Friday 1 September 2017

September Days

"September Blow Soft 'til the Fruits' in the Loft"

Many varieties of apples will be ready this month and pears too so it mustn't be too windy as windfalls are no good for keeping.


The September Page of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady colouring book.
Both Walnuts and Hazelnuts are ready this month. The ancient Romans and North American Indians used Walnuts to make a hair dye. Hazel bushes were very important in the country not only for their nuts but the coppiced wood was used for poles and sticks, for basketry,fencing and wattle and daub walls. Water diviners used forked twigs of hazel.

In medieval times tenants were given the right to gather firewood "by hook or by crook". That means they could gather wood by using only a shepherds crook and a billhook. This limited them to only cutting wood which could be reached from ground level but never-the-less it was important for them to find as much wood as possible at this time of year as wood would be their only source of heat and cooking.

29th of the month is St Michael's Day or Michaelmas........ the day with most weather sayings attached.
If St Michael brings many acorns (windy weather) Christmas will cover the fields with snow. 
is one saying - but unlikely nowadays I think.

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 We had an exhausting day yesterday - just looking after a 10 month old granddaughter for the day as Youngest Daughter's childminder was late back from holiday. How some grandparents look after grandchildren full time I have no idea. We are doing it again one day next week which gives me a few days to recover!

Thank you for all the comments - I knew if I said Hawthorn berries had no use except for the birds someone would come up with some ideas! But I think I'll pass.



Back Tomorrow
Sue

17 comments:

  1. My husband asked this morning why I bothered reading blogs. I told him it was because they are so enjoyable and because I learn something new most days. I had never known the origin of 'by hook or by crook' but now I do!
    Totally agree about grandkids. Our weeks holiday in Pembrokeshire with a 6 and a 4 year old took me another week to recover from.

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    1. Excuse me adding to this comment, Sue and Catherine, but my husband also doesn't understand why I read blogs such as yours and why I now have my own blog. Because they are enjoyable top read, why else would I read them, I tell him!
      Margaret P

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  2. We have promised one day a week for child care next year when daughter goes back to work, we were thinking it would be enough for us whilst he was so young.

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  3. I get your point about looking after Grandchildren. I looked after my daughters son more or less full time from birth while she worked, I was younger then in my forties but it was still hard work. Now, just sitting in the park with them wears me out, lol
    Briony
    x

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  4. Interesting post Sue.. Unfortunately I don't have grandchildren (yet) but I can imagine how tiring it would be looking after them.

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  5. Phew....caught up with you at last....what a lot of posts.
    Lovely to see what you have been up.
    Hope Col is OK -x-

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  6. Is that book one that you've made Sue? It's lovely. I'm exhausted every Thursday when Sienna goes home. I really wouldn't relish doing it more than one day a week and she's no trouble at all, so I know how you feel. xx

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    1. No,just coloured in the drawings with watercolour pencils. It's The Diary of an Edwardian Lady Colouring Book

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  7. Ive have said it before Sue - God knew what He was doing when he decreed that you had to be young to give birth!

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  8. My brother was born on St Michael's day but mum decided against calling him Michael. Still it makes it easy to remember his birthday. Looking after grandchildren is one of the most exhausting but rewarding jobs.

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  9. Thats interesting. I love the origin of these old sayings.

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  10. Enjoyed your September page...time to get the fruit in the loft, for sure!

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  11. It's a long time since we looked after grandchildren, but do know I felt exhausted recently after playing in my daughter's garden with my two year old great grandson. It did involve a lot of crawling on the grass and running about - I suppose not what is expected of a 75 year old!
    What fun though!
    (Had to make the most of it - they've now gone to live in Dubai for two years.)

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  12. Looking after grandchildren is one of the most exhausting but rewarding jobs.


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