FOULA HERITAGE

A day ida Voar is wirt a week ida hairst… It’s important to sow crops promptly in the spring otherwise they may be too late ripening, or suffer from bad weather in the autumn

Voar nights come creepin trow da floss, Hairst nights come gallopin on a horse… daylight lengthens gradually and imperceptibly in the spring but shortens quickly and obviously in the autumn

Mairch mist nivver deed wi trist…misty weather in March is very wetting

Quat grows green in Februar’ll grow grey in Mairch…Early new growth in unseasonably mild weather in February will wither before the real Spring.

Da Belting ree…gale around beginning of May

Simmermill…April 26^th, the ‘first day of summer’

Da weeks a Simmer…the weeks following Simmermill guided the spring work, with 26^th April being the ‘first day of the first week’

Rain words

Windfeedin…occasional drops of rain in strengthening wind as rain front approaches

Hit’s juist rudin awa…heavy runs of fine wetting rain

Dunk…fine droplets of moisture out of thick mist gathering on hair, grass etc

Juist raagin awa…scrappy bits of rain, never really goes off

Fine shug…light drizzle

Skiff o a shooer…short light insignificant shower

Offerin to come on wi a shooer – shower may come on or pass by

A drush o a shooer…short sharp heavy shower

Doontum a rain…sudden heavy downpour of rain

Summer

Whin da raingus gings cryin ta da hill, draa doon da boats an ging whaur you will;

Whin da raingus gings crying ta da sea draa up da boats an mak fir lee…

When the red-throated diver cries flying towards the hill, it’s safe to put the boats in the water and go to sea;

When the red-throated diver cries flying seawards, draw the boats up out of the water and make for shelter.

Mony a change in a simmer dim, far less a lang winter’s night… weather can change dramatically in a few hours

Keep a sheaf ida neuk fir da sevent (and nint) ook…keep back some fodder for bad weather in the ‘seventh week of summer’, starting 14^th June

Da Johnsmas ree, da Martibulimas ree… gales expected at the beginning and middle of July

A barm…very fine, no wind

Da sea’s lyin slight…flat calm

A haet guff a wind…a hot thermal gust of wind

Da yallow ee ida sun is shawin trow da mist …the mist is thinning, the sun can be seen hazily through it

Autumn

If da Hallowmas pools kin hud up a deuk, half da winter’ll be watter an muck... If the pools are frozen on Hallowmas (12^th November) it will mostly be a mild winter.

Fine day fir deuks…Heavy rain only enjoyed by ducks.

A fleeing gale ....

Wind Words

A flaan… a sudden gust of wind caused by the hills and high cliffs, can be unpredictable, dangerous, and damaging in a gale.

A snore a wind in da shooers…a strong turbulent gusty wind while showers are on

A fleein gale…a very strong hard wind

Da wind’s carryin da loch/sea…the wind is strong enough to lift water from the surface of the loch/sea high up in the air

Da wind’s gainin aa da time… freshening up fast

Da wind’s faain awa…decreasing steadily

A fresh grain a wind…breezy

A peerie air a wind fae da wast …a breath of wind from the west

A peerie purr o wind noo an agin…an occasional gentle puff of wind

Winter

He’s makkin a bed fir da snaa…ground is freezing hard before snowfall

A day atween wedders…a single quiet day as one spell of bad weather ends and the next begins

Day lentens, da cauld strentens…as daylight increases after New Year weather tends to get generally colder (the sea has cooled)

Wir nivver deed da winter yet…We’ve always managed to get through bad times up to now.

Da daylicht is taen a cockstride bi Newerday… daylight has increased noticeably by Newerday, January 13th

If Candlesmas day(2nd February) is bright an fair, half da winter’s ta come an mair; If Candlesmas day be dark an full, half da winter wis by at Yule (6^th January).

Snow & Ice Words

Flucker,Fluckra…big soft flakes of snow

Snaaie grulicks…big balls of sticky snow made spontaneously when wind starts bits of snow rolling down a steep slope

A mael moori…very fine choking penetrating blizzard snow

A kaavi…blizzard of snow driven hard by the wind

Glerril a ice an watter…result of ice and snow melting, refreezing, then melting again and water lying on top of ice causing a treacherous surface

A fann…deep drift of snow

Da snaa’s barin…the snow is drifting

Upslaag…cold heavy rain as thaw sets in

Weather Signs

Saturday’s moon an Sunday’s prime, never waar seen in seven years’ time…A full moon on a Saturday and a new moon on Sunday means exceptionally bad weather/bad luck

Silken Saturday, cotton Sunday, canvas Monday… Fine weather early in the weekend is untrustworthy as it can worsen as the new week starts

Sunday night’s faa is aa da week’s blaa… If the wind falls away on a Sunday night, it could blow hard all week

Stavs up, wedder doon - Stavs doon, wedder up…Sunbeams slanting up from behind a cloud means weather improving, slanting downwards means weather will deteriorate.

Gaa afore look oot fir more, gaa behind never mind…sundog seen at the edge of a sun-ring in front of the path of the sun means bad weather

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Weather Sayings