AN OLD weather saying tells us that March always steals three days from the end of February. This arises because the first few days of March can be rather wintry, although we are still within the official season of winter and should not, therefore, be expecting spring-like conditions.

That situation prevails for the next 2-weeks or so and, after all, March does have a reputation for being rather windy and stormy, in addition to being a month of many differing moods.

Nonetheless, it is the month of lengthening days and before too long, spring will officially arrive, the clocks will go forward an hour, we'll spend more time out of doors and we'll forget the dark nights of winter.

Today is the feast of St Chad, the traditional date when domestic geese began to lay, but this region has strong links with the saint and his brother, Cedd, due to the time both spent at Lindisfarne (Holy Island) and at Lastingham, deep in the North York moors.

Following his schooling in missionary work on Lindisfarne, Cedd, a Northumbrian by birth, became Bishop of East Anglia in AD 653, but he was despatched to Lastingham (Laestingaeu) to establish a monastery. It had to be one in which King Aethelwald could attend mass and later be buried, so Cedd went to Lastingham, then described as among "craggy and distant mountains".

He didn't think it was the sort of place where people might settle; rather, he thought it appeared to be the haunt of robbers and the den of wild beasts but in AD 655, he established his monastery. At that time it was a small wooden building surrounded by an earth rampart but Cedd became ill and died in AD 664, after attending the Synod of Whitby.

He was originally buried in the open air near his wooden church and was succeeded by his brother, Chad. Chad began the construction of a stone church in honour of the Virgin Mary and Cedd's remains were buried at the right hand side of the altar. Chad went on to become archbishop of York and then bishop of Lichfield (St Theodore of Canterbury claimed that Chad was irregularly consecrated at York and so Chad, full of humility, retired to Lastingham - but later became bishop of Lichfield). Lots of churches in the Midlands are dedicated to him and some of his relics were kept in Lichfield Cathedral. These were destroyed by the Protestants at the Reformation, however, although faithful Catholics managed to rescue some and these now rest in peace at the Catholic cathedral in Birmingham.

His little stone church in Lastingham was destroyed by the Danes but in 1078 Abbot Stephen of Whitby Abbey went to live in Lastingham and decided to construct a new stone crypt in which to house the remains of Cedd.

That crypt, now beneath the Anglican parish church of St Mary, has scarcely changed since its construction shortly after the arrival of William the Conqueror, and consists of a chancel, nave and two side aisles. It is the only surviving Norman crypt in this country and considered one of our most valuable religious relics.

Although it was intended to be the start of St Mary's Abbey, it was never completed as such because Stephen moved to York where he built another St Mary's Abbey. Nonetheless, the tiny village of Lastingham in the North York moors is a most important centre of Christianity, not only in the North but throughout England, and for some, it has become a place of pilgrimage.

There is no doubt that this ancient crypt exudes an atmosphere of peace and sanctity even though some experts believe the body of St Cedd lies not here, but in the nearby Kirkdale Minster.

The wind flower

It is rather early to be thinking about the arrival of swallows but some country people believe that the blossoming of the wood anemone in March heralds this event. Certainly, swallows can arrive in this country during the early days of March, probably being noticed in the warmer south rather than our cooler north. I must admit that I have never associated the blooms of the wood anemone with these birds, neither can I recall seeing a swallow at such an early time.

Another natural association of the wood anemone is wind. Some rurals believe the flower will not open until it has been caressed by a strong March wind, and that it revels in the powerful gusts of this month. In some areas, it is called the wind flower - it was even known by that name to the ancient Greeks - and in spite of its rather fragile appearance, it is perfectly capable of withstanding the most powerful of blasts.

The one thing a wood anemone cannot tolerate, however, is being picked and taken indoors. If that happens, it will wilt with surprising speed, and the flowers do not produce a very attractive scent.

But as a carpet of nodding white blooms in the early days of spring, they are a tonic during a woodland stroll.