What a difference a day makes

Where's the Summer gone? It's blowing a gale force wind here today!!!!! Thankfully all is still standing and I had the forthought yesterday to get Jason to take the Gazebo down before it decided to visit the land of Oz!!
Yesterday was a bit of a time waster, I didn't feel right Tuesday night and woke yesterday to the most horrendous stomach ache, the initial plan was just to take the morning off but I didn't feel better all day so spent most of yesterday sleeping - I know I often wish for a day in bed, but it just goes to show that you have to be careful what you wish for LOL as today is going to be spent chasing my tail trying to catch up. It was nice, but I am sorry to anyone that couldn't reach me yesterday, there's a number of messages for me to sort through so please bear with me as I work my way through them

Lets hope the St Swithin's theory is wrong or we are in for a pretty rough Summer.

St Swithin's Day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain:
St. Swithin's Day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.'

Much is written on the threory of St Swithin's day, most notably that

"St. Swithin, bishop of Winchester, was a man equally noted for his uprightness and humility. So far did he carry the latter quality, that, on his death-bed, he requested to be buried, not within the church, but outside in the churchyard, on the north of the sacred building, where his corpse might receive the eaves-droppings from the roof, and his grave be trodden by the feet of the passers-by. His lowly request was complied with, and in this neglected spot his remains reposed till about a hundred years afterwards, when a fit of indignation seized the clergy at the body of so pious a member of their order being allowed to occupy such a position; and on an appointed day they all assembled to convey it with great pomp into the adjoining cathedral of Winchester. When they were about to commence the ceremony, a heavy rain burst forth, and continued without intermission for the forty succeeding days. The monks interpreted this tempest as a warning from Heaven of the blasphemous nature of their attempt to contravene the directions of St. Swithin, and, instead of disturbing his remains, they erected a chapel over his grave"
How, then, did the popular notion about St. Swithin's Day arise? "Most probably, it was derived from some primeval pagan belief regarding the meteorologically prophetic character of some day about the same period of the year as St. Swithin's. Such adaptations, it is well known, were very frequent on the supplanting throughout Europe of heathenism by Christianity. Many of our popular customs and beliefs can indeed be only satisfactorily explained by tracing them to such a source."

So Pagan or Christian, looks like we are in for a rough ride LOL



Source:http://www.thebookofdays.com/months/july/15.htm