Issue 20 July 2020
“It sits in the centre of the seesaw – on one side are the soft months of late-spring bulbs, the full blowsiness of roses and the scents of June. On the other side are the hot dusty days of August and the sweet, cool, calm of glorious early Autumn. “
- James Alexander-Sinclair
This year most of the children have been out of school for
more than three months and those that have returned are so loving the contact
with their friends, that I wonder whether they will actually be relishing the thought of
the school holidays!
Despite all the yet-unknowns, the pending changes to lockdown rules and the cancelled summer events, there is reassurance in the
knowledge that the year keeps turning and nature moves on. Out in the countryside
the fresh lime growth of early summer ripens to dark greens and golds, there
are plentiful blooms and herbs in gardens and bee keepers start to collect
honey. We still have months of summer ahead and July has many lovely
associations, involving long days of summer and revelling in the sunshine (hopefully).
ROOTS
The Welsh name for July is Gorffennaf which translates as
end of summer. The end of summer seems inconceivable to us here at the start of July
but is linked to a more land-based view of the year. May, June and July being months of growth and
August and September being months of ripening, fruiting and harvest - hence July is the end of the summer.
Not wishing to depress you but in support of the end of
summer argument, it’s worth noting that now we’ve passed the longest day, the
light levels are in decline. Although this isn’t overtly obvious in July, in
the south of the UK over this month the day length will decrease by an hour (1
hour 20 mins up in Scotland)!
July sees St Swithuns Day on the 15th. Back in the
ninth century, Swithun was the Bishop of Winchester and although his earthly
achievements in Wessex were great, they’ve largely been overshadowed by his posthumous
reputation as a weather forecaster!
According to legend Swithun asked to be buried outside when
he died. His wish was duly followed after his death, around 862AD. However a century
later he was made a saint and his remains were brought back into the church, as
a matter of respect. The story goes that following the move it rained so hard
for forty days, that the powers-that-be concluded Swithun was obviously displeased
and decided to move his remains back outside!
The story spread, Swithun’s reputation grew and his lasting legacy became a test for the next forty days of weather:
“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 nae mare.”
Although the accuracy of the Swithun proverb is questionable, there maybe a grain of truth in it. Weather patterns that are established by the middle of July often continue well into August – so the weather trend around the 15th July, may give you a feel of the weather for the following month.
July often sees some of the hottest annual temperatures and
it’s these high temperatures that can culminate in thunderstorms and increasing rain towards the end of the month. July is actually one of the stormiest months in the
year and did you know that summer hailstorms are also very common between May
and September? Don't forget your umbrella!
So enjoy your July, try and get outside safely if you can and remember to look up!
I'll be back with more July highlights over the coming weeks but in the meantime I'd love to hear what you spot and/or photograph.
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