Is Summer a-Coming In?

Loudly sing cuckoo
Growth seed and bloweth mead
and springs the wood anew
Sing cuckoo.

These are words from an early four part cannon, and with May Day tomorrow should be entirely appropriate, but sadly are not in tune with the weather on this last day of April in the Athens of the North.

Unfortunately after what seems an eternity of cold showery weather today is another D day, D for dreadful.
There are an embarrassment of 'D's to describe this last day of April: dark, dank, dull, dismal, dreary, doleful, dripping, drizzly, drenching, depressing, desolate, disagreeable, disheartening.

However the good old Scottish word 'dreich' sums up the day perfectly; a day when everything above 200 feet is obscured by an all pervasive North sea haar; no Arthur Seat visible today standing sentinel over Edinburgh Old Town, church spires disappearing into the mist, Marchmont tenements wreathed like ghost buildings behind the muted pink blossom of the cherry trees, dispirited seagulls loitering on the rain soaked grass, and not even a solitary dog in sight; welcome to summer a-coming in!

There will be an afternoon of indoor pursuits for me, cooking warming supper dishes, a little light reading, and a parceling up of Nina's Aran cardigan which was found to fit her and is entirely appropriate for this weather.