According to the author, Melissa Harrison, in her book, Rain: Four Walks in English Weather, there are around one hundred words concerning rain here in the UK.
Rain is something we could do with at this present time. As I mentioned in a previous post, Heatwaves and Deck-Chairs, most of the South of England is gripped in higher than average summer temperatures. Once lush green lawns are turning brown and there is a threat of a hosepipe ban looming. Next week, the heat may hit 40 degrees Celsius, a new record.
A British Weather Obsession
Obsessing and moaning about the weather is one of our great British traditions; on a par with tea drinking and eating fish and chips. A survey conducted by Tetley Sunshine Tea in 2017, found that British people spend, on average, seventeen minutes a day talking about weather. The survey also found we check the weather forecast eight times daily.
With a lack of water from the heavens, and being too hot to find something else to moan about, I’ve been diving into Melissa’s brilliant book and reading about rain. If you are wondering about the title of this post, Fox’s Wedding, is a term used in Gloucestershire, Dorset, and Devon, to describe sudden drops of rain from a clear sky. Here is a short poem I put together using some of the other rain phrases mentioned.
Moor-gallop, Kelching Duke of Spain, Donk Cow-quaker, Doley Water-gall, Blunk Messengers, Fill-Dyke Bleeterie, Hash Tetchery, Sea Fret Dreik, Thunner-pash
Are you a lover or hater of rain? Please share your thoughts and have a great weekend.