Russell and Carol - hayle and hearty

November 1 marked as All Saints' Day, and in the pre-Reformation calendars the last day of October was marked All Hallow Eve, and the 2nd of November as All Souls'; indicating clearly a three days' festival of the dead, commencing in the evening, and originally regulated by the Pleiades—an emphatic testimony how much astronomy has been mixed up with the rites and customs even of the English of[Pg 125] to-day. In former days the relics were more numerous, in the Hallowe'en torches of the Irish, the bonfires of the Scotch, the coel-coeth fires of the Welsh, and the tindle fires of Cornwall, all lighted on Hallowe'en. In France it still lingers more than here, for to this very day the Parisians at this festival repair to the cemeteries, and lunch at the graves of their ancestors.

Lughnasadh or Lughnasa (/'lu?n?s?/ LOO-n?-s?) is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Saturday 1 st November 1755 Lisbon Earthquake, Portugal

An Earthquake has hit Lisbon in Portugal.

A Tsunami strikes the Cornish coast at two in the afternoon causing the sea to rise 8 feet in Penzance 10 feet in Newlyn the same effect was reported at St Ives and Hayle.

via http://constantinecornwall.com/museum/files/C.-First-Generation21.pdf

1st March.—In Mid-Cornwall, people arise before the sun is up,
and sweep before the door to sweep away fleas.—(T. Q. Couch,
W. Antiquary, September,
1883.)

Là Fhèill Brìghde is the day the Cailleach gathers her firewood for the rest of the winter. Legend has it that if she intends to make the winter last a good while longer, she will make sure the weather on February 1 is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood to keep herself warm in the coming months.

As a result, people are generally relieved if February 1 is a day of foul weather, as it means the Cailleach is asleep, will soon run out of firewood, and therefore winter is almost over.

Been a run of lovely weather here, most unexpected.  A cold night Monday night - down to 2.5C, but much warmer since so no need for any heating yet, and, astonishingly, the allotment is keeping going. 

Went day before yesterday and picked another courgette - with more flowers coming! The beetroot continue to do well, along with the carrots and onions. Think the beans have really had it now - though the French beans are trying to flower.

Went to the beach with Astra yesterday and had a brilliant time.

There was an item in the paper about "All-hallown summer" which was very interesting

Have you heard of a blackthorn winter, or an All-hallown summer? The English language has a rich vocabulary, concerning weather. We excel with descriptive words.