It’s THAT Time Again…as Mrs Finnegan Observes

The Dog Days of Summer are upon us – that period of hot, sticky weather when a second petticoat is not always necessary. (In truth, one wishes no petticoats were required but we disobey the conventions of decency at our peril.)

Here is a traditional verse that can be safely IGNORED because if it rains then it is no longer the Dog Days. (It is almost as if someone made it up because they liked the rhyme.)

Dog Days bright and clear
Mean a happy year;
But when accompanied by rain,
For better times, our hopes are vain.

Why DOG days?

They are NOT named because men and dogs become intolerable in the heat (although the evidence of my own eyes proves that is exactly what happens to SOME men). Indeed, dogs tend to turn into languid laggards when the SUN is out… 

The above is my own work by the way. It took a good 10 minutes. The image of a sleeping dog (below) is also QUITE well done, but the artist probably had longer to complete it AND more colours in their paint box.

No, the name for this time of year comes from the brightest star in the sky, Sirius or the Dog Star, which reliably appears at dawn during these weeks. Its occurrence was thought to coincide with hot weather but that assumption is not so reliable in these climes as it probably was in Ancient Greece.

An Interesting Fact

If I may drop another by-the-way in this missive, Sirius derives from the Ancient Greek word seírios which meant scorching. I mention it as you may wish to insert it in polite conversation, add the words as Mrs Finnegan says if you want to sound authoritative.

Pertinent Advice 1

You are not as bright as you think you are after a second glass of wine as Mrs Finnegan says.

Pertinent Advice 2

Young ladies, do not accept an invitation from a strange man to stroll unobserved in an isolated part of the garden.

And remember all men are strange as Mrs Finnegan says.

The PROPER Way to Write a Book: Stage 4

Thank you ONE and ALL for voting for your favourite BOOK title. So many of you joined in that the editorial board are still ploughing through the results but we should have the ANSWER soon.

Meanwhile I have been VERY busy thinking. Writers should not NEGLECT this activity or resent time spent on quiet contemplation.
True, it doesn’t ACTUALLY put words on the page, but when at last the lid of the ink well is opened and the QUILL poised, it ensures that the RIGHT words spill onto the page as Mrs Finnegan hopes.

Subscribe to my CORRESPONDENCE service and you will be sent a brief note when EVER I write anything new. That means YOU need never miss another word…isn’t that a pleasant thought?
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I assure you it is ENTIRELY free and quite painless.