Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The Richness of time

There is one kind of robber whom the law does not strike at, and who steals what is most precious to men: time. ~Napoleon I, Maxims, 1815

Last week as ever time flew by at a fast pace. One day we took pictures of the Belfry or Befroi in Fougeres. Although it is very prominent when one looks up at the town of Fougeres it is easy to miss it on market day. Everyone is looking at the produce on the stalls and not looking up.

Apparently the belfry was built in 1397 funded by local merchants. It allowed ordinary people access to timekeeping previously the preserve of the church and nobility.

I had never thought about richer people having access to time, and poorer people living without a clock. Maybe it would be nicer to live in a world where you could live by simply using the sun in the sky and not a timepiece.





Flower Tower


Actually I don't wear a watch, but my mobile phone can tell me the time if needed.

The French word for lifetime is vie....cours de la vie

The French word for ringing of chimes is sonnerie.

Etymology for the word clock.

8 comments:

Jude said...

Yes, time has speeded up, why is that? When I used to work nights it dragged.
When I'm on the computer it flies by without a by or leave...
When we sailed over here, Geoff always would tell the time by the sun,I think he's more observant than me. He still does sometimes.
My neighbours don't use clocks, when it's dark they sleep, get up when the sun shines.

LadyFi said...

I guess in the olden days, poor people were steered by the sun and the night...

Time is indeed a thief as it were... summer holidays were so long as a child. Now I'm getting older, it just speeds by. Is that because I'm getting more and more aware of my mortality?

Clive said...

We hate the way we are always chasing time and running out of it - there never seems enough of it and yes, getting older means it really seems to fly by!

Appreciate any minute - that's what we try and do (most of the time!!)

French Fancy... said...

What's that old mystic thing - treat each moment as different from the next, it is now.

It's hard to stay in the present moment though - one is usually thinking of things to do later or what one did yesterday. Sometimes I make a conscious effort to stay within the present moment - but it is not easy

Blu said...

It must be nice not to use clocks.

Long summer holidays..I can still remember them, just.

Appreciate minutes, but do I?

I think maybe I abuse each moment!

The Accidental Fan said...

There is a rather good description in Thief Of Time about a garden where different things flower and stretch in different positions throughout the day, allowing you to tell the time. Of course what appears and what does not tells the time of year.

"It is how time wants to be measured"

bindu said...

I hadn't thought about poorer people not being able to know the time ... makes sense. I don't wear a watch either, and am always late getting anywhere. :)

Blu said...

TAF's garden sounds facinating.