We have a sundial in the backyard but it's not very functional. Made of cement and no one ever thought to position it in a clearing where it could catch the sun. It's just ornamental. But, it would be interesting to have a shiny, more complicated sundial that could show the time with the passing of the sun. Of course, it might get rusty if it were metal. Maybe something not plastic but not too quick to rust or need a lot of maintenance. I always thought of a sundial as something that can stand the test of time.
The Nocturnal Celestial Stardial! This long-forgotten instrument aided a few lucky navigators and charmed romantics of the Renaissance. Earliest references include Cosmographicus Liber in 1530, Arte de Navegar, in 1551, and Horologiographia, The Art Of Dialling in 1626. 'Twas rare then as now. The Nocturnal Celestial Stardial is also called a stardial, a nocturnal, a "horologium nocturnum" (time instrument for night), or nocturlabe.
The outer disc is marked with the months as well as an indicator for each of the 365 days of the year. The inner disc is marked with hours and 5-minute increments. The pointer rotates on the same center axis as the discs. The center axis has a sight hole through which the North Star Polaris can be aligned.
It may not be as accurate as modern technology but it is interesting to use historical technology and... you wouldn't have to buy batteries (or recycle batteries).
I can't wear a battery operated watch. For some reason the batteries die within a week or two. I was looking for a mechanical watch. So far I haven't found just the right one. This would be interesting but... the reviews say it isn't very accurate. Still tempting to try it though.
Part of getting old seems to be seeing the things you love become extinct. Tea cups and saucers, clocks, books, hand sewing and embroidery, hand written letters, postcards, birthday cards, silver sets, so many things disappearing or becoming unwanted by the younger generations as they come along with new technology.
But, I notice the old things I love still last longer than the new things coming along. Maybe not in purpose but in strength and durability. New technology is made to break and be replaced. Can it be loved like the old things when it isn't made to last? I don't think there is enough time before a new one is needed and the old hits the landfill.
Sleep gets in the way
before I've hardly started
time is quicksilver.
I wrote this haiku this morning.
I often feel so many things, people, etc take over the time you have, the need for sleep being just one more of those. I love the time I am immersed in something. Learning something, sorting out something tangled, or reading a book with a good, deep story. There are always interruptions. Sleep is at least from myself, my body and brain needing physical care. Still, I resent it, a divider of days. "You can't stay up all night". But I can and I have. That early morning time before most people are awake, when the sky is a dark purple and the birds are warming up for the day. It's wonderful. It's quiet and a bit chilly and private. Only seconds, maybe minutes and then there is a sound in the house. Someone else is awake and its gone. That little bit of time, outside the world, family and things to do. It's something that is still fully mine. But it pops like a soap bubble and is gone.
Galleries and a virtual tour. The museum is located in Deep River, Ontario, if you want to make a road trip and visit them.
"Showcasing the heritage of Canada's many clock manufacturers and sellers from the early 1800s to the present time.
See and hear more than just clocks, because we have lots of period artifacts, including some really old record players that work without electricity! Hear century-old Edison cylinder records on a 1920 floor model player. Be amazed by the incredible sound from our 1927 Victor top-of-the-line CREDENZA Victrola floor model 78s records player that was sold in Ottawa and cost the same as a Ford car back then!"
Horological - means of or relating to devices or sciences of measuring time.
The streetcar comes by here every 20 minutes, according to the schedule from what I've experienced (listening to it going by from inside the apartment) it sticks to that schedule very well. It's funny that I hear another one go by and then think... 20 minutes... I'll just check email again and.... next thing I know I'm hearing another streetcar going by, 20 minutes later.
Funny how you can get caught up in what you are doing and it takes far less than 20 minutes to lose track of time. I just passed another 20 minute mark. I could spend a few minutes puttering around and then find another 20 minutes will have passed me by. I think, this time I better stop puttering. Soon it will be so far afternoon that I will reconsider getting out at all today.
Puttering around takes up so much time. Yet the important stuff might take only a few minutes, only 20 of them even.