I thought that this blog could take something along the lines of weather lore; it came about from me finding the little ditty below. Looking a little further it seems the there are hundreds, if not more of these as well as poetry all relating to the weather.

I suppose we have all been told these, I know I was when I was younger (a long time ago now), my grandmother always had a saying for whatever occasion, not least the weather, I just wish that I could remember them all now. However, I’ve made a start on this theme now and from time to time I will post or blog a few more as they come to light:

WEATHER THE WEATHER

Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not.



[i][size="3"] [/size][/i]

[i][size="3"]The poet John Clare was the son of a farm worker; in his (1827 Calendar) he includes weather lore in the poem for May:[/size][/i]

[size="3"]“And scarlet-starry points of flowers,
Pimpernel, dreading nights and showers
Oft call'd “the Shepherd's weather-glass”,
That sleeps till suns have dried the grass,
Then wakes, and spreads its creeping bloom,
Till clouds with threatening shadows come,
Then close it shuts to sleep again;
Which weeders see and talk of rain”[/size]

[size="3"] [/size]

[size="3"][i]Another of John Clare’s poem [/i][i]The Woodman [/i][i]contains the verses: [/i][/size]

[size="3"]“And as most labourers knowingly pretend
By certain signs to judge the weather right,
As oft from "Noah's ark" great floods descend,
And "buried moons" foretell great storms at night” [/size]

[size="3"] [/size]

[size="3"]If the Ash before the Oak,
Then there'll be a regular soak; [/size]

[size="3"]But if the Oak before the Ash,
Then there'll only be a splash[/size]

[size="3"] [/size]



Or old Moore’s annual prophecies

Of flooded fields and clouded skies;

Whose Almanac’s thumb’d pages swarm

With frost and snow, and many a storm,

And wisdom, gossip’d from the stars,

Of politics and bloody wars.

He shakes his head, and still proceeds,

Nor doubts the truth of what he reads:

All wonders are with faith supplied,—

Bible, at once, or weather-guide.



St. Swithun's day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain;
St. Swithun's day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain na mair.





Dry August and warm, Doth harvest no harm



If the twenty-fourth of August be fair and clear, Then hope for a prosperous autumn that year.



All the tears that St. Swithin can cry, St. Bartlemy's mantle wipes them dry





St. Bartholomew, Bringst the cold dew.

Mackerel sky and mares' tails make lofty ships carry low sails.
Mackerel sky,
Mackerel sky,
Not long wet,
Not long dry

When clouds appear like rocks and towers,
the earth's refreshed with frequent showers.

If pine cones' bristles are pointed outward, it will be dry. If they're scrunched inward, it will be wet.

[b]'Quick rise after low foretells a stronger blow.[/b]

[font="Comic Sans MS"][size="3"]· A backing wind says storms are nigh, Veering winds will clear the sky[/size][/font]

[font="Comic Sans MS"][size="3"][b]· [/b][b]When halo rings the moon or sun, rain's approaching on the run[/b][/size][/font]

If the first week in August is unusually warm,
the coming Winter will be snowy and long.


[b]If a cold August follows a hot July,
It foretells a Winter hard and dry.[/b]

[b]When leaves fall early,
Fall and Winter will be mild;
When leaves fall late,
Winter will be severe.[/b]

[b]Much rain in October,
Much wind in December.[/b]

[b]Flowers bloomin' in late Autumn,
A sure sign of a bad Winter comin'.[/b]

[b]As high as the weeds grow,
So will the bank of snow.[/b]

[b]Onion skins very thin,
Mild Winter coming in;
Onion skins thick and tough,
Coming Winter cold and rough.[/b]
If the rooster goes crowing to bed, he'll certainly rise with a watery head.

Rain before seven, fine before eleven.

The higher the clouds, the better the weather.

Catchy drawer and sticky door, coming rain will pour and pour.

Apart from the John Clare works, I have no idea as to who to attribute the other snippets to, but it has to be a big thank you to them all, as they are all interesting.

I’m sure that there are many more, perhaps it would make good content for a topic some time?









[b] [/b]