Autumn has definitely arrived in Orkney today with wild winds and not quite horizontal rain. From now on our weather will become more and more unpredictable as winter approaches.
In this digital age, we can always check our smart phones for the next day's forecast. But if by some random chance your mobile has been snatched from your hands by a mini vortex and carried through the air to the nearest roof, here are a few old sayings collected by Ernest Marwick to keep you going:
"Clear Autumn, windy weather; warm autumn, long winter; wet autumn, cold and early winter."
"November 11th -
St Martin's Day, St Martin's Day
Gif ye be mild, for months 'twill stay
St Martin's Day, St Martin's Day
The cauld shall freeze us all ere Yule."
"If sounds come clear across the plain
You may be sure there cometh rain"
"Mackerel sky, mackerel sky
Not long wet, not long dry"
"If the stars start dancing, the winds come prancing"
"When the swans go to the sea
You can haul your boats to the lee;
When the swans go to the hill,
You can tak oot your ploos and till"
Archive reference: D31/7/2/6 - Orkney Weather Portents. Collected by Ernest Marwick
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