15th July 2012

A dry sunny day for a change   and it was St Swithin's Day, that is very good news!

St. Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, was born around the year 800 and died on 2nd of July 862 at Winchester (Hampshire). He was, say the chroniclers, a diligent builder of churches in places where there were none before and a repairer of those that had been destroyed or ruined. St. Swithun was buried, according to his own desire, in the churchyard of the Old Minster (Cathedral) at Winchester, where passers by might tread on his grave and where the rain from the eaves might fall on it. His reputation as a weather saint is said to have arisen from the translation of his body from this lowly grave to its golden shrine within the Cathedral, having been delayed by incessant rain. Hence the weather on the festival of his translation (15th July) indicated, according to the old rhyme, what it would be for the next forty days: 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. Whoever told the story about the St. Swithun's day saying was obviously well aware that summer weather patterns establishing by the beginning to the middle of July tend to be persistent throughout the coming few weeks. In fact this is statistically correct 7 out of the last 10 years... Lets hope they are right! Andrew Walker turned up with his son Mathew to pick up 8 chickens as Mr Fox had recently paid his chickens a visit. He didn't expect to have to round up two  ill lambs, worm them and check for fly strike.  Also they had to collect the eggs, fill up the feeder, and put down fresh sawdust in the egg boxes.. thanks chaps!