Well, Mr Happy, you'd better not think too hard about when to sing "All Among the Barley", because nowadays the barley's hanging-down-its-head stage is reached by early August, and come September it's all been harvested. I think we can allow you a bit of leeway there.

There's no point in being too precious about this - for one thing, there's a surfeit of May songs, and very few that relate to, say, February or August. I think, though, that on the whole, most seasonal songs are most effective and enjoyable if they're sung in approximately the right season. There are times when you might choose to break the "rules" for some reason, but the songs that describe or relate to the seasons simply resonate more if the season is right.

Right now, in the UK, forget about summer songs - I think the weather's about right for "Annan Water", "The Water is Wide", etc.

Marje