“Ne'er cast a clout till May is out.”  Today is the May Day holiday with a variety of temperatures recorded throughout the land.  In the garden it was 3c in the morning and had risen to a very pleasant 15c in the afternoon and last week it was well over 20c for a few days in many areas tempting people to “cast a clout” i.e. discard their winter clothing. Our spring weather is very unpredictable and we can have warm temperatures then a few days later have frost or even snow in some places.
Another saying is “Button to chin, till May be in, cast not a clout, till May be out.” “Clout” refers to a piece of clothing. Some say it means the month of May but others think it is the May blossom.  Here the May flowers are starting to come out  and soon the hedgerows will be bright with blossom.  Traditionally May (hawthorn) has been associated with many celebrations during the month of May and perhaps once the May blossom is completely out everywhere we can cast a clout.