The Dog Days of Summer

Today marks the beginning of the Dog days of summer. The Old Farmer's Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days as the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending on August 11.

Many people believe the phrase is in reference to the laziness of dogs during the hottest days of the summer. It brings to mind the idea of lying or "dogging" around, or being "dog tired" on hot and humid days. But in fact, Dog Days refers to Sirius (the "Dog Star"), the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun.
At one time it was popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" (- Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813). The ancients sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that that star was the cause of the hot weather.
For the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the season of the Nile's flooding, so they used the star as a "watchdog" for that event. "Dog Days bright and clear / indicate a happy year. / But when accompanied by rain, / for better times our hopes are vain."

Well it was 55 degrees here in London this morning and if the dog days are going to start it better get going quickly……………….