A Saturday Stroll

 Words

I love learning new words. It doesn’t matter if they are 21st century slang, 19th century words that have declined in use or obscure current words. I recently read on a blog the word ‘Peeps’. I had to look it up. Imagine my surprise when I found it fitted two of the above categories. Peeps (plural only) (now slang) People; often especially (with personal pronoun), one's friends or associates. [from 19th c.]

About jewellery – or is it health?

As everyone knows (boringly) I suffer from migraines. Kay (A Georgia Girl with an English Heart) suggested a possible remedy that I haven’t tried before – a copper bangle. My grandmother wore one for her rheumatism and I have used one for my neurological pains but had the problem that it turned my skin green. Nevertheless, I determined to give it a try. This was what I bought.

It turned my skin green for a few hours but that disappeared after a day and has not recurred. As soon as Partner-who-loves-tea saw this bangle she decided it was too good for a mere Man and threatened to acquire it so I had to point out it was for health purposes or I would have lost it! (I’ve now bought her one as well!).

I also bought a second one with magnets. Magnets are another thing I’ve tried but the elastic that kept the magnetic haematite stones together kept breaking and I gave up without giving it a fair trial.

No prizes for guessing what happened when Partner-who-loves-tea saw this one? Having wrenched it back it has now gone on the other wrist. I shall keep you informed of progress.

On Being Geographically Challenged

(Don’t tell Partner-who-loves-tea I blogged this!)

I have a ‘To-Do’ list which grows like Topsy. Occasionally something occurs that moves things up or down the priority within the list.

Partner-who-loves-tea has difficulty with directions, maps and (her real hatred) diversions and road closures. In fact, she pretty much needs a satnav to get to bed. Whenever she is going somewhere new outside of Merseyside I have to do a map for her. I was reminded of this the other day when I saw a note on my To-Do list that said ‘Map for Trentham Gardens’ because she may be going to this stately home with some of her students. But it’s still a couple of weeks off so I casually mentioned ‘I must do that Trentham Gardens map some time’.

The worst words I can hear are – ‘I think it may be all right. I’ve got a reasonable idea where it is.’ In this case she followed it up by ‘I can visualise the sign on the road. We went there last year didn’t we?’

‘Er No. I’ve never been there in my life,’ I responded.

A debate then ensued. The final clincher after a few back and forth squabbles of as minor nature was her comment ‘It’s just by Knutsford, isn’t it?’

Knutsford, for those folk who live in faraway places, is in north Cheshire – the county we live in – and is 32 miles away. (Nearby is a stately home called Tatton Park!) Trentham Gardens is in south Staffordshire – the next county – and is 65 miles away. I think I’d better get that map done soon.

(Mind you, her colleague managed an even better one when he used his satnav and entered the wrong option of two similarly named villages. He ended up in Staffordshire when he should have been in North Wales, 52 miles away.)

And Darn Old Fools...

A friend sent me a brief e-mail recently and at the end mentioned she had to go and cook dinner. I saw the words ‘Darn old fool getting in my way of blog life’. I thought - that’s no way to refer to her husband’s need to be fed! Then I realised it was my eyes the words were ‘Darn old food...’ Good job I went back and read it again!

 Hope you're having a good week-end and that it continues in a similar vein.