The weather

The sayings we hear of the weather were the observations of our forefathers who had no T.V forecast to tell them of bad weather approaching.A red sky at night was a shepherds delight and predicted a good day and a red sky in the morning meant a bad day,and this does have fact. Of course  a ring around the moon tells of a frost and rain at seven nice by eleven and nasty at seven ,nice by eleven and these too are mostly true.I hope and try to be observant of what the weather and plants are doing even the birds .We have lost a lot of instincts of survival as in knowing what plants to use for healing or eating and what to avoid.Where as I grew up with a little knowledge of what to eat and avoid. as with predicting the weather conditions by the sky, not to say one does get it wrong,but many children and people have lost the skill of observation,

As a commuting cyclist also I am obsessed with the weather as well as my garden!  We have a rain gauge where we me measure the rainfall every day . My dad calls east winds lazy 'cos they go straight through you rather than around! Dear flowering rose - what prompted your posting?

JanetX 

Hello Rose being brought up in a farming Village community we knew what hedgerow herbs, fruits and salad food were, my Aunt Mabel made her own medicines and cure all from the hedgerows. No Doctors on call back then, you had to pay as they came in the door, the farm labour could not afford them so it was down to Aunt Mabel who I once saw stitch up a leg wound then send the man back to the field, you will be better working than lying around?
I was watching butter making on TV last night and nothing has changed for hand made butter so maybe somethings are being preserved.
My grandchildren when we are out in the woods ask and I tell them, wild garlic celandine what tree is what and we have seen Kingfishers Hawks plus many kinds of bird, the best being watching the fox a vixen sun bathing mid afternoon, she must feel safe.
Schools do take more interest these days so some hope yet, as to the old weather sayings I knew them all though a look out of the window at the coastal weather front gives me a good idea what we are in for.

Frank.

Most of the time, you might as well look out of the window. It is about as accurate as the official weather forecast! Paliasglide, your story ilustrates the fact that we are two generations away from that old knowledge. We have learnt to rely on science, which was supposed to provide the answer to everything. Now there is a lot of disillusionment with that, and interest has revived in traditional and herbal medicine. Also, drugs are increasingly expensive and countries like India are now doing scientific research into the scientific viability of herbal medicines - and many have been found to be effective.  So perhaps we are coming full circle and discovering that the old ways are valuable, after all.

True Gardening Grandma. My Doctor for some reason known only to himself had his receptionist call me and say one of my daily tablets would be changed. They duly arrived and I read the blurb with them. 22 different side effects that could cause problems. At my age personal comfort must be a better bet than much discomfort and live a week longer?
I laugh when my daughters ring, they have suddenly discovered cooking after years of fast foods, "I did stewing steak and it's tough as old harry". Dad (three years at cookery school and Mothers teaching as a lad) how long did you cook it, "threw everything in the pot and cooked it for one and a half hours" "oh dear and a sigh" long slow cooking and put the veg in for the last hour and a half " "it did not say that". A week later, did it again you were right. I told her next time put a rice pudding in at the same time using a water bath (bain marie) and don't stir it.
It is up to us old hands to try and revive things, pass on the knowledge we got because everything was outside we lived in the open and observed.
When at my Sons farm I make sugestions based on the old ways, he is now starting to listen when I tell him throwing money at a problem does not solve it.
I learned from my parents, the moderns thought we were old hat now we come into our own if we are prepared to give up the knowledge.

Frank

Chilli,I think I was thinking how reliant we have become on machines and weather people ,this is useful,but in away it makes us lazy and we forget those skills we once had and passed down to our children.I know from my ex-job that my observation skills were better than relying on  a machine or a chart and that many of my colleagues had lost the art.and the same for weather and the teaching of plants e.t.c.the pleasure of passing on these skills,and you all are right.

What goes arouond, comes around, I think. We get excited about some technical advance, rely on it and ditch the old way of doing things, then find it has drawbacks and limitations, or side-effects, or is expensive. The we remember that there was a time when we did things differently and slowly get interested in the old ways. They come back into fashion and, Bob's your uncle, we've come full circle.