Seasons- on the cusp summer

ThSeasons- on the cusp of summer.

It’s mid May and we are having a cold blast- as if the last of winter is trying to find the window to escape and is bashing around. I am ready for the warmth. I do generally prefer the cooler months but what I am beginning to realise is that I like the seasons- I like the change from one to the other. In a few months time I will be so over the heat and the light I will be longing of the cool winds to return but right now it is the summer I am looking forward to.

This last cold snap although feels unseasonable and even wrong is actually known to us, especially farmers and gardeners. Known as a blackthorn winter in the UK it’s a reminder to tend to seedlings and young plants until after the blackthorn has flowered as a frost or low temperatures are still a threat. The phrase is cast no clout til may is out, could refer to the month of May but I prefer its association with the May hawthorn which again flowers at this time of year and warns of casting off the winter layers until we are fully out of the shadow of the colder months. I’m keeping my jumper handy.

In Europe they have the warning of the three ice saints (or ice men) that visit between the 11th and 14th May: Mamertus, Pancras, and Boniface that bring cold snaps on their feast days.

These are old ways of understanding our weather systems based on collective memory. Statistical analyse and records show that there is no correlation between temperatures and the ice saints. Collective memory is something different and allows us to observe the patterns through passing on stories. Understanding that May is an unpredictable month weather-wise is helpful for growing on plants. If you rely on the previous years warm May as your reference point you could get caught out by a sudden one day frost on the feast of St Boniface. Time teaches us tradition and tradition connects us to place and community.

In the next week the earth will rotate and the calendar will tick over and we will be reassured by the longer days and warmer months ahead. Winter will retreat to the other side of the earth. I am looking forward to the next few months of strawberries, picnics, ice creams- these are our rituals and traditions.e Psychology of Thoughtful Gifting: Why Personal Details Matter