“Ne’er cast a clout till May be out” is an old saying. It means “don’t let a warm day in May tempt you to put away your winter clothes”. But times have changed – or have they?
Today, I cast a clout.
What would my Gran have said!
“Ne’er cast a clout till May be out –
You don’t know what’s ahead.
“May weather is so fickle;
It has been known to snow!”
But now there are so many things
That Granny didn’t know.
The climate then was stable;
But that could never last
When global warming came along –
And clouts in May were cast.
But now the Sun’s gone in,
And I am feeling chilly.
I hear my Granny’s voice. It says,
“How could you be so silly!”
“Put your clout back on,
For May is not yet out.
There might be snow ahead, and so
You’ll need that cast-off clout.”
So next time I am tempted,
I hope I shall think twice
And not ignore the message of
My Granny’s sage advice.