Page 4 | To be surprised people think the clocks are going back?

PuppyMonkey · 28/03/2025 23:03

It always amuses me that this has been happening since about 1913 or something but people still claim to be utterly shocked and WTF that the clocks go forward in spring and back in autumn. It’s in your calendar on your phone these days even. And my Facebook will still be full of numpties claiming they knew nothing about it and are so confused and can’t understand what’s happening. Lol.

latetothefisting · 28/03/2025 22:57

Pancakeflipper · 28/03/2025 19:41

This is all you have to remember....

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it doesn't really make much sense, though, if you think about it. Not only because nobody in the UK says 'fall' anymore, but you can fall forward as easily as falling backwards. If anything most people trip when they're moving, and as people walk forwards they are going to fall forwards far more!

And a spring goes up and down and forwards and backwards!

Spring back, fall forward is just as viable as a mnemonic.

louderthan · 28/03/2025 22:57

I literally count down the days to the clocks changing in spring. I love the lighter evenings.

SkaneTos · 28/03/2025 22:43

In Sweden we say
"In the spring we put the garden furniture out ('forward'), and in the autumn/fall we put the garden furniture back." (Bad translation, but anyway.)

monkeysox · 28/03/2025 22:23

girlfriend44 · 28/03/2025 19:29

Seen quite a few saying clocks are going back this weekend.😂

Back in Winter. Forward in Spring.

It's been happening for years.😏

What an amazing mother's day gift 🎁.

ThreePointOneFourOneFiveNine · 28/03/2025 22:23

Oh crap! Thanks for the reminder. An hour less sleep, just what I need!

I think people know the clocks are changing (except I didn’t), and they don’t really think about what the specific words imply. Clocks going back rolls off the tongue more easily and than clocks going forward. I don’t think they actually think they are going back, it’s just what they say.

painpain · 28/03/2025 22:22

It drives me nuts when people correct me saying clocks forward or back because I mean the clocks will change and will obviously not move them the wrong way!

borntobequiet · 28/03/2025 22:20

I’d personally prefer GMT the whole year round.

It’s always the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October that the clocks change. Once I realised that, it was easy to remember.

Jabberwok · 28/03/2025 22:18

GoldenGail · 28/03/2025 22:09

Because its safer than kids going to school in the dark in the morning. They did an experiment from 1968 for three years keeping the summer time. It was a disaster in Scotland and the north for farmers and kids as it wasn’t light till nearly 10am in some places . I remember going to school in the dark and hating it. Fine for the south of England but not elsewhere so it was changed back.

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Thanks that is interesting to know that they tried it...we could like other countries of course have 2 time zones....

Bootlebride · 28/03/2025 22:15

Jabberwok · 28/03/2025 19:40

It's just a saying...I used it tonight knowing full well they go forward

As an aside does anyone know why Greenwich mean time was set at that time and not the more useful/better for the South of the UK summer time? Why choose to run clocks so that it's dark so early in the winter

Because if we stayed on BST in winter, it wouldn’t get light until 9am in Southern England, and 10:30am in some parts of Scotland! It would be awful!

They experimented with using BST all year round for a few years in the 70s, and there was a big increase in the number of children hit by cars on the way to school.

Overhaul54 · 28/03/2025 22:14

BashfulClam · 28/03/2025 22:01

In mid summer in Scotland you only get about 1.5 hours of full deep darkness (it’s dark but big fully fig most of the night) . I remember being on annual leave during lockdown (June) and watching box sets one night. I headed to bed at 4.25 and it was almost fully light. I was a bit surprised.

But the mornings are stupidly late even in summer (weather doesn’t help).

In the south mornings are never later than 8am. Scotland and and it’s still night at 8am in the winter.

CatamaranViper · 28/03/2025 22:13

I used to work on ships and we'd have time changes all the time so it's completely thrown me now. I worry almost every night that the time will be different in the morning lol. Deep rooted fear from getting it wrong a few times

GoldenGail · 28/03/2025 22:09

Jabberwok · 28/03/2025 19:40

It's just a saying...I used it tonight knowing full well they go forward

As an aside does anyone know why Greenwich mean time was set at that time and not the more useful/better for the South of the UK summer time? Why choose to run clocks so that it's dark so early in the winter

Because its safer than kids going to school in the dark in the morning. They did an experiment from 1968 for three years keeping the summer time. It was a disaster in Scotland and the north for farmers and kids as it wasn’t light till nearly 10am in some places . I remember going to school in the dark and hating it. Fine for the south of England but not elsewhere so it was changed back.

BashfulClam · 28/03/2025 22:01

In mid summer in Scotland you only get about 1.5 hours of full deep darkness (it’s dark but big fully fig most of the night) . I remember being on annual leave during lockdown (June) and watching box sets one night. I headed to bed at 4.25 and it was almost fully light. I was a bit surprised.

cardibach · 28/03/2025 21:59

Zanatdy · 28/03/2025 20:21

So easy to remember spring forward

It’s not. I think springing back makes much more sense - like if something surprises you. I know it’s forward this time but that stupid saying makes it harder to remember.

BashfulClam · 28/03/2025 21:58

TheCurious0range · 28/03/2025 21:54

Ooh really, it's not brand new just new to me, it's nearly 4 years old , my last car was a 13 year old Citroen so not many bells and whistles!

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I was getting the manual ready to change it as I can’t do with it being wrong then realised it was the same time as my watch/phone etc…happy days. I turn my cooker and microwave off at the wall after use so never have the clock set on them.

cardibach · 28/03/2025 21:58

CountryQueen · 28/03/2025 20:10

Why does this mess with my head?

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Because it makes no sense. Why do you spring forward and not back? Depends what’s happening surely? Fall back is a military expression I suppose, but otherwise you are just as likely to fall forward as back.

TheCurious0range · 28/03/2025 21:54

BashfulClam · 28/03/2025 21:53

If it’s new then it should change itself. Ours does and its 6 years old.

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Ooh really, it's not brand new just new to me, it's nearly 4 years old , my last car was a 13 year old Citroen so not many bells and whistles!

BashfulClam · 28/03/2025 21:53

TheCurious0range · 28/03/2025 21:21

Oh no I got a new car in December. I had my last car 7 years and only learned how to change the clock about 18 months ago. Here's to a summer of mentally deducting an hour

If it’s new then it should change itself. Ours does and its 6 years old.

Hysterectomynext · 28/03/2025 21:50

applegrumbling · 28/03/2025 19:35

Spring forward, fall back!

Fall forward and spring back is what I always say

AlteredStater · 28/03/2025 21:46

Spring forward. Fall back. Yes I know we say Autumn in the UK but still.

Doggymummar · 28/03/2025 21:45

BananaSpanner · 28/03/2025 19:36

To be fair, at least they know they’re doing something. I’d forgotten they were changing at all.

I did mine last week, and Mothering Sunday. FML.

Overhaul54 · 28/03/2025 21:44

Createausername1970 · 28/03/2025 21:35

Oh yeah! My bad 😁

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No worries. Taken about 30 years to get all the pros and cons of early starts to early nights. I’ve had early starting jobs, my own kids and failing eyesight.
I’d keep it BST and stop the winter change.

EconomyClassRockstar · 28/03/2025 21:44

Thank the Lord because it's being driving me nuts not knowing what the time is in the UK for the last 3 weeks since ours changed!

Createausername1970 · 28/03/2025 21:35

Overhaul54 · 28/03/2025 21:29

That’s not right.
Its going back an hour in October that gives us dark at 4pm.
I think the dark morning is less miserable than an early night ( Scotland is very much darker than the south of England). But we are used to dark mornings burning away. There’s no positives to dark at 4pm.

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Oh yeah! My bad 😁