Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Paulo Coelho
A photograph freezes time, just as a stopped clock may appear to do. The camera captures a single moment and preserves it, while life goes on. The person walking down the street continues to walk. The bird above your head continues to fly. The sun moves across the sky and the hands of the clocks still turn. But in your photo, all motion is paused.
So as Paulo Coelho says, all the clocks in my photos below will be right twice a day. And looking through my selection for Margaret’s Monochrome Madness this week, maybe you will find that one of the clocks is telling the right time for you.
My feature photo is of New York’s Grand Central Station. My remaining clocks were spotted in various places on our travels, though I’ll start with one much closer to home. And I’ll finish with one that’s just a little bit cheeky!
The Elizabeth Tower with the clock of Big Ben and Boudica statue in the foreground, London
The exterior dial of Wells Cathedral’s astronomical clock, England
(there is also a more elaborate dial inside, using the same mechanism)
The House of the Blacksmiths in Riga, Latvia
Clock on the Church of the Holy Spirit, Tallinn, Estonia
Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo, Tavira, Portugal
The Clock Tower in the Square of Arms, Kotor Montenegro
In Salalah, Oman
In Anacortes, Washington State
Clock on the Board of Trade building, Chicago
Macy’s, Chicago
And that bonus cheeky shot …
Dandelion ‘clock’, Tynemouth, England
38 Comments
equinoxio21
Very good. I haven’t thought much about clocks I must confess.
I’ll pay more attention…
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂 I didn’t think I had until I looked for some photos for this post!
equinoxio21
I don’t have much. There’s the clock at the corner of the Palais de Justice and the Conciergerie, which you know. I had the clock on Prague somewhere (lost it I think) And that’s about it. Good! I’ll pay attention to clocks now. Thank you.
Annie Berger
I’m a big fan of clocks, so your post was a delight, Sarah. I never thought of a stopped clock being right twice a day until I read Coelho’s quote. I like the way he thought of something that never would have occurred to me.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Annie 😀 I think that Coelho quote is a great example of something that is really obvious but few of us have actually considered!
the eternal traveller
We were in Kotor, Montenegro last week and I don’t think we saw this clock – probably because we were too busy doing that long walk up to the fort on top of the hill and back!
Sarah Wilkie
If you were in the main square at all (just inside the city gate) you will probably have seen but maybe not registered it if focused on the walk.
the eternal traveller
We were and I will have to go back and look at my photos. We enjoyed our day there very much.
grandmisadventures
what a beautiful collection of clocks from the simple and elegant to the lavish and ornate
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Meg 😊
Leanne Cole
You have a great variety of clocks Sarah, I really like the one from Oman, so different, just as well you don’t always need the numbers to read the time.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Leanne 🙂 The numbers on the Oman clock are in Arabic, naturally, but I always find it odd that we call our numbers Arabic to distinguish them from Roman numerals, when they’re not like true Arabic ones at all! I think they were probably derived from them and you can see some similarities (the 9 in particular).
EgÃdio
Such beautiful time pieces.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Egidio 🙂
bushboy
I knew you would come good with some fabulous clocks from all over Sarah. They are so ornate even the Dandelion, a clever addition
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Brian 🙂 Sometimes you just can’t beat nature for intricate detail!
Rose
I’m a fan of Big Ben. 😊 The Riga clock looks exquisite in black and white, I’d be curious to see it in color.
Sarah Wilkie
That building in Riga, the House of the Blacksmiths, is stunning in colour Rose! I don’t think I’ve ever shared my colour photos of it though, but I’m sure you can find some online as it’s possibly the city’s most famous sight 🙂
margaret21
Well, these are all cracking examples, but my all-out favourite is the last shot! That sort of clock was every reader’s first timepiece, I’m sure😉
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Margaret 😊 I’m glad you approve of my rather quirky choice!
margaret21
You bet!
Marie
Great collection.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Marie 🙂
Sue
Well, quite a selection of clocks, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
More than I thought I would have! Thank you Sue 🙂
Sue
We can surprise ourselves!
Monkey's Tale
The one on Santa Maria looks great in black and white. I know it, but it looks quite different in our colour pictures. Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Maggie – it looks different in my colour photos too 😀
restlessjo
I’ll always have a soft spot for Big Ben, Sarah, and I love the one in Riga. And what do you know- Santa Maria is there too!
Do you read posts from the Reader, Sarah? I have found recently that some posts don’t appear in the main body of the screen, but are on a separate little ‘menu’ on the side. Easily missed, but I found you xx
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Jo 🙂 Yes, I thought you’d be pleased to see Santa Maria!
I very rarely read from the Reader, I prefer to read blog posts actually on the person’s blog (you get better layouts that way, or at least, the layout the person intended) and I’m more confident of not missing things. I usually just click through from the daily emails, which works fine for me. Occasionally there’s a glitch with commenting so I may go to the Reader to do that, and I do quite often use the Jetpack app to read and reply to comments on my own blog.
margaret21
I’ve started reading blogs via the Reader, Sarah, but always go into the bottom dot of the three little dots on the right, to bring up the actual blog post as the creator intended. But it doesn’t replace the emails, as some people I follow NEVER appear in the Reader! But on balance, it’s a quicker way of accessing that day’s posts.
Sarah Wilkie
That’s interesting. I tend to find it slower as I find it harder to decide which posts to prioritise (I can never manage to read all!) But I do use it if I want to find a particular person’s most recent post, e.g. if I know they’re hosting a challenge and I want to know the theme without having to wait for the email!
margaret21
Gosh, I thought I followed a lot of blogs, but you must have 1000s!
Sarah Wilkie
No, probably only about 100, but some people post several times a day and I can’t look at everything!
Anne Sandler
Beautiful clocks from around the world!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne 🙂
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
Sarah, as I aid, you have clock’s from all around the world. Great photography 😀
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Ritva 🙂 I did find I had more than I would have thought!