Saint Swithin’s Day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain:
Saint Swithin’s Day, if thou be fair,
For forty days t’will rain no mair.
That's an old English saying for this mid-summer day. We learned it as part of our middle ages study this year, and I forgot all about it until just now, actually, as I was paging through a favorite liturgical book. So, how about a neat little 
weather lesson in remembrance of St. Swithin's? Here's an idea from A Book of Feasts and Seasons by Joanna Bogle:
"St. Swithin is a sort of "home-made" saint: the offical Church calendar doesn't list his feast day. It might be fun to mark St. Swithin's Day by keeping a weather record. Mark if it rains or not ~ and then note the weather for the next forty days to see whether the old tradition holds good. Although rain at this time of year is not generally very popular, some farmers don't mind a light sprinkling: it is needed for the fruit trees. If it rains, they say that "St. Swithin is christening the little apples." Rain will certainly help to make the apples fresh and juicy by the time they ripen in September."
Well, it happens to be gloriously bright and breezy here today, but if it is raining where you are, perhaps these thoughts will help you put a pleasant spin on things. Baking up a dish of comforting apple crumble might also help. :) Despite the warm temperatures, I plan to make some later this afternoon, a perfect Sunday dessert.
*And if it were raining here, I might be tempted to place a colander-full of ripe, red apples outside on the steps to be "christened." :)
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Apple Crumble
Serves six
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3-4 eating apples
6 tablespoons of water
ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon of sugar
For the topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup butter
2/3 cup light soft brown sugar
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the apples into quarters. Peel them, then cut out the cores. Cut the pieces into chunks. Put them in a casserole dish. Add the water. Sprinkle the apples with a large pinch of cinnamon and a tablespoon of sugar.
Stir both types of flour together in a mixing bowl. Then, cut the butter into small pieces and put it in the bowl with the flour. Mix the flour and butter with a blunt knife. Stir and cut the flour again and again until each piece of butter is coated with flour.
Wash your hands and dry them really well. Rub the butter into the flour. Lift the mixture and let it fall as you rub. When the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, mix in the brown sugar. Mix it in with your fingers, too.
Sprinkle the topping over the apple. Spread it out evenly with a fork and smooth the top. Put the dish onto a baking sheet.
Bake the crumble for 45 minutes, until the top is golden. Turn the crumble around halfway through so that it browns evenly. To check that it is cooked, push a knife into a piece of apple. If it’s not soft, cook the crumble for five more minutes.
Leave the crumble to cool for at least five minutes before you serve it. Serve it with whipped cream or ice cream.
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(From The Usborne Farmyard Tales Children's Cookbook)
Foul or fair, I hope your day is a good one!
