Today is Saint Swithin's Day, so took the above picture from our back bedroom window at seven a.m. to prove what a fine day it is, and remembering the old belief that ' if it rain upon Saint Swithin's Day.........'
Went to Sung Eucharist and we both sang in the Choir - went well. After a sandwich lunch it was such a fine afternoon that we decided to go out. Discussed matter and decided to drive into Ipswich and have a walk round the docks.
Took the above photo from the dock, of an oldish vessel - Dutch I think.
Took this photo a little further along the dock, of a couple of London sailing barges, although the nearest one was out of Harwich. Ann to right of picture.
Above is a photo of the front of the same house (The old Neptune Inn).
Photo of a house about two doors along from the Neptune. It's dated 1636. I think a great many of the old houses which back onto Ipswich Docks were old Merchants' houses. Drove home through a lovely summer afternoon - it's really good to see and feel the sun after the thoroughly WET/COLD July we've been having
AND
it still hasn't rained here upon Saint Swithin's Day. So, with luck, we might now get a bit more summery a summer.
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P.s. Perhaps I'd better just record (for Lori's information- the old saying may not be familiar to our colonial friends) that Saint Swithin, or more correctly Saint Swithun, was made Bishop of Winchester in the year 852. The old saying is that 'if it rain upon Saint Swithun's day, it will rain on each of the next forty days.' It's generally held that if it doesn't rain on Saint Swithin's day, the next forty days will be dry and sunny. I'm not superstitious of course, but let's just keep our fingers crossed.
11 comments:
Well, so much for St Swithun this morning we have had rain in Twickenham, albeit fairly light. Doesn't appear to very warm either.
A really interesting batch of photographs. Thankyou.
Forget what I said about light rain, it has been heavy here all morning, windy and cold.
Much discussion at reading group this morning about lack of vitamin D given the lack of sunshine. Recommendations have been made that Vitamin D is bought over the chemist counter by those who have frequent viral infections or who spend much time indoors.
Thank you Pat. Since I've been blogging (six years I think) I try always to have a camera handy.
Hello Pixie Mum. I think you may have a point. Yesterday was a lovely, mostly sunny day, and I must say I felt the better for it. Been raining again here today, some of it quite heavy, and of course that means I've been in my workshop most of the day.
Talking of which, please tell your husband that his clock has now been behaving for some weeks, and that the strike (which was giving the most trouble)has been persuaded to return to its duty. I'd normally be in London towards the end of this month, but as Bonham's Arms and Armour sale doesn't look too promising, it probably won't be till rather later in the year.
Regards to you both, Mike.
Vitamin D is necessary to absorb calcium and form healthy bones, too much sun (UVA) also raises the risk of skin cancer. Sunlight time to produce Vitamin D varies with environmental, physical and personal factors and between individuals. The time required is typically short and less than the time needed to redden or burn. Regularly going outside for 5-15 minutes around the middle of the day without sunscreen is best and the more skin exposed the greater the chance of producing sufficient vitamin D before burning in the UK but not necessarily in hotter climates. The advice comes from a group of seven British health organisations including the British Association of Dermatologists, Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the National Heart Forum, the National Osteoporosis Society and the Primary Care Dermatology Society, which have issued a “consensus statement”, of their unified views. Most of a person’s vitamin D is made in their body through exposure to sunlight. Enjoying the sun safely, while taking care not to burn, can provide the benefits of vitamin D without unduly raising the risk of skin cancer. Vitamin D supplements and specific foods can help to maintain sufficient levels of vitamin D, particularly in people at risk of deficiency. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty around what levels qualify as optimal or sufficient or whether vitamin D protects against chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and the benefits and risks of widespread supplementation. Vitamin D can be obtained through the diet, particularly through oily fish. However, estimates suggest that 90% of the vitamin D requirement comes from sunlight. The Department of Health currently recommends a daily 10 microgram vitamin D supplement for people at risk of vitamin D deficiency, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, older people and people who may not have adequate sun exposure, such as those who are confined indoors or cover their skin for cultural reasons. Vitamin D is present in a range of dietary supplements including fish oil products such as cod liver oil. Supplements that also contain vitamin A, including cod liver oil are unsuitable for older people and pregnant women. For most people however, the benefits and risks of taking vitamin D supplements are unclear. The report did not include figures of the estimated proportion of the UK population that is deficient in vitamin D.
The report says that ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is the best way to boost vitamin D, but that it is unclear how much sunlight is needed to raise blood levels of Vitamin D to a particular level. According to the report, environmental and personal factors affect vitamin D production in the skin making it difficult to make a “one size fits all” recommendation for the whole population. For example, the area of skin exposed to the sun will influence the amount of vitamin D that is made. During the winter months in the UK, there is not enough UVB for the body to make vitamin D. Therefore, the body relies on its stored vitamin D and vitamin D obtained through the diet.
A recent study suggests vitamin D and folic acid supplements delay the onset of dementia - but it hasn't worked for me yet!
Dear Crowbard, thank you for your pithy comment.
I have thought the matter over and decided that on sunny days, if I go into the garden at about eleven a.m. with a cup of coffee and a copy of your comment, by the time I have imbibed both, I should have also taken in enough vitamin D to suffice me.
P.s. Told Ann about the latest wheeze to obtain the necessary vitamin D. and she said it sounded alright but that I MUST wear my panama. I don't think this will work because surely wearing a hat would screen out the vitamin D from the sun's rays? I think I'll forget the whole thing and just enjoy the summer if and when it gets here.
I think the idea of wearing a small South American country with a shipping canal all the way through it is probably a major health risk or bizarre or tricky...
Provided you wear a transparent sun hat with a built in UVA filter you should still get enough UVB to produce sufficient Vitamin D. UVA has become a serious health hazard since we damaged the ozone layer of the atmosphere so severely. And no you can't smell ozone by the seaside - that smell is iodine compounds.
This is like Morecambe &Wise !
Hello Crowbard. Good stuff that iodine. Stings a bit though.
Thank you Rog......I think.
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