As I was filling my watering can from the water butt ready to water the thriving vegetables (what a contrast with last year when the water butts were overflowing and the vegetables drowning) the phrase ‘dog days’ came into my head for some reason; mind you, a lot of things come into my head for some or no reason at all! I was sure it meant hot summer’s day but I had to come into check, and yes, it does; dog days are those sultry days in July and August when everything is roasting in the sun. Some people think their childhood was filled with dog days every summer, I’m not so sure, the summer weather in my childhood was as variable as it is now. I know there was a period before the first world war when summers were long and hot and sunny.
Apparently the name of dog days come from the Romans who noticed the hot time of the year coincided when the star Sirius was in the same part of the sky as the sun. It’s the largest and brightest star in the sky and people used to believe it actually gave out heat. An old almanac had dog days start from July 3rd for forty days… so we’ve probably got another month of this sunshine! I wondered if it had anything to do with a dog-watch on board ship, but apparently it hasn’t.
Oh, well, back to watering the veg and enjoying the sun.
Lois Elsden 