It is officially the middle of winter, both these events -Candlemass - when the candles are blessed for the coming year, and Groundhog day mark the turning point in the winter weather - allegedly!
"Candlemass day! Candlemass day! Half our fire and Half our hay.
It was a pleasant 10-11 Celsius, and reasonable bright at lunch time when we went for a longer than usual walk to meet a friend and get a sandwich. How appropriate then that Global Warming is now official! With a 90% probability that its man-made. Perhaps that is a better indicator of future weather than either the groundhog:
If the groundhog casts a shadow - six more weeks of winter, if not an early spring
or this:
"If candlemass day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight.
But if candlemass day brings cloud and rain
Winter is gone and won't come again"
In these days we don't have to rely on hay, or fire wood, or worry about the supply of candles. We just switch the central heating on, and enjoy the comfort of our semi-tropical homes.
Things have got to change - we said at lunch time - rather flippantly describing a time when man once again has to rely on God and the seasons, and the stone mason is Mr High-tech. Perhaps they do, perhaps it would be better if it was the people who changed.