Weekly and Monthly Newsletters
The Parish Pump, Debden's village magazine, is published monthly except in January. A letter from the Reverend Lynda Sebbage, our Team Vicar, is appended below.
An online copy of the current Letter from the Reverend Jeremy Trew, our Team Rector, and current and back issues of the Grapevine, which includes Team Services and events, can be viewed using the links below:-
The Grapevine (Weekly Newsletter)
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LETTER FROM THE RECTORY – JULY 2025
Why Do British People Talk About the Weather So Much?
It’s a question that has puzzled many over the years! One popular theory is that it serves as a convenient way to break the ice with strangers. A simple “Nice day today, isn’t it?” or: “When will this rain stop and summer finally arrive?” can open the door to conversation.
I meet plenty of people in my daily life, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get through a day without commenting on the weather to someone, especially today as I write this, having donned my winter woollies - when only yesterday it was hot and sunny! According to research conducted a few years ago, at any given moment, a third of the British population is talking about the weather. How they managed to calculate that is beyond me—but it certainly feels believable!
Speaking of weather, July brings to mind St Swithin’s Day. Legend has it that St Swithin, a 9th-century Bishop of Winchester known for his compassion for the poor, requested that he be buried outside the cathedral so that “the sweet rain of heaven may fall upon my grave.” This was unusual for a bishop, but in 971, his remains were moved inside the cathedral. According to legend, as a sign of his displeasure, it rained continually for 40 days. Thus was born the old rhyme:
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.
While more folklore than forecast, the rhyme reflects a deeper truth about our relationship with nature and our desire to find meaning in the unpredictable. In medieval times, people looked to saints not only for spiritual guidance, but also for help in understanding the world around them.
St Swithin’s story reminds us of humility, compassion for the poor, and the mystery of God’s creation—even in something as changeable as the British summer. Mid-July often marks a turning point in our weather patterns. I wonder what July 15th will bring this year—and whether the old legend will hold true!
One thing is certain: we can’t control the weather. Sadly, through our misuse and neglect, we’ve influenced it in ways that have done more harm than good. Yet ultimately, there is one who holds power over the weather and all life on Earth—and that is God. As the psalmist writes: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
Revd Lynda, Debden Rectory