There's a well-known old English saying: 'Ne'er cast a clout til May be out'. Clout is an old word for clothes so the first bit means don't take any clothes off. The exact meaning of the second half of the phrase has two possible interpretations. Some people take it to mean 'until the end of the month of May', the theory being that May's weather can be very unpredictable and changeable. Others think it means 'until the may blossom is out', 'may' being an old word for hawthorn blossom.
Either way, if you haven't 'cast a clout' this year so far, you must be feeling very warm indeed. Temperatures in England have been far above average for this time of year. It's always a bit problematic for me when the temperature changes suddenly. I don't like hot weather anyway and, if it comes unexpectedly, I find I'm not prepared and have to scramble to unearth sandals and cotton tops. (My 'out of season' clothing is stashed in bags to free up my wardrobe space.)
As for the may blossom, it is out - beautiful and abundant, prettifying our hedgerows with snowy white cascades. There will be a good supply of berries for the birds come autumn.
I had put my winter coats away but brought out a light one this morning as it is cool here and will be all week.
ReplyDeleteWe have just had two warm summery days here, but now colder weather is forecast again - with warnings there might even be some snowflakes in the mix! ... Not unusual here so there's one winter jacket that never goes down to the basement storage over summer!
ReplyDeleteI love that peaceful second photo!
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