Thank you ~ for the sunshine!!

Today is July 15th ~ which means that it is St Swithins Day!!! Legend has it, that whatever the weather may be on St Swithins day ~ so will it be for the 40 days and nights that follows!!

St Swithin was a saxon Bishop of Winchester ~ and the legend is that when he lay on his death bed, he asked in his dying breath that he be burried outside ~ where he could be rained on. For 9 years his wish was upheld, until the monks of Winchester decided that they would move his remains inside the Cathedral to a splendid shrine. This took place on July 15th 971. The legend states that on the day his remains were moved there was a terrible storm and 40 days of rain followed!! This led to the old wives tale that if it rains on St Swithins day ~ 40 days of rain will follow ~ but if it is fine on July 15th ~ 40 days of fine weather will follow!!!

Thankfully ~ today ~ July 15th 2008 ~ was a day full of sunshine here!!



According to the Met Office ~ there is no truth in the old wives tale ~ it has been tested on 55 occasions and the rain on July 15th has not been followed by 40 wet days!!!

What the heck ~ I believe it ~ after all the rain we have had here ~ the sunshine is most welcome to stay for the next 40 days ~ I would not be complaining!!!!