Spring forward, fall back. Just remember when you get up this morning that the clocks have already gone back an hour at 2am, reverting to Greenwich Mean Time.
This allows you an extra hour in your Sunday to do (more or less) whatever you want.
If you have a smartphone the chances are it has already updated for you, and so will your computer and any tablet. But you may have to change the time on any manual watch or probably your analogue kitchen clock.
There are many clocks in Edinburgh which need to be changed, some of them by hand. At Holyrood Palace there are 50 timepieces which need to be adjusted. In total at all the official residences that HM The Queen owns staff will spend 40 hours adjusting the time. There are musical clocks, astronomical clocks, miniatures and turret clocks.
And of course the Balmoral Clock needs to be adjusted so that it is still a few minutes ahead of time, allowing any rail passengers time to catch a train.
With the clocks going back this weekend, it’s another reminder that winter is coming. This can mean changes to conditions on the roads and pavements which can affect all road users. There are enough fallen leaves now to make any pavement treacherous. As daylight hours change and the weather becomes more unpredictable, Police Scotland confirms it is here throughout to keep people safe.
Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock said: “Keeping people safe on our roads is a priority for us throughout the year, however as we head into the winter months it is important to ensure vehicles and drivers are prepared for the change in road conditions.
“I would encourage drivers to check their vehicles before we experience the first of the wintry conditions. Some simple steps can be taken to prepare such as checking lights on vehicles to make sure they are in good working order, ensure tyres have sufficient tread, check windscreen washer fluid levels and look out scrapers for clearing frost and ice from your vehicle.
“As the nights get darker, I would also ask pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders to ensure they are visible to other road users.
“More best practice for road users this winter will be highlighted over the coming week as part of our winter road safety campaign.”
In the Central Belt at least the extra hour allows you fewer options than it did a month ago and certainly many fewer than a year ago.
It is now eight months almost to the day since the lockdown was introduced in Scotland on 23 March 2020. At that point the First Minister called for an immediate stop to public gatherings of more than two people in public places. We were confined to our homes except for certain permissible reasons including shopping and exercise.
Now we are restricted by the 6 and 2 rule – no more than six people and no more than two households should gather, and certainly not in each other’s homes except in certain circumstances. Next week The Scottish Parliament will discuss and vote on the five tier strategic framework under which we will be living with the pandemic for the foreseeable future.
But just remember today that you have another hour in the day to luxuriate in.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
