Natural clocks

Before the invention of mechanical clocks, people told the time by watching nature, especially the sun. The great Italian traveler and explorer Marco Polo described in 1298 how people in the Far East measured time: "They determined the hour of the day by measuring the length of the shadow of a man standing upright."

   Both the ancient Greeks and the Chinese used various types of simple sundials to study the position of the sun and therefore the time of day.

Accurate working sundials existed in Italy more than 1,500 years before Marco Polo reported his findings. Excavations in Rome brought to light small bronze discs, marked like sundials, clearly the first pocket watches known to man!

In the country, some farmers still get up when the cock crows and know it's midday by the position of the sun. If you are a light sleeper and know different bird calls you will have a fair idea of what time it is. The skylark and the swallow begin to sing about 2 am; the blackbird, the cuckoo, the robin and the great tit about 3 am and the gold finch, the woodpecker and the wood pigeon about 4 am.

Here are two natural clocks — one, the home-made flowerpot sundial, that is easy to make and fun to use, the other, the flower clock, you can cut out and paste up to refer to.

The sun dial
Take an old flowerpot and clean it thoroughly. Cut a 25 cm (10 in) piece from a stick of thick bamboo or a thin pole. Clean it well and paint in bright colors. When it's dry fix it in the centre of the pot with a piece of plasticine. Then paint the pot with any theme that takes your fancy. Put the pot on the balcony, or in the garden where it is in full sunshine. After each full hour pencil in the shadow line of the pole. Then paint the lines in a strong color or in white. The next day the sundial will be ready to use.

The flower dial
With a little experience you will learn to tell the time of day with the help of a flower clock, or by observing the flowers in your garden.