It’s St. Swithin’s Day today and we’re about to tell you something that’s really going to put a dampener on your day.
Or should we say the next 40 days.
St. Swithin isn’t exactly the most well-known of saints and that’s probably because he hasn’t got a lot of positive things to shout about. Yes, he was the Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester and subsequently the patron saint of Winchester Cathedral, which is all well and good, but his historical importance has been somewhat overshadowed by his reputation for “posthumous miracle-working”.
You might very well be thinking that “posthumous miracle-working” doesn’t sound like a negative at all. especially when you think about all the miraculous acts he could be pulling off, right?
Well, here’s what St. Swithin’s Day really means.
According to ancient weather folklore, should it rain on St. Swithin’s feast day – 15th July – then it will continue to rain for the following 40 days, but on the flip-side, if it’s dry and ‘cracking flags’ out, then that fair weather will subsequently continue for the same time period.
Have you put two and two together yet? Yes, it’s unfortunately raining (or at least has been raining) across Greater Manchester and much of the UK today, and if this bit of folklore is anything to go by, it won’t be stopping any time soon.
So much for summer.
Why is this the case though? Where did this tale of legend come from? What’s the history behind it?
To sum it up briefly, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica, when St. Swithin passed away, he was buried at his request in the churchyard of Winchester Cathedral in a location where rain and the steps of passersby might fall on his grave.
After his body was moved inside the cathedral on 15th July 971, a “great storm ensued”.
The first textual evidence for the weather prophecy appears to have come from a 13th/14th-century entry in a manuscript at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Although, as weather frequently changes around midsummer, it’s believed the tradition that this day can influence ensuing weather may stem from earlier, possibly pre-Christian, beliefs.
The British weather folklore proverb reads:
St Swithun’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St Swithun’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ’twill rain nae mare
Another well-known variant states – “If on St Swithun’s day it really pours, you’re better off to stay indoors.“
It’s not all simply folklore though, there is apparently some scientific basis to the weather pattern behind the legend of St Swithin’s Day.
Around the middle of July, the jet stream settles into a pattern which, in the majority of years, holds reasonably steady until the end of August. When the jet stream lies north of the British Isles, then continental high pressure is able to move in, but when it lies across or south of the British Isles, Arctic air and Atlantic weather systems predominate.
So, there you have it.
Cheers St. Swithin – it’s a good job us Mancunians are used to it.
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Nearly a quarter of Brits are making cups of tea ‘all wrong’, new survey reveals
Emily Sergeant
A new survey has found that a staggering 127 million cups of tea are drunk in Britain each year, but apparently, a quarter of us are making them ‘all wrong’.
Nothing is arguably more British than a brew, right?
Whether you take it builder’s, milky, with sugar or sweetener, decaf, green, or even herbal, popping the kettle on and making a brew can be a sacred daily ritual for us tea-loving Brits, with everyone having their own personal tastes and preferences on how to make it the perfect cup.
But what is the correct way to make a cup of tea? Now that’s up for debate, but after finding out that nearly three quarters (72%) of Brits drink an average of four cups a day, Aldi has commissioned some new research to try and get to the bottom of it once and for all, and has polled the nation to discover what really does make the perfect cuppa.
Apparently, 78% of the population is so passionate about a good brew that they have to give exact instructions to someone if they offer to make them a cup.
A new survey has revealed that nearly a quarter of Brits are making cups of tea ‘all wrong’ / Credit: PickPik
English Breakfast tea was found to be the go-to choice of tea, with 67% of survey respondents calling it their favourite, but there does appear to be a bit of discrepancy when it comes to how to make it though – as 78% say they like to add the water first before letting the bag stew for two minutes to achieve the ultimate ‘toffee brown’ shade.
Almost half (49%) agreed that a splash of semi-skimmed milk should then be added to help bring the temperature down, and two in five (38%) prefer no sugar in their liquid gold… but that’s where the similarities seem to end.
According to Aldi’s research, almost a quarter (22%) of people are making their tea ‘wrong’ by putting the milk in first.
“It’s clear that tea remains a very important part of our lives, with the average Brit consuming a staggering 1,460 cups a year,” commented etiquette consultant, Jo Bryant.
“I’m with the majority, as I love a cup of English Breakfast tea, freshly-brewed for around two minutes, with a moderate amount of milk, and it’s always tea first, milk last – it is good manners when making someone else a cup of tea to check how they like it.
“Most people simply ask about milk and sugar, but it is better tea-making etiquette to also enquire about strength and any other preferences.
“Try to take the time to make perfect brews for friends, colleagues and family, and make sure you remember just how they like it for next time.”
Featured Image – Flickr
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Levi’s are the latest fashion brand to launch an Oasis collection
Danny Jones
In case you missed it amid the tidal wave of merch currently flooding our feeds and shops everywhere, global fashion brand Levi’s has become the latest label to launch an Oasis collection.
With the Live ’25 world tour now officially underway, it feels like not only are Oasis back on top, but that there’s a large-scale Britpop revival happening here in the UK and overseas.
In terms of fashion, the 1990s and early 2000s style has been steadily making its way into contemporary culture once again in recent years, but with seemingly every big name trying to hop on the marketing machine that is the Oasis reunion bandwagon, you can’t move for crossover.
Be they official collaborations like the one with Manchester City, adidas Originals; American fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch bashing out merch, or a local t-shirt maker on Bury Market, that famous logo is absolutely everywhere – cue Levi’s latest launch:
Releasing just five or five main pieces (not including individual item variations), Levi’s Oasis gear has been kept pretty straightforward, simply relying on a less is more philosophy and the quality that the denim specialists are renowned for.
Nevertheless, there is an undeniably 90s feel to the approach.
As well as the standard Oasis band tee design, available in the brand’s main red, white and blue colour, as well as black, white and light blue – the Manchester City influences never stray too far, after all – there are a couple of other types of tee.
However, while we’re sure plenty of people might have a penchant for the parka, the undeniable star of the show for us is the Type II Trucker Jacket with the group’s name and ‘Live Forever’ stitched on the breast pocket.
Still, at £170, these sure-to-be collectors’ items don’t come cheap, and that’s not even the most expensive in the Levi’s x Oasis collection. Regardless, if you fancy treating yourself, you can find them here in Manchester and at the likes of The Trafford Centre.
Any of it pique your interest?
Don’t worry if not because, as mentioned, there is absolutely tonnes of Oasis clobber at various different price points all over the place at the minute.
Emily Sergeant -
15th July 2020 
