Well the clocks went forward an hour last night here in Manitoba.
The one less hour of sleep is more than offset by that extra hour of daylight to look at the slowly receding snowbanks – woo hoo!
A couple of years ago our provincial government, in its wisdom, decided to move the beginning of daylight savings time back by two or three weeks, as did most of the other Canadian provinces. Bless them, they are trying to give us a longer spring to make up for the dreadfully short summer. Someone should really tell them, though, that besides adjusting the clocks they need to turn off the celestial snow and water sprinklers and turn on the heat lamps.
Interestingly there is still one province that does not bother with changing the hands on its clocks. Saskatchewan is a clock-static stalwart which never adopted daylight savings time and sometimes I really wonder if they haven’t got the right idea.
It is such a pain, given that we live in a technological era where clocks have become akin to the instrument panels of spacecraft, to have to reset all those electronic time devices on the car, computer, DVD player, stove, microwave etc. etc. And then just as you have figured out each one it’s time to do it all over again because you have blinked and it’s fall.
And this country already has enough confusion about time – we already have six different time zones here and some provinces like Nunavut have three (British Columbia and Ontario both have two). Manitoba only has one – the same one as Saskatchewan but when we alter our clocks that throws us out of whack with our neighbour again.
All too confusing and time-consuming. I would rather be out enjoying the spring weather than setting clocks.
If we ever get any that is!
This is Angela in Manitoba at 11:23 Central Standard Time.
When do your clocks go forward? How do you cope? Did you take any special training on clock setting? Maybe you could share some links?
Hi Angela…Yikes with all the different time zones. I have no idea how you keep up with it all. Of course, I had to look up the origin. 2Am Sunday morning is when we changed time.
Time for my geekiness:
Beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving Time is extended one month and begins for most of the United States at:
Begining in 2007
2 a.m. on the Second Sunday in March
and lasts until
2 a.m. on the First Sunday of November.
The new start and stop dates were set in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Change Your Clock & Change A Bulb!
The National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommend that consumers change the battery in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when we change the clocks for Daylight Saving Time.
While you’ve got the ladder out to check your smoke detectors, why not change a bulb?
Switching to energy efficient bulbs in your ceiling fixtures could save you $30 a year per bulb on your electricity bill.
Energy efficient lighting is particularly important in the fall when Daylight Saving Time ends and the days are shorter.
The latest generation of energy-saving lighting includes compact fluorescent bulbs that fit in standard light sockets and provide pleasant, uniform light.
Low-energy halogen or LED lighting is also becoming widely available.
Visit http://www.energystar.gov or http://www.fypower.org for information on lighting rebates and discounts.
Daylight Saving Time – for the U.S. and its territories – is NOT observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and by most of Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona).
Indiana, which used to be split with a portion of the state observing DST and the other half not, is now whole. In the past, counties in the Eastern Time Zone portion of the state did not observe DST. They were on standard time year round. A state law was passed in 2005 that has the entire state of Indiana observing DST beginning in April 2006.
Indiana isn’t the only state that wanted to change daylight saving time. California asked for federal “approval” to move to a “year-round” Daylight Saving Time in 2001-2002 because of its energy crisis. (See below.) Umm…I’m in California and we still use daylight savings.
Now, what time is it in Dubai…
CC
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Ooops…sorry everyone, I copied and pasted too much…it was supposed to be much shorter.
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Hi from Dubai Angela in Canada…
No clocks changing in these parts so we range from GMT +3 or GMT +4…..
No farmers here and I assumed that was the reason clocks changed…for them farmer folk?
Hi Angela,
Back in the UK the clocks go forward at the end of March, might even be this weekend.
And that’s what makes me laugh, that every year (and as far as I’m aware, its been going on since 1895) no one can remember whether its forwards/backwards, what month it happens and whether they had put the clocks back the night before. Twice a a year it happens, not sure why its so hard.
Interestingly enough (not really) I was in Greenwich a couple of weeks back at the Royal Observatory where I learnt that China is the largest country with only 1 time zone when it should actually have 3 or 4 and did before 1949.
Right, who’s having me round to dinner?
Yes same here Lib always mass confusion over the time change.
I think Jim is right and we do probably change for the benefit of the farmers – but as most of them here in Manitoba won’t be able to set foot in their fields (never mind drive a honking great tractor across them) till probably late April I wonder why we bother.
CC you are always a mine of information and I like that idea of whilst you are up the laddder… trouble is here we’d need grappling hooks and crampons just to get to the ladder.
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