When I was at college I made ceramic sundials and later ceramic clocks. To make them accurately I did extensive research into Time and how we measure it. It’s a facinating subject and I could drone on about it but I soon realised not many people are interested or even curious about how time is measured and the way that it affects our life today.

 So tonight we turn back the clocks one hour in Britain. Why do we do that ?

Daylight saving came into effect in Britain in1916. It came about to try and save fuel during WWI and has been with us ever since.

When we turn our clocks back an hour tonight we will be returning to Greenwich Mean Time and tomorrow you’ll gain an extra hour in bed.

If you want to know more about Time, how it is measured and its part in our History I recommend reading Longitude by David Sobel and The Calender by David Ewing Duncan and also a Visit to The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

Enjoy your lie in tomorrow !

Red kites near Dumfries, Scotland, October 2023

I’ve always been a birdwatcher and I’ve seen some of Britain’s best bird events like the Starling murmurations at Ham Wall and I’ve sat in a Puffin colony in the Outer Hebrides, so I was excited to be visiting Dumfries and Galloway last week and was hoping to see some of the thousands of Geese that arrive there for the winter having travelled from Iceland or Scandinavia. However, because of the warm weather only a few had arrived so our visit to the bird reserves near the Solway Firth were a bit disappointing. We decided to visit the  Bellymack Hill farm Kite feeding Station near Dumfries and wow it was spectacular. Hundreds of Kites arrived and when they swooped down to feed I couldn’t get anything except blurred photos. I did however get a video but I have yet to work out how to insert it here so heres some photos 

Wow, September has slipped quietly by and we are now hurtling towards - well you know what !

 I managed to get to the WPA that’s The Westcountry Potter’s Association’s 30th anniversary celebrations last weekend. I have been a member since some time in the 1990’s, just after leaving college and although I am not a very active member recently I can honestly say it has bought me much joy and lots of friends, as well as learning from some of the best potters around by demos or zoom meetings. Last Sunday was no exception as Maggie Curtis was showing us how she makes her architectural ceramics. They say a picture says a thousand words , so here are 2 of her roof tiles, and if you want to know more, head on over to our website at https://westcountrypotters.co.uk/about-us/ or to see more about Maggie’s work visit https://www.maggiecurtis.co.uk/