In October the travellers on a halting Site asked their new Clan Leader if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.
Since he was a “Leader” in a modern society he had never been taught the ancient and mystical ways of the travellers from times well past. When he looked at the sky he couldn’t tell what the winter was going to be like.
Nevertheless, to be on the safe side he told his clan that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the site should collect firewood to be prepared.
But being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone box, called the Irish Met Office and asked,
“Is da comin’ wintur goin’ to be cold?”
“It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,”
the meteorologist at the weather service responded. So the Leader went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.
A week later he called the Met Office again.
“Does it still look like it’s goin’ to be a very cold wintur?”
“Yes,”
the man at Met Office again replied,
“it’s going to be a very cold winter.”
The Leader again went back to his clan and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.
Two weeks later the Leader called the Met Office again.
“Are ya absolutely sure that the wintur is goin’ to be very cold?”
“Absolutely,” the man replied.
“It’s looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever.”
“How can ya tell?” the Leader asked.
‘Well’, the weatherman replied,
“the travellers are collecting firewood like crazy.”