Michaelmas

   Tomorrow, the 29th, is the Feast of St Michael and All Angels or Michaelmas, a Quarter Day when farm rents were due, annual employment terms ended, local courts were held and children would finally go back to school after helping with the  harvests. In some places it was called Pack Rag Day because the poorest farm labourers would be packing their few possessions to move to a new job.

  Two weather sayings for tomorrow

As many days old as the moon is at Michaelmas Day, so many floods shall we have after.*

St Michael's rain doesn't stay long in the sky

No blackberries should be picked after Michaelmas Day - 

The Devil stands (or pees!) on blackberries at Michaelmas

 A roast "stubble" goose - fattened from the barley gleanings on the fields after harvest, used to be the traditional meal on this day and it was thought that eating goose on Michaelmas Day would bring financial prosperity in the year to come. The Michaelmas goose tradition was once more important  than eggs at Easter.

 Whoever eats goose on Michaelmas day, Shall never lack money for his debts to pay

And when the tenants come to pay their quarter's rent,

They bring some fowl at midsummer, a dish of fish in Lent,

At Christmas a capon, at Michaelmas a goose, 

                              And somewhat else at New-year's tide, for fear their lease fly loose 

 Goose Fairs used to be held on this day and geese were walked to the famous fairs. There is a record dating from the C16, of over twenty thousand geese being walked to Nottingham goose fair from Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Their feet were prepared for the long walk by being coated by with a mixture of tar and sand.

Picture from the Nottingham Hidden History website

The history of the Goose Fair in Nottingham  is HERE.

Most of this is a repeated post from 2019 - long enough ago for me, and hopefully everyone reading, to have forgotten it!

(*the last new moon was September 2nd so we are due 27 floods this winter - oh dear)

Back Soon

Sue

September Country Days

 Thank you to everyone for some lovely comments and memories about Ladybird books. Sorry I didn't get round to replying. I was doing some Nana duty which involved a lot of driving and playing shops with the new cash register - which was a huge hit - especially the microphone bit. Certainly worth the 50p!

Luckily I'd already prepared today's post for the 1st September.....................

There are lots of poems titled 'September'. I thought it amusing that some see September as Brown.......

 SEPTEMBER

Now everyday the bracken browner grows,

Even the purple stars

Of clematis,that shone about the bars,

Grow browner; and the little autumn rose

Dons, for her rosy gown,

Sad weeds of brown.

 

Now falls the eve; and ere the morning sun,

Many a flower her sweet life will have lost,

Slain by the bitter frost,

Who slays the butterflies also, one by one,

The tiny beasts

That go about their business and their feasts.

                         Mary Coleridge ( 1861-1907)

And others see September as Golden...........

 

SEPTEMBER

Golden in the garden,
Golden in the glen,
Golden, golden, golden
September's here again!
Golden in the tree tops,
Golden in the sky—
Golden, golden, golden
September's going by!

                                                         

                                                                   Annette Wynne (writing between 1919 and 1922)

Both of these little poems are classed as children's poetry. I think that just means they are shorter and get their point across without waffle!

Fair on the first of September, fair for the whole month

 

 The 1st of the month marks the start of meteorological autumn, astronomically Autumn doesn't begin until Mabon or the  Autumn Equinox on the 22nd....................... So you choose.

 The word autumn comes from Latin autumnus and it's use dates back to the C14.  Both words..... Autumn and Fall...... were used in this country until the C18. Then we stopped using Fall while other parts of the world didn't use the word Autumn at all. 

The Anglo-Saxons called September Gerstmonarth meaning  'barley month'.

Below is a lovely colourful page from my little book mentioned last month HERE

 

It is said that the three days 20th, 21st and 22nd rule the weather for the next 3 months

(seems a bit unlikely!)

There are so many weather sayings for September........ many of them connected to St Michael's Day on the 29th. 

 

As many days old as the moon is on Michaelmas Day, so many floods s

hall we have after. 

 

If St. Michael brings many acorns Christmas will cover the fields with snow.

(also unlikely nowadays) 

 

 

As I'm now a bit short of ideas for blog posts - it's probably best to take a few days off rather than waffle on about nothing.

So back in a day or 3

Sue

 

 

 

.

Michaelmas

  The 29th is the Feast of St Michael and All Angels or Michaelmas, a Quarter Day when farm rents were due, annual employment terms ended, local courts were held and children would finally go back to school after helping with the  harvests. In some places it was called Pack Rag Day because the poorest farm labourers would be packing their few possessions to move to a new job.

  Two weather sayings for today

As many days old as the moon is at Michaelmas Day, so many floods shall we have after.

St Michael's rain doesn't stay long in the sky

 A roast "stubble" goose - fattened from the barley gleanings on the fields after harvest, used to be the traditional meal on this day and it was thought that eating goose on Michaelmas Day would bring financial prosperity in the year to come. The Michaelmas goose tradition was once more important  than eggs at Easter.

 Whoever eats goose on Michaelmas day, Shall never lack money for his debts to pay

And when the tenants come to pay their quarter's rent,

They bring some fowl at midsummer, a dish of fish in Lent,

At Christmas a capon, at Michaelmas a goose, 

                              And somewhat else at New-year's tide, for fear their lease fly loose 

 Goose Fairs used to be held on this day and geese were walked to the famous fairs. There is a record dating from the C16, of over twenty thousand geese being walked to Nottingham goose fair from Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Their feet were prepared for the long walk by being coated by with a mixture of tar and sand.

Picture from the Nottingham Hidden History website

The history of the Goose Fair in Nottingham  is HERE.

Back Tomorrow
Sue

September Country Days

 The 1st of the month.....yes, I'm a day late............. marks the start of meteorological autumn, astronomically Autumn doesn't begin until Mabon or the  Autumn Equinox on the 23rd....................... So you choose.

My folklore diary says
 Autumn brings closure to a busy growing year and is time for tidying up and preparing for winter. In our lives we can use this time to bring things that have reached fruition to a natural close and to make ready for what is ahead of us.

This is the September page from 'An Illustrated Country Year' by Celia Lewis

 The word autumn comes from Latin autumnus and it's use dates back to the C14. In the USA it is known as fall and both autumn and fall were used in this country until the C18.

There are a few general weather sayings

September dries up wells or breaks down bridges

 September rain is much liked by  the farmer 

 It's been found to be true that there are three consecutive windy days in the middle of September which goes against the saying hoping for calm weather before the apple harvest.

September blow soft 'til the fruits in the loft

Other weather lore for September is concentrated on St Michael's Day or Michaelmas which is the 29th. I'll write about Michaelmas on the day.

My own September country days will include lots of preparing for winter. I had a note from the chimney sweep reminding me that it's a year since it was done, then the next day a note from the boiler repair company - time for that too. The septic tank needs emptying before too much winter rain and the oil tank will need topping up. I'd better get the ride-on mower serviced sometime, it's developed a squeak and rattle.............an expensive time of the year in the countryside!

Back Tomorrow
Sue

Michaelmas

29th September is Michaelmas, the equinox is past and autumn is really here. The autumn decorations were added to the mantel-piece after the chimney was swept but I forgot  to take a photo.
Much like last year except for the hare that came from the Suffolk Show in May and the brown jug and lantern from car boot sales this summer. The wooden fruit came from a car boot sale in 2017 . The only thing new was the leaf swag bought last year and safely stored away to use every autumn.

 Michaelmas was an important day when farm rents were due, annual employment terms ended, local courts were held and children would finally go back to school after helping with the  harvests. 

A couple of weather sayings for today

If St Michael brings many acorns, Christmas will cover the fields with snow

So many days old the moon is on Michaelmas Day, so many floods after.

A roast "stubble" goose - fattened from the barley gleanings on the fields after harvest =, used to be the traditional meal on this day and it was thought that eating goose on Michaelmas Day would bring financial prosperity in the year to come.

 Whoever eats goose on Michaelmas day, Shall never lack money for his debts to pay

And when the tenants come to pay their quarter's rent,

They bring some fowl at midsummer, a dish of fish in Lent,

At Christmas a capon, at Michaelmas a goose, 

And somewhat else at New-year's tide, for fear their lease fly loose .

Goose Fairs used to be held on this day and geese were walked to the famous fairs. There is a record dating from the C16, of over twenty thousand geese being walked to Nottingham goose fair from Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Their feet were prepared for the long walk by being coated by with a mixture of tar and sand.

 In one of my books it says that Michaelmas day is the last day that blackberries should be picked. It is said that when St Michael threw Lucifer, the devil, from heaven, he fell from the skies and landed in a blackberry bush making the fruit useless. 
BUT in another book this story is given for October 10th, this anomaly will be due to the change of calendar when 12 days were lost. In reality it probably depends on the weather and how damp it's been to make the blackberries mouldy.

Have a lovely weekend everyone............. the forecast is good for Suffolk although much colder than it has been.

Back Monday
Sue
 

September Days

 September  was the seventh month of the Roman calendar and the Anglo-Saxons called it 'gerst monarth' meaning Barley Month. The 1st of the month marks the start of meteorological autumn and the day length decreases by 1 hour and 53 minutes during the month. Astronomically, Autumn doesn't begin until the equinox on the 23rd.
The word autumn comes from Latin autumnus and it's use dates back to the C14. In the USA it is known as fall and both autumn and fall were used in this country back in the C17.


These are two of the September Pages from The Diary of a Country Lady, one of the traditional saying she mentions is  Fair on September 1st - fair for the month. I hope it's right.

September was an important month in the past as it was the time for harvest and festivals to celebrate another successful growing year.

Hip! Hip! Hip! for the harvest home,

Now we've taken the last load home,

I ripped my shirt and I teared my skin,

To get my masters harvest in.

Great ceremony was always attached to the gathering of the last sheaf of corn, which was often used to make a corn dolly. This corn dolly would then be planted in the first furrow in the following spring to ensure a good crop.

Things have changed since the time when John Betjeman wrote 'Harvest Home', his version of the favourite harvest hymn. He said "We fire the fields for harvest, the hedges swell the flames".  I can remember when stubble fields were burned before being ploughed - smoke everywhere, now fields are more likely to be sprayed..........  just as nasty.

In medieval times tenants were given the right to gather firewood during the autumn or winter  " By hook or by crook". That means they could gather firewood but only using a shepherds crook and a billhook. No saws allowed.

From The Months poem by Sara Coleridge

Warm September brings the fruit,
Sportsmen then begin to shoot.

This old rhyme hopes for calm weather until the apples and pears were ready for harvest ........

    September blow soft 'til the fruits in the loft 

St Matthews Day on the 21st  has a few  associated weather rhymes and sayings

South wind on the 21st indicates that the rest of the autumn will be warm.

 St Matthew's Day, bright and clear,

Brings good wine in next year. 

St. Matthew, shut up the bees

 This refers to the traditional day for bee-hives to be closed down for the winter. 

Most of the weather rhymes for September relate to St Michael's Day or Michaelmas, which is on the 29th. It was an important day in the farming calendar, the day for farm tenants to pay their rent or change jobs. I'll do a separate post about the day on the 29th.

Many, many thanks for so many comments yesterday. I think people ask if I'm planning to stay here just for something to say, it doesn't bother me.

Have a good weekend folks
Back Monday
Sue

Michaelmas and Free Heat

Whosoever eats goose on Michaelmas Day

Shall never lack money his debts for to pay.

29th September is one of the Quarter days when farm tenants would pay their rent and farm workers could change jobs.

The traditional meal for the feast on this day was a roast goose, fattened on the stubble fields after harvest.

Another saying  for the 29th is

If St Michael brings acorns down, snow will cover the fields at Christmas.

We've already had a lot of windy weather this month and some chilly evenings  too

I thought we had plenty of wood in the shed to last us through, but we've already had the woodburner alight a few evenings. Luckily, since this photo was taken Col has cut up more of the logs that were taken down last March  and we have tree surgeons due to cut down more Ash later in the autumn so plenty of wood.

This is the well known poem to remember what to burn...................

The Firewood Poem

Beechwood fires are bright and clear

If the logs are kept a year,

Chestnut's only good they say,

If for logs 'tis laid away.

Make a fire of Elder tree,

Death within your house will be;

But ash new or ash old,

Is fit for a queen with crown of gold

Birch and fir logs burn too fast

Blaze up bright and do not last,

it is by the Irish said

Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.

Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,

E'en the very flames are cold

But ash green or ash brown

Is fit for a queen with golden crown

Poplar gives a bitter smoke,

Fills your eyes and makes you choke,

Apple wood will scent your room

Pear wood smells like flowers in bloom

Oaken logs, if dry and old

keep away the winter's cold

But ash wet or ash dry

a king shall warm his slippers by.

No mention of Willow which we have a lot of, but stored at the back of the shed for next winter.

Back Tomorrow

Sue