Twice this week I have woken with 0444 showing on the bedside digital clock. That's the trouble with digital clocks: it's never 'a quarter to five' or 'half past six' any more. It's time accurate to a minute. Assuming, that is, that the clock is accurate. Mine tend to be. I'm just like that. An accurate clock person. My main clock in the house is one of those clocks controlled by the radio time signal from Rugby and, of course, all the internet devices automatically correct themselves.
Sometimes this accuracy causes me problems. When I drove one of The Family's cars in New Zealand the time was never accurate so it would throw me because I automatically made the basic assumption that it was.
It's all part of the Edwards Family need to be on time for appointments or at least not to be late.
What I was really thinking when I started this was just how coincidental it was to wake twice at the same time within three days given that my bedtimes vary within a three hour time gap.
Each year when I return I forget just how much catching up there is to do and how much adjusting. Whilst I am away Pat aka Spesh looks after my affairs and without that my stay away would be, if not impossible, certainly very much harder. Thank you Pat.
David and Molly leave tomorrow. Where did the week go?
Molly looks rather sinister don't you think? She's not. She has a lovely nature (unless you're a cat!)
The RNLI Stornoway Lifeboat has a new home since I left last October.
As an insomniac I HATE digital clocks. They seem to spell out just how awake you are (or rather how asleep you aren't).
ReplyDeleteFrances I can think of few things worse than insomnia. I suffered from it as a child and used to watch the weights which powered the bedroom clock gently fall towards the floor until I fell asleep. The thought and fear of insomnia is infinitely worse than my detestation of night-stallions.
DeleteIt is odd. The only thing I can say is that I suppose coincidences happen simply because everything doesn't happen at evenly spaced intervals all the time. If that makes sense. (I am not sure it does). :)
ReplyDeleteTo be honest Jenny I'm not sure that it makes sense either. Coincidences abound though. Yesterday morning I rang Amex because during the night I'd had an email saying that they had stopped a payment on my card because of 'unusual activity'. As I dialled the Amex number and got the ringing tone on the other end using my landline my cellphone rang. It was Amex phoning me. At exactly the same moment.
DeleteDo coincidences happen only when we notice them?
DeleteDo trees make a noise when they fall over in the forest if there is no ear to hear them? I don't know the answer to your question David.
DeleteI have been waking up at around 5.15am for quite a few mornings now some days the same time, others varying by small amounts...I think it is the lighter mornings and the bird song. I have been getting up and making a cup of green tea.
ReplyDeleteIt is surprising how much catching up to do there is and adjusting, even for just six weeks away I find it hard, I would imagine six months is even worse!
Serenata I can't ever recall having a particularly set pattern of going to bed and getting up since I retired. When I'm on Lewis for the whole year (which hasn't happened since 2005) I get up later in the winter than the summer but that is, as you suggested, probably more to do with the light and dark than anything: there is no dawn chorus here in Eagleton because there are relatively few song-birds.
DeleteMolly is the cutest thing. I love how you captured her. It's so hard to come up with a original way to photograph pets.
ReplyDeleteMersad Molly gives me plenty of opportunities.
DeleteI see you had at least one day of really calm weather (and I suppose perhaps no reason for the lifeboat to go out!) ...
ReplyDeleteI'd make a very long detour to avoid Molly if she gave me that look!
My beside clock is an analog one. I still wake up at odd times sometimes, but not usually keeping count of the exact minutes. Actually, come to think of it, my other clocks are analog too, except those on the computers and DVD/VCR devices. (Why do I still have a VCR even though I threw out just about all the tapes years ago?)
Monica all my clocks are analogue too except for the bedside clocks and my household and computer devices.
DeleteGreat photo of Molly ~ looking very wolffish. Hope you are well Graham?
ReplyDeleteYes Carol she is looking like a pretty direct descendant of the wolf.
DeleteI have not worn a watch since I retired. On the other hand I have to be early for appointments.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, Red, you have an inbuilt clock. I very rarely wear a watch now although when I worked I never had it off my wrist except when I had a shower.
DeleteMolly looks to be on full cat alert. I am lucky in that the first cats my dogs met were farm or pub cats and didn't run but sidled up to rub themselves on them.
ReplyDeleteAdrian, Molly actually chased Pat and Dave's cat up a telegraph pole. She wouldn't come down for ages and wouldn't come into the house voluntarily for ages either.
DeleteI got used to not having a bedside clock when I was at Leone's and have thrown mine out since I returned home. I'm all for the simple life - if it's too dark to see the time on my watch, it's too early to be awake ! I like the shot of your rescue boat and all the reflections.
ReplyDeleteYes, Pauline, I should take a leaf out of your book perhaps but here on Lewis where the sun rises just after 4am in June it might cause me problems. Mind you in midwinter it doesn't officially rise until after 10am so one could have a really long lie in.
DeleteThe small digital clock on my bedside table is a radio-controlled one, too, but it only lights up when I want it to - I would not want to look at red digits every time I turn my head to the right, and one of my eyes happened to open a little bit. Of course, work requires a regular getting-up time, but unless I am wide awake already for some other reason (noise in the house, an urgent need to go to the bathroom, back ache etc.), I let the long morning chime of the nearby church bells be my wake-up call at 7.00.
ReplyDeleteI have a particular affinity with 22.22. It's a silly little story that has something to do with my late husband. I often am in bed by that time, reading, and try to "catch" that minute by a quick look at the clock.
Meike lights in themselves don't worry me and whilst I rarely have a need to know the time during the night i do usually have a want to know it. I tend to get up when I feel like it (unless I have to be up extra early for a ferry or something). That is one of the luxuries of retirement. I wonder if most of us have a particular time to which we have a particular affinity. I do.
DeleteYou are very welcome Graham. We hope it will not be too long before you can have a holiday in New Zealand and I will be back over "at yours"each day, looking after your wild menagerie. It is good to have you back amongst us. x
ReplyDeleteThank you Pat. I hope to be back visiting NZ sometime soon. I feel homesick just knowing that I won't be returning at the end of October whilst at the same time looking forward to a winter here in Scotland.
DeleteI'm sure David and Molly had a great time staying with you once again....such a good time you were all having that you didn't find the time to post, but alas we understand.
ReplyDeleteAwaking at the same time for a few mornings seems kinda weird but possibly no weirder than going to sleep at the same time for a few nights.
I think they enjoyed it as much as I did Virginia. I suppose the difference between going to sleep and waking for me is that I usually go to sleep within 2 or 3 minutes of putting my head on the pillow.
DeleteNeedless to say (so why say it??) I too am an 'accurate clock person'. It therefore throws me somewhat when in Partner-who-loves-tea's car the clock is anything from six to fifteen minutes fast. Unless it's winter time in which case it is anything from 54 to 45 minutes slow - after all, why bother changing it at the end of BST - you'll only have to change it again in six months...
ReplyDeleteThe appropriate reply to the above comment is 'Aaaargh!!'
DeleteAaaargh!!
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