going to see a man about a dog! Wonder how it can rain cats and dogs...never seen them have you? I love the old sayings, bet kids dont know about them these days... Just had a fun day yesterday, Aus-Tasmania rootsweb asked for all their members to get active, so there were so many messages coming through then, and still today, Ihave managed to help a few people..nice to be able to help..makes the world a better place! They have 640 members... so imagine the mail coming through...and such a lovely lot of people...oops and Hampshire!! So off to shops shortly, ran out of milk...drat...need it! have a nice day.. Adele in Clareville. breezy down here at present..I will look out for Maureen from Nappy Valley tomorrow, since I will be in Hutt...area of Wellington!! Hi Maureeen!

Rain cats and dogs: If the rain is teeming down the it's said to be raining cats and dogs. This seems to be an odd way of describing weather. The expression first appeared in print in 1653. ("It shall raine.....dogs and polecats"). There are three possible origins, one of which goes back to Norse times. In old Norse weather lore the cat was related to rain and the dog to the wind. If this were the origin then it is likely that the words would have appeared in print before 1653. The second suggestion puts the basis in the Greek word Catadupa, "cataract" or "waterfall". The final idea suggests that the drainage of medieval streets was so poor that cats and dogs frequently drowned during a heavy downpour. Swift's "Description of a City Shower" (1710) gives a good idea of what it was like. It's worth repeating. "Now, from all parts the swelling kennels flow/ And bear their trophies with them as they go/..../ Drown'd puppies, stinking sprats, all drench'd in mud/ Dead cats and turnip tops, come tumbling down the flood." You may take your choice. The argument continues. Chris and Caroline ----- Original Message ----- From: <pentony@infogen.net.nz> To: <HAMPSHIRE-LIFE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 10:54 PM Subject: [HantsLife] sayings going to see a man about a dog! Wonder how it can rain cats and dogs...never seen them have you? I love the old sayings, bet kids dont know about them these days... Just had a fun day yesterday, Aus-Tasmania rootsweb asked for all their members to get active, so there were so many messages coming through then, and still today, Ihave managed to help a few people..nice to be able to help..makes the world a better place! They have 640 members... so imagine the mail coming through...and such a lovely lot of people...oops and Hampshire!! So off to shops shortly, ran out of milk...drat...need it! have a nice day.. Adele in Clareville. breezy down here at present..I will look out for Maureen from Nappy Valley tomorrow, since I will be in Hutt...area of Wellington!! Hi Maureeen! ==== HAMPSHIRE-LIFE Mailing List ==== To contact the List Administrator: chris@chayles.freeserve.co.uk To unsubscribe from the list: Mail: HAMPSHIRE-LIFE-L-request@rootsweb.com Digest: HAMPSHIRE-LIFE-L-request@rootsweb.com In both cases put "unsubscribe" in the subject header and no text in the message box ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 --- All of our Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. And attachments are also scanned before being added. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.491 / Virus Database: 290 - Release Date: 18/06/2003