Thursday 1 October 2020

October Country Days

One of the October pages from the library book I borrowed last year. The paintings of Catherine Hyde


 October was originally the eighth month of the Roman calendar. The Anglo Saxons called it Wynmonath - the wine making month or Winterfylleth meaning the full moon heralding winter.

This year October has two full moons, the first- tonight -  is the Harvest Moon - the name given to the full moon closest to the equinox. The second on the 31st is the Hunters Moon which will be after BST ends on the 25th and we've changed the clocks for winter.

There are lots of old weather sayings, no idea if they are right or wrong!

Hard frosts in October means we'll have a mild January

For every fog in October there will be snow in winter  

Full moon in October without frost, no frost until full moon in November

A favourite little poem from the book " A Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Stevenson 

AUTUMN FIRES

In the other gardens
And all up the vale
From the Autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!
 
Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes
The grey smoke towers
 
Sing a song of seasons
Something bright in all
Flowers in the summer
Fires in the fall.
 
 
I like the line "Sing a song of seasons" and as I get older it seems to be easier to appreciate each season as it arrives - after all if I'm still around to see a new season then that has to be a good thing!

Back Tomorrow
Sue

18 comments:

  1. I love the old magpie rhyme too. Do you remember the TV programme "Magpie" with Susan Stranks & Co?

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    1. I had a Magpie badge from the programme - don't know why or how I got it

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  2. Well, that brings back a forgotten memory - I had that book 'A child's garden of verses' when I was a child. No idea what happened to it, I haven't remembered it in years and years.

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  3. I love RL Stevenson's rhymes. I did an analysis of one for a comprehension with a student and it was sur[prising how much there was in it when we started looking critically.
    Must look for a copy of the anthology.
    xx

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  4. Well the month has started here this morning with lovely sunshine, although the week end is going to be stormy. Love the little RLS poem especially the alliteration in the line you suggest,

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    1. Surprisingly fine all day here today but rain tomorrow again I think. A half an hour gardening done today

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  5. A lovely poem for a beautiful season. I love all of the seasons .... they all have their merits. Beautiful blue skies here in Hertfordshire this morning .... my husband is picking up leaves on the lawn .... a thankless task .... as soon as he does it, they all fall down again !!!!! XXXX

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    1. I used to dread winter but now I no longer have to go outside to feed animals and milk goats it seems much easier

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  6. Lovely poem, I remember reading that to my daughters when they were small.

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  7. I took photos of a couple of pages from her book and stored them in drafts to use months later but I'm going to borrow it from the library again for another look

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  8. I certainly appreciate the changing seasons more and more as I get older. I love Autumn, and winter is fine when there's no snow or ice.

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    1. Even snow and ice is OK if you don't have to go out!

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  9. I was up at 5:30 this morning and saw that huge Harvest Moon out my kitchen window - it was gorgeous. The Blue Moon will arrive just in time for Halloween!

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  10. Although it’s been such a curse, Covid has helped me slow down and appreciate the seasons. We’re enduring a particularly windy and varied Spring here. There was snow to sea level in the South a couple of days ago - something most unusual even in the harshest of winters.

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  11. Magpies are so noisy. We don't have then around here but farther north you see them all the time.

    God bless.

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