St Distaff's Day

 Who knew there was such a thing as a 'Fake/Joke Saint'?

In some Folklore books it says January 7th is St Distaff Day but he is not in any books of Saints and he or she, didn't exist.

Way back in history 7th January was the day that women went back to work at their spinning after the 12 days of Christmas merryment  and the Distaff is the tool used to hold the unspun wool or flax.

Queen Berthe, Instructing Girls to Spin by Swiss artist Albert Ankar 1888

Men didn't go back to work in the fields until Plough Monday - the first Monday after Epiphany and often used Distaff Day to cause mayhem to the women.

There was an old saying

On St. Distaff's Day

Neither work nor play. 

And from Hesperides by Robert Herrick dating from 1648

Partly work and partly play

Ye must on St Distaffs Day:

From the plough soon free your team;

Then come home and fodder them.

If the maids a-spinning go,

Burn the flax and fire the tow:

Scorch their placket, but beware

That ye singe no maiden hair.

Bring in pails of water then,

Let the maids bewash the men.

Give St Distaff all the right:

Then bid the Christmas sport good-night

And next morrow, every one

To his own vocation.

 

Distaff later became the word for the female side of a family and  the word Spinster from the spindle used by the women.

Back Soon

Sue

Snow? and Twelfth Night?

There was a little snow here overnight Saturday/Sunday but it turned to rain by daylight and was soon washed away. It carried on raining nearly all day Sunday - very depressing. Not really cold either - but there's still time for proper winter to arrive. 

The third thing that I've broken recently by getting it accidently knocked into the Butler sink was yesterday and  the bottom half of my lovely two-piece ceramic soap dish - I was so cross with myself as I've had it for about 20 years at least. I found a small bowl to sit the top draining bit on but I'm still cross! Perhaps now three things have been broken in the last few months that will be it. If I ever have a new kitchen here or anywhere else it Won't have a butler sink for sure.

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My new Folklore diary says last night was Twelfth Night, because way back in history days were counted as beginning in the evening. 

 I've never been absolutely sure about Twelfth Night and Christmas Decorations coming down, should they be down by the end of the 5th or is sometime today OK?

 Down with the rosemary and so,

Down with the bays and mistletoe,

Down with the holly, ivy and all,

Wherewith ye dressed the Christmas hall.

That so the superstitious find,

Not one least branch there left behind,

For look, how many leaves there be

Neglected there, maids trust to me,

So many goblins you shall see!

My Christmas things are down and packed away anyway, I did them in bits starting last Thursday. Thought I'd get them out of the way as I've got two grandchildren here today....... it's a PD day for DiL, so she is at school and they aren't.

We 'did' Twelfth Night for O Level English Literature which completely ruined it. Examining a play line by line doesn't really help the understanding. We 'did' Jane Eyre too and some poems from 'The Book of Narrative Verse'. I read quickly even back then and reading things 'around the room' and line by line doesn't make for any sort of understanding. How did it take two years to prepare for an exam? Did we study other things too? ............. BTW I failed English Lit! 

Thankfully that didn't stop me getting the job as a library assistant and I was only put off Shakespeare and Classic Literature, so it didn't kill my love of reading everything else.

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And going back to the subject of snow, I hope everyone in the affected States in the US gets through this coming storm without harm. I heard that a state of emergency has been declared in several areas.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Cheese Taste Test

 This came all the way down from my penfriend W who lives on a windy Scottish Island (but not the one on the cheese label). It was in a container and wrapped in Christmas paper with a message that said put in the fridge straight away.

I checked the postmark date and thankfully it had only taken 3 days to get here. (Compared to some Christmas cards that took 9 to 12  days). So I put it in the fridge and opened on Christmas Day.

Oh my goodness, this was a delicious cheese - strong and punchy, thank you so much W. 

I looked up more details of the farm and found they had been farming on Mull for 50 years and making cheese for 40. They are the only dairy farm on Mull and make a few different cheeses.

They even use the whey from the cheesemaking to make a distilled whey spirit. HERE is their website

Our Hebridean Blue is made in 7kg cheeses. It is a semi-soft blue, punchy, wonderfully rich and creamy, with a long lasting taste and many layers of flavour.

It is made with raw cows milk, produces a lovely natural rind and is around 8 weeks old when sold

Thank you W for an interesting cheese to taste and investigate.

Back Monday

Sue