"Heure d'été": Of clocks and cabers in Bressuire-the-Scot

Do you know why last Saturday night was a special one in France?

Time was ripe for "l'heure d'été", summer-time.

So, we had to hurry up and move our clocks an hour forward. And suddenly right in the middle of the night, it's not 2 o'clock but 3 o'clock!

And Mary PINET who regularly contributes to the blog is going to have more about this. It's called "Of clocks and cabers"

But don't worry, it doesn't make any change for caber-tossers.

Whether it is" l'heure d'hiver", winter-time or "l'heure d'été", summer-time, everybody knows that their favourite time for is "twelve o'clock"!

And they always prove it in Bressuire for the Highland Games

They all dream about it, just like Xavier TATIBOUET, the Frenchie (photo Thierry TURC).

Of clocks and cabers by Mary PINET

"If you are anything like me, you are still adjusting to wintertime. So when the early morning light wakes you up, here is something for you to ponder.

Given that the Highland Games traditionally take place in the summer months, what do they have in common with March and October?

Answer: time, which is of the essence for all three.

Indeed, at the end of March, the clocks go forward in readiness for the summer when the French are two hours ahead of the sun and the British one hour.

The Brits in sync with the sun

Then in October, the clocks go back for winter which means the French are just one hour ahead of the sun and the Brits (just like Cabertoss World champion Scott RIDER on Thierry TURC's flip-book) are actually in sync with that bright star.

The question of time, by the way, is just one of the issues on which France and Great Britain beg to differ!

But the Highland Games caber tosser (Scott RIDER on the photo by Marie-Claire GIRAUD) has no time for such time differences.

Be it winter or summer, one o'clock or two o'clock, only one time matters and that is twelve o'clock.

That much sought-after caber position when, tossed and turned, the caber lands in perfect alignment with the tosser. (Whoops! that sounds a bit rude - no offence meant)

Twelve o'clock or high noon when the sun is at its zenith and the caber tosser at his best - whatever his nationality and whichever country he is in.

Spring and Fall

And if you have trouble deciding whether the clocks are to be put back or forward, if you lie in bed tossing and turning like a veritable caber when the critical weekend arrives, here's a seasonal tip to help you out: in March the clocks spring forward and in October they fall back.

I know, I know, "fall" is an Americanism but are you caberble of doing better?

Thanks, Mary! You gave us a very good time...

Alain CADU

The original article in French: Changement d'heure et midi pile: caber est-il?