Edinburgh Clock Works Co London England Wall Clock

Alright, gather 'round, gather 'round! Let me tell you about my escapade with a clock. Not just any clock, mind you. We're talking about a vintage Edinburgh Clock Works Co. London, England wall clock. Sounds fancy, right? It was, until I tried to hang it.

I found this beauty at a flea market, buried under a mountain of questionable porcelain dolls and slightly-too-enthusiastic garden gnomes. It was calling to me, whispering promises of refined taste and impeccable timekeeping. I ignored the whispers of my wallet telling me I already had three perfectly functional clocks and bought it anyway. Regret? Only slightly.

Now, the Edinburgh Clock Works Co. bit is crucial. Sounds terribly important, doesn't it? Conjures up images of tweed-clad gentlemen meticulously crafting intricate timepieces in a fog-laden London workshop. In reality, I suspect it was more like a couple of blokes named Bob and Dave hammering things together while arguing about the proper way to brew tea. But hey, who am I to shatter illusions?

London, England, on the other hand, is undeniably cool. Adds that air of sophistication. Like, "Oh, this old thing? Just a little souvenir from my trip across the pond. No big deal." Except the only pond I've crossed recently was a particularly large puddle after a rainstorm.

The Hanging Debacle

So, I get this clock home, and I'm envisioning it gracing my living room wall, instantly elevating the ambiance from "slightly cluttered" to "charmingly eclectic." My wife, bless her heart, just rolled her eyes. She knows my history with DIY projects. Let’s just say power tools and I have a complicated relationship, mostly involving me yelling and the power tools winning.

This clock, though, it felt different. It was meant to be on that wall. I grabbed my trusty (read: rusty) toolbox, a hammer that's probably older than I am, and a nail that looked suspiciously like it had been used to build the Ark. What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out, everything. Apparently, my walls are made of some sort of alien metal impervious to earthly hammering. I hammered, I swore (under my breath, mostly), I hammered some more. The nail just bent. Then another nail bent. I was starting to think the Edinburgh Clock Works Co., in their infinite wisdom, had secretly reinforced my walls to prevent just this sort of artistic vandalism.

I considered giving up. Throwing the clock in the attic with the rest of my failed DIY aspirations (a half-finished birdhouse, a wobbly bookshelf, a macrame owl that looks suspiciously like a melted cat). But no! I was determined.

I consulted YouTube. A mistake. I watched a dozen videos, each more confusing and contradictory than the last. One guy suggested using a stud finder. I don’t even know what a stud finder is supposed to do, but I suspect it involves finding studs. My wall, disappointingly, had none.

Another video advocated for something called "drywall anchors." Sounded terrifying. Like tiny metal monsters that would burrow into my wall and never let go. I passed.

Victory (Sort Of)

Finally, after what felt like an eternity (pun intended!), I managed to wrangle a nail into the wall. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't straight, and I'm pretty sure I hit a water pipe (sorry, future homeowners!), but it was in. The moment of truth arrived.

I carefully, reverently, hung the Edinburgh Clock Works Co. London, England wall clock on its precarious perch. And… it promptly started ticking backwards.

Yes, you read that right. Backwards. Not just a little bit backwards, but furiously, defiantly backwards. Like it was trying to undo the space-time continuum or something.

Turns out, the clock's inner workings were even more temperamental than my hammering skills. A little fiddling (and by "fiddling," I mean a lot of frantic knob-twisting) and I got it going forward again. For a while. Then it started chiming at 3:00 AM. Then it stopped chiming altogether. Now it just sits there, looking impressive and telling the wrong time. Most of the time, anyway.

So, there you have it. My adventure with the Edinburgh Clock Works Co. London, England wall clock. A testament to my questionable decision-making, my utter lack of DIY skills, and the enduring charm of vintage timepieces that are probably haunted. Would I do it again? Probably. I'm a glutton for punishment, and that clock, even when it's wrong, is just so darn… British.

And hey, at least it's a good conversation starter. “So, that clock… yeah, it tells the time in reverse. It's a long story...”