Arise! Arise! ye dairy maids,
Shake off your drowsy dreams,
Step straightway to your dairies
And fetch us a bowl of cream,
If not a bowl of your sweet cream,
A pot of your brown beer;
And if we should tarry in this town,
We'll come again next year.
When Caster Common Lands were open to all and the gates taken off on May
13th, there was a struggle with the cottagers as to whose cow would get
through the gateway first and the cow which secured the place of honour
had a garland of flowers put round its horns when driven home at night,
and the cow which was last to get on the Common returned with a "Dish
Clout" tied to its tail.
Sunny May.
Cold May, good for corn and Hay.
Rain in May, makes plenty of Hay.
A May flood never did good.
The last two appear to be contradictory but the flood refers to the
valley of the Nene and the lowlands which are apt to be flooded when the
river overflows its banks. The mud and dirt consequently settle on the
grass and make it unfit for hay, but the rainfall does good, causes the
grass to grow and it is not injured by the silt.
Till May goes out, change not a clout.
29th May, Restoration Day, commonly called Oak Apple Day from an oak
apple with oak leaves being generally worn on that day until noon. The
leaves or apple at that time were put out of sight. Before noon everyone
was challenged to "show your oak" and if none could be seen a blow or a
pinch could be given, but after that hour the wearer of the oak could be
struck. School boys used to fix leaves on the top of their boots, hidden
by their trousers, and when challenged would lift their foot and kick
the challenger, and so showing their oak and punishing the other boy.
When you hear the cuckoo for the first time you must run or you will be
late for everything during the year.