St. Swithin's Day - Tomorrow is St Swithin’s Day and, if ancient rhymes be correct, neither a day of drip nor dry will do this city any good. For, say the traditional lines, rain on July 15 means rain for 40 straight days, while drought on July 15 means drought for a string of 40. "St Swithin's day if thou dost rain, For forty days it will remain; St. Swithin’s day if thou be fair, For forty days 'twill rain nae mair." So reads the old poem written by a fellow or fellows who dived into hiding after leaving the catchy tune to humanity. Nobody knows what St. Swithin’s part is in all this rain making and unmaking. According to Page 7,844 of the World Book Encyclopedia, Swithin was a faithful advisor to Egbert, king of the West Saxons in the 800s. Bishop of Winchester, England, Swithin was made a saint about 100 years later...

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