Time And Time Again

 

It's That Time of Year again - i.e. time to repeat once again that I don't get the point of "daylight saving time", and probably never will, and that I wish they'd put a stop to all that nonsense once and for all... (Etc etc. You've heard it all before!)

Grudingly, I changed all of my manual clocks and watches before I went to bed last night (probably except one, that I won't discover until later). But of course that did not help my "inner clock" in the slightest.

So this morning I had breakfast at 10:30 (clock time); and two hours later, of course my stomach still does not agree with the clocks about it being time for lunch already.

Outdoors, Nature is keeping its own slow pace; still mixing sunny days with more grey and foggy and rainy ones with lower temperatures. (Today seems to be one of the latter kind.)

 

Having whiled away a while writing this blog post, it might now be time to start preparing a "late" light lunch after all... (Clock on my computer screen showing 13:20.)

 

Back on Winter Time

Last night was a long one. For some reason I felt unusually tired yesterday evening, so went to bed and turned off the light "early" (around 10 pm), leaving the changing of clocks until the morning. I always wake up a few times during the night, but last night I went back to sleep fairly quickly each time - including after waking up around 6 or 7 (depending on which clock)... Next time I woke up the manual clocks were showing almost 11 am - so I was rather relieved to be allowed to turn them back an hour!! 

I still have about half a dozen clocks/watches that need to be changed manually. Usually, I tend to forget at least one. (If I did this time too, I have not yet discovered it...)

Outdoors, it's foggy and rainy, which probably contributed to my hibernation mood. 

However, this afternoon the rain stopped for a while, and we even got some glimpses of blue sky between the clouds. So I got out for a half hour walk after all.

Another sure sign that we are now back on Winter Time is that I have started my annual re-watching of the American TV series Gilmore Girls. It's been my No. 1 "Comfort" TV show ever since it started, I think (2001 in Sweden). (After the series was complete, I bought it on DVD; but nowadays it's also available on Netflix.) 

Late October

 

These are two different huge old horse chestnut trees, growing a hundred meters or so apart in the cemetery. As they are the same kind of tree, I can't help but wonder why one is still holding on to most of its leaves while the other one has already dropped all but a few! (But I'm not expecting anyone to have the answer...)

I don't know what kind of tree this is.

These are larches, which are "deciduous conifers". Unlike spruces and pines that stay green all year round (and are much more common here), these loose their needles in winter.

A display of late autumn colours along the railway (photo taken from a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists over the railway that I cross almost daily). 

Tomorrow, daylight saving time ("summer time") ends here. From experience I predict that  I'll welcome getting back to "normal" in the mornings, but that it will take me a while to get used to it suddenly getting dark an hour earlier in the afternoon... (And as usual, I wish they'd stop the whole nonsense of changing the clock twice a year, and keep the same time all year round!)

The Times They Are A-Changin'

 

Late on Easter Eve, before going to bed, I made an inspection tour around my flat, setting my manual clocks + watch to "summer time"... (I nearly always forget at least one. If I did this year too, I have not yet discovered it.)

Did I hear someone ask "How many clocks does one woman need?" Answer: As I don't like to wear a watch at home (only put it on when I go out), I have clocks in every room. An alarm clock beside my bed. One standing on the cooker hood in the kitchen. A wall clock in the hall (can also be seen from some positions in the living room, and from the bathroom if the door is open). Another one on the wall in my study. And an extra smaller clock by the TV in the living room. 

Somewhat to my surprise, I actually did manage to wake up in time to be able to get myself off to the Easter Sunday church service as well (at 11 am in the same church I also visited on Thursday and Friday). Again not raining, so also a nice walk there and back.

Photo discreetly snapped at the very end of the service.

 

▲Things that caught my eye on my way back home.▼

On Easter Eve (before my clock round) I watched Shadowlands, an old favourite of mine (from 1993) which I managed to find and buy on DVD some time ago. It's based on the growing friendship, love story and marriage between the author C.S. Lewis (played by Anthony Hopkins) and a Jewish American woman, Joy Davidman Gresham (Debra Winger). Their time as husband and wife was cut very short by Joy getting cancer - but at the same time, that was also what brought them really close. (If like me you're a C.S. Lewis fan, my guess is you've probably already seen this film at some point.)

A Snowy Start to Spring...

... and more updates on the Phone/Computer Situation

 

    

Today it was time here in Sweden to change our clocks to 'daylight saving time' - or as we usually call it: "summer time" (sommartid). I still have several that need to be reset manually, and I did that before I went to bed last night. (Probably forgot at least one, because I nearly always do. But if I did, I haven't yet discovered it!) 

When I looked out of my window this morning, the view was far from summer-like, though. It's snowing again! (Still going on when I write this, hours later...)

It's been a strange week, very much dominated by the Phone and Computer Situation.

The Good News is that my SIM card arrived by post on Friday afternoon. Inserted it into the new phone, and abracadabra, my old phone number was back in use - including the account balance attached to it. Not, however, my contacts - so I had to enter those manually. Which made me realise that these days I probably don't actually have a valid phone number for a whole lot of old friends any more - as, like myself, many have chosen these days not to have their number listed as searchable online any more, and FB/Messenger has taken over as the primary way of staying in touch... 

Having my phone number back on my phone also allowed me to re-establish the all-important 'Bank ID' (as mentioned in previous post - almost as essential here these days as having a physical ID card). Phew!

On Friday, "with fingers and toes crossed", I also started the process of moving vs. copying all photos stored on my laptop to an external hard drive. I did have copies of most old stuff before, but still wanted to make sure I got a fresh back-up of everything, as I also needed to permanently delete some stuff from the laptop now. This procedure literally took all day, and I kept checking on the progress frequently, to make sure the laptop did not seem to be getting overheated. It did not, though, and it managed to complete the task without any major problems arising. (Phew!) We're talking of ALL my digital camera photos (going back to my first digital camera from 2006) and also all edited versions + all scanned and 'photo-copied'  and downloaded images (including lots and lots of both new and old postcards + copied old photos from family albums). 

On Saturday, I continued to also transfer/copy Documents, plus all my collected Music and Audio books (other than the Audible ones, which are thankfully safely stored online).

So now, knowing I have a fresh back-up of everything 'personal', I feel I can relax a little about the computer situation. Besides Windows' protests about lack of storage space for important updates earlier in the week, I do also have another "issue" with the laptop though - which means I'd still better start looking into finding a replacement a.s.a.p.

 Yes. It's sort of "coming apart at the seams" (reminding of my old phone after the battery overheated). I did notice some time ago that the 'mouse' part had risen a little - but it still worked then, and I always use the laptop with a separate keyboard + 'roller mouse' anyway...

However, it has got worse; and the 'click' function on the laptop no longer works at all now. So looking into getting a new laptop popped right up to the top of things to do next...There are a lot of things to consider, though, so I don't want to be too hasty about it. (And no need to be, now that I know I have personal files safely backed up.)

Meanwhile, I'm not letting the computer work "unsupervised"; and have also taken the extra precaution of not only turning off the laptop itself when I've finished, but have also added an extra "switch" to the wall socket...

 

Whereas a mobile phone is usually "on" 24/7, the battery in the laptop really shouldn't have a chance to get overheated all by itself.

Sunrise and 'Daylight Saving Time'

In general, I'm not an early riser; but yesterday morning I happened to be temporarily up on my feet just before 6 a.m. Looking out of the window in my living room, I was met by this view - slightly alarming at first sight...

Just sunrise and trees, though, reflected in the windows of the next building!

Walking over to the kitchen, on the other side of the building, this was the view:

  Playing with the window reflections in a collage:

Yesterday, when I took these photos, the sun rose at 05:51.
I went back to bed afterwards - the Sun did not. 

Between yesterday and today, the Sun too seems to have had second thoughts about rising that early in the morning - so today it didn't get up until 06:48. 

Yes - Daylight Saving Time is back again - or "summer time" (sommartid) as we call it here in Sweden. (And as usual, I don't see the point of it...)

Remains to be seen what clock I may have forgotten to change this time - usually there's at least one, which I don't discover until later...