Monday 22 July 2013

The Chair of St Peter does it again...

In April I wrote of the apparent accuracy of my weather forecasting proverbs; though as it led to months and months of bitter winter, I've no doubt most of the British population would have preferred me to be wrong!
However, what I failed to mention at the time is that the Chair of St Peter (22nd February), holds not just one forecast, but two. The presence of ice on that day foretold another forty days of ice and wintery weather, but another proverb states that if the sun shines long enough to saddle a horse, a good harvest will be forthcoming. Now I have never saddled a horse myself, but I used to watch my sister do it, and I was pretty sure that the task could have been done in the time; and now the prophecy seems to be coming true - at least as regards this year's fruit harvest.
I have heard several sources say that the long winter has done our apple trees a power of good; and our local cherry trees are fairly drooping under the weight of their rich, dark fruits. And if the roses and bramble blossoms are anything to go by, we are in for a positive glut of rosehips and blackberries later on!