tv reception from both QLD and NSW. Unawares I was watching a NSW tv station which had changed with daylight savings. My show finished and that was my signal to leave and go to work. BUT because I was in QLD I was an hour early. Once I realised what had happened I went to buy coffee at the nearest McDonalds drive through, only to have a car accident on the way there.
And that pretty much sums up how daylight savings happens for me each year. When I moved to Victoria I was always late for work the weekend daylight savings started. No matter how I prepared for it, asked friends to call me and remind me, whatever. I ALWAYS get caught out and general chaos and confusion results.
Me and daylight savings are not friends.
Being a full time working mum I look forward to daylight saving every year. I get time to hang out a load of washing, go for a walk, sit out on my deck and relax in the sun…it’s the end of daylight saving that I dislike. It goes on too long, and I HATE getting up in the dark. Well, I hate getting up. period. but it’s worse in the dark.
Seems you either love it or hate it … I am in the love day lights savings camp… I just wish they’d decide on a date and stick to it! We are TV watching Radio listening people and still had no idea it had changed till Sunday night… no wonder everyone looked at us funny when we arrived at a birthday party Sunday morning declaring we were on time!
Isn’t it WONDERFUL not to be constrained by time.
We have lived here over 2 years, and I have JUST put up a clock.
we are STILL working on pre daylight savings time. It takes me ages to get back in the groove of time.
I hate daylight savings.