Ne’er Cast A Clout
Willie Shand warns us to keep warm clothes to hand when considering the unpredictable Scottish weather!
WHAT would we have to talk about if it wasn’t for the weather? Here in Scotland, where it’s possible to experience all four seasons in one day, we’re never likely to be lost for words.
Our faith has to be put in the forecast.
On that front, we at least have the benefit of modern science and reliable local forecasts from the Met Office at our fingertips.
To our distant ancestors, though, unexplained changes in the weather were seen as less to do with the natural world and more to do with the moods of the gods.
Lightning, for example, was believed to be a sign of their wrath.
If not the gods to blame, then the finger could always be pointed at a local witch.
On Loch Rannoch, the Witch of Schiehallion might also cause a sudden change in mood.
In the past, reading the signs of nature and studying the form of the clouds was as much as there was to go by when making a forecast.
The trees and the animals would be studied, too.
Did you know that if a black snail crosses your path there’s a good chance it’s going to rain soon?
As for the trees, if the leaves suddenly start making a rustling noise, it warns of approaching rain.
You certainly don’t want to see rain on July 15, St Swithun’s Day.
If you do, then look out the brolly, as 40 days of rain might lie ahead.
When Bishop Swithun died in the ninth century, he was buried outside the church at Winchester.
Later, after being made a saint, it was thought fitting to take him inside.
The old bishop objected to the move, and when they came to howk him up, a storm erupted, causing the work to be suspended.
It continued for 40 days, by which time the powers that be had got the message!
Rain on St Swithun’s Day might therefore be seen as a warning not to try to move him again.
Predicting the weather by the colour in the sky, by observing tree leaves and the habits of sheep and cattle might sound fanciful, but it’s surprising how credible these old signs often are.
The cows are not daft. Sensing rain, they lie down to keep the patch of grass beneath them dry.
As our sun sets in the west, redness results from clouds that have passed, whereas it’s the opposite in the morning – the red is caused by clouds heading our way and potentially bringing rain.
I enjoy days of sunshine and showers. With the clarity of light that follows the rain, they’re often the most rewarding days for photography.
What I’m not so keen on are the dreich days with showers that don’t know when to stop.
If the westerly winds are blowing in from the Atlantic, when warm moist air hits land, it’s forced upward by the mountains, condensing then falling as rain.
As Scotland’s mountains are largely in the west, this is the reason the west of the country sees almost three times more rain than the east.
We all love those warm summer days of clear blue skies, but it would be pretty boring if every day was like that.
It’s the weather that gives the landscape its character, and few things make a greater contribution than the clouds.
There are only 10 basic types of cloud, and the way they dress the sky can change the mood of the scene in infinite ways.
Among my favourites are the cumulus clouds – especially the dramatic cumulus mediocris or the wispy cumulus fractus – both thankfully carrying no
foreboding of rain.
The saying, “Ne’er cast a clout till May is oot” could refer to the month of May, but it could also mean the May flower of the hawthorn.
Either way, they certainly wouldn’t be casting many clouts in Braemar in February 1895.
They had the lowest recorded temperature in Britain at minus 27.2°C.
The folks of Dumfries, on the other hand, could look out the sun cream with a sizzling 32.8°C in the summer of 1908.
Since time immemorial, folk have worshipped the sun – the giver of all life.
It was believed to be tempting fate to look directly at it or even to point at it.
It certainly put the spooks up the ancients when they witnessed an eclipse. That could only signal impending disaster.
The moon was no less respected and was itself seen as a good predictor of the weather.
When the horns of the moon point up, a fine month lies ahead, but if you can see its whole outline, then rain is on the way.
John Ruskin once said, “There is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”
One might question the truth in this as we witness the effect climate change is starting to have on our present weather systems.
Not that there haven’t been scary times in the past.
Between 1300 and 1850, Britain was in what became known as the “Little Ice
Age”. For periods, the Tay and even the Thames were frozen over and used as thoroughfares for shops and booths.
It’s hard to imagine it, but then, we might not have to.
If some predictions are right, the next little ice age is less than 10 years away!
Casting clouts might soon be a thing of the past, right enough! ■