My apologies for not providing a monthly blog in the past three months. Certainly the challenges of Covid-19 have thrown me off my stride, and also I am working on a couple of large projects which are distracting me, and keeping me busy. Please bear with me as we continue through these difficult days of 2020. In the new year, I should have more information about my projects. In the meantime, I offer this blog on a very interesting book. Stay safe and well...
In the Regency era, as now, everyone wanted to know what the future held in terms of the weather.
"The Complete Weather Guide" published in 1813 by Joseph Taylor, offered numerous ways of predicting the day's weather and forecasting conditions for the days and weeks to come. Mr. Taylor discusses in detail making predictions from appearances of nature, and appearances of atmosphere, and using barometers, hygrometers, and thermometers.
And then there is this:
The Shepherd's Rules are based in observation, and are probably as valid as any forecast our modern weather people offer. They are sometimes expressed in wonderful, ancient couplets.
If red the sun begins his race, be sure the rain will fall apace.
The evening red, and the morning grey, is a sign of a fair day.
In the decay of the moon, a cloudy morning bodes a fair afternoon.
Interspersed with the weather details, are useful facts and fanciful fictions.
Even more interesting than the text, I think, are the handwritten notes and newspaper clippings that generations of the book's owners have added in the back of the book.
There are no dates on the information, or sources for the author's research, but the notes are interesting and possibly very useful!
The Complete Weather Guide may be found on Google Books by a simple search, and is available for free download.
'Til next time,
Lesley-Anne
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