Greetings all. I’m a bit stumped for original questions this week. But that never stopped me.
- What and why would you like to be named, if you weren’t named whatever you’re named now? Do you see yourself as a Florence? A Lawrence? A Mike? A Moira? Or are you happy as you are?
- Superstitions. Do you have any? Or are they just a load of baloney?
- Potatoes, or pasta?
- Aged P, or Aged Parent, was a brilliantly observed and comic character in Charles Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations’. Do you have any favourite memorable characters from books, films, or comics?
- What is your idea of a perfect day?
Have fun, I will probably think of some much better questions tomorrow.
The 'Spill 
What and why would you like to be named, if you weren’t named whatever you’re named now? Do you see yourself as a Florence? A Lawrence? A Mike? A Moira? Or are you happy as you are?
I’m pretty much happy as I am. I do wish that some people didn’t drop the letter E from the end of my name, though.
Superstitions. Do you have any? Or are they just a load of baloney?
Baloney
Potatoes, or pasta?
Both. It all depends on what the rest of the meal contains.
Aged P, or Aged Parent, was a brilliantly observed and comic character in Charles Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations’. Do you have any favourite memorable characters from books, films, or comics?
I have lots of favourite memorable characters. I’ve mentioned Nancy Blackett from “Swallows and Amazons” quite recently, but I’ve always loved the Elven Queen Galadriel in “The Lord of the Rings” and in “Vanity Fair” is, in my opinion probably the greatest female character in 19th century literature. There are so many others, though.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
Being somewhere in southern France in the summer with my partner and the dogs. A lazy outdoor breakfast, followed by visiting somewhere beautiful. After that, stopping off to buy some interesting wine and things to eat and a nice walk in the quiet countryside or along a river bank. All rounded off by an al fresco evening meal with oysters, ham and other charcuterie, a nice salad with ripe tomatoes, crusty bread, good cheese, wine and something delicious from a patisserie to finish the meal and more wine to while away the warm, dark evening, listening to cicadas.
That perfect day sounds… perfect. Although I might have to pass on the oysters.
I love oysters, but N doesn’t.
To be fair, I haven’t tried them. I do eat seafood but I just don’t fancy oysters. I may be missing a treat.
That does sound like a perfect day to me too.
2. My mother used to have lots of superstitions (not wearing green was chief among them) which she thought were ‘fun’ and I thought were really annoying. Nevertheless, I still say, ‘Hello Mr Magpie, how are you today,’ when I see a single magpie. This actually wasn’t one of hers, I think one of my children introduced me to it.
3. Pasta!
4. I can’t think of an anwer to this one, sorry.
5. September 2919, went to Barmouth, beautiful place with lovely views of the mountains & the estuary. Watched some Morris Dancers with their silly dachshund which barked throughout the entire performance, had lunch, went on the mini train to Fairbourne, came back on the normal railway, wandered around the town and the harbour. That was pretty perfect, however, an absolutely perfect day would probably involve a meal at a posh restaurant, and possibly a swim earlier in the day. Oh, and maybe watching a really good play in the evening which might mean that I’d have to rush that posh meal or at least start it early!
I meant, 2019!! Obviously!
LTS is known by his middle name, he didn’t even realise it was his middle name until he started school! And Barmouth is lovely, although I don’t remember it without rain.
Definitely a lovely sunny day when I went to Barmouth on the occasion mentioned, and I can recall another sunny, if very windy, visit some years earlier. It’s quite a long drive from where I live, so although it’s still a day trip, it doesn’t happen that often, and it wouldn’t be attempted unless the weather was fine!
I switched to using my first name in my early twenties, perhaps I should’ve made clear. As to fictional characters, I may think of one later but couldn’t do so immediately.
One: I’m quite happy with my name, in its shortened form, despite the occasional confusion it has led to when shared by women I’ve known/worked with and the ease with which the ‘h’ can be omitted when written. Not even my Mum used the long form. I can’t think what name I’d be happier with; certainly not my middle one.
Two: I have found myself ‘touching wood’ (oo err missus!) when hoping for something to go right but I think that’s just social conditioning. Looking back from this great age, I reckon I’ve been fairly lucky without superstitious precautions: I was born after the last great war in an English-speaking liberal democracy, with the right brain to jump on and ride the early days of the computer revolution and the consequent earning power to get out before the internet turned evil and controlled by amoral tech bros.
Three: I think the variety of ways potatoes can be cooked knocks pasta into a cocked hat, although the prep and cooking process can be resource- and time-consuming. The roast potato can be sublime; pasta is just flour and water in different shapes….. but so damned convenient!
Four: I’m sure there are many characters I’ve loved. Bella in Poor Things (as portrayed by Emma Stone) is probably the most recent.
Five: One in which I get to laugh a lot, enjoy some sunshine and music, have a joint or three and ‘discover the wonders of nature’, as mentioned in Sugar Magnolia.
My roast potatoes are grand. I could eat them all day. In fact one of my questions was going to be ‘what would you choose as your last meal?’, but I thought it was a bit morbid. But my own roast potatoes are a contender.
Suspersitions : I always formally say hello to magpies, but even though i’ve see families of five and six,I’ve never rushed to buy a lottery ticket. So that theory remains untested.
I always put my right shoe on first. This is from a Charlie Brown comic strip. His sister, Sally, tells him to hurry up as their baseball game is due to start. Charlie says he’s doing his shoes, always the right one first for luck. But we always loose, she replies.
She returns later to ask him why he didn’t show up for the game, which is over and which they won.
Charlie is still sat there in the dark holding up his two shoes looking puzzled.
So I’m not sure if its for luck or not.
Perfect day : A few years back we had a holiday up near Bamburgh. The site had a few cottages and a swimming pool. Every morning our lad woke ridiculously early – cock-crow time – so we had a pre-breakfast swim each day. Then out for walk along vast long ( fairly empty ) beaches, usually picnicing in amonst sand dunes. One walk was from Bamburgh to the next twon of Seahouses. There we played crazy golf which he loves because there’s a Mr Bean episode about crazy golf. Then sat on a bench eating fish & chips, with mushy peas and tea. Then the walk back to wherever we parked to put on wet-suits and dash off to the ice cold sea.
Back to the holiday house for tea, a sing along to Never Smile at a Crocodile and then Dumbo on the DVD.
He laughed no=-stop the whole week. So perfect.
and Spuds, ta
Northumberland is beautiful , I spent a windy week on Lindisfarne a few years ago with my friend Val and the dogs. Lots of walking, birds, sea and sand. And hay fever, but it was worth it. And I admit to saluting solitary magpies because we get loads here. They sit on the guttering, when we open the curtains in the morning you can see their tails hanging down.
I’m happy being a Stephen or a Steve although many years ago a girlfriend took an inexplicable dislike to the abbreviated version and used to tell people off if they called me by it. In recent hears some people have taken to calling me Stevie which I rather like.
They are all baloney although, if irrational compulsions count, I have dozens of them
Pasta (or rice, or couscous) for proper recipes out of my vegan cook book. Spuds as an accompaniment if I am reverting to my pescatarian default or I’ve been surfing the meatless (but not plastic packaging-less) section of Sainsbury’s.
Book wise, it’s still probably Jennings and Darbishire as mentioned before. Or maybe Ignatius J. Reilly from the book A Confederacy of Dunces who I wouldn’t want to meet or be like but he’s certainly an unforgettable character. Film wise it’s either Amelie or the two young women in The Dream Life of Angels.
I can’t be very original with this one. Like most of the others it would have to involve sunshine, beautiful surroundings, the sea, freshly prepared food and some good company. In my case Kefalonia would do nicely. A trip round the island during the day and supper at a taverna.
I didn’t like my first name when I was young. Partly because Alisons were two a penny at school. I fancied something short and boyish, like Kay, in The Box of Delights. Or Kit. But after 65 years I don’t mind it anymore, although Al or Ali are preferable. But my brother is Al, so it gets confusing.
It’s funny how names seem to come in clusters. Stephen was the most popular boys; name for the year I was born.
And in the late seventies when I worked for Kensington Libraries, I was one of three Stephens/Stevens in the Central lending library. And we had three women all called Lesley. If we went for a drink (or a Pizza) after work, one of the other Stevens would sometimes invite his two friends, also called Steven. The others all had nicknames (one was “Smudger” as his surname was Smith) or were just called by their surnames but as I was first in I never was.
My dad said he wanted to call me Sweet Pea, so it could have been much worse 😕
I think it all depends on what’s popular on TV when the child is born
I’ve known so many Daves they have all ended up with nicknames to distinguish them – much more fun than surnames : Dave Trainer, Big Dave , Dave the Rave , Dave Man, Unicycle Dave (an alternative for one of the other Daves that never stick but I like it) , Aerial Dave (likewise) etc etc
It’s the same on the allotment, upper Dave, sideways Dave etc. Even LTS’s real name is Dave although he doesn’t use it. But all the other blokes are John (his name) so it doesn’t help.
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Name. In UK and online people call me Tin or Tinny. In Canada I’m Don. I think that’s enough names.
Superstitions are mostly a load of baloney. I don’t walk under ladders though, but that’s because it’s dumb. The bad luck could be a hammer or tin of paint falling on your head.
Potatoes
Memorable character? James Wormold (Our Man In Havana)
Perfect day? Walking in Memphis
But do you really feel the way you feel? 😉
🤣
he he
I’ve always thought of you as ‘Ton’, as in ‘Brighton’, but now I know better!
I always put the left shoe on first and it has never once occurred to me that there was any other way of doing it. I don’t have any superstition about it. It would just feel weird to do it the other way round. And I’m right handed, for whatever that is worth.
Probably my middle name (James) and have thought of using this with new aquaintances but then it would get confusing as to who knew me by what name!
My Dad was known to all by (the shortened version of) his middle name – Fred – for most of his life yet, in his later years (85+!), he decided to use his first name – also James – instead. It made for some confusing times for people and led to a quandary about how to present his name on a memorial plaque…….
My father went by his middle name, Clive. Said he hated his first name, which was Edward. Always seemed a bit of an odd preference.
LTS is a fan of Jack Reacher, too.
Other names? I’m happy with Ben, but my children call me Bean, which I like too.
Superstition? I have the 7” single of Stevie Wonder’s Supersitition, but don’t think I have any others.
Potatoes. As others have said, a highly versatile food. I’m particularly partial to sautéed and Hasselback.
Favourite memorable characters. Widmerpool in A Dance to the Music of Time – not a likeable character, but I like how he turns up unexpectedly in so many different situations. I was dancing at an open-air après bar high up on a mountain in the French alps yesterday, and at one point I turned to my daughter and said “This is the sort of moment where Widmerpool would suddenly appear”.
Perfect day. Yesterday was a pretty much perfect day – sun, snow, good company, beer, dancing.
Mr. Bean?
I hope that wasn’t the inspiration!
where were you yesterday?
Trois Vallées in the French Alps.
Left to my own devices
iPhone or android?
I thought black cats were lucky, so it just shows it is all baloney
Hawk! Now THAT’S cool.
There exist a fairly large # of guys around my age who go by ancient nicknames. It was a thing. I’m thankful my Uncle was kind with mine.
Damn fine name, Sam 😉
I read it for O Level English Lit.
I read that and Hard Times at A Level , but I’ve never ready any other Dickens.
My O Level experience of Dickens meant that I never read anything by him until I was in my 30s, when I read Bleak House, Hard Times and Little Dorrit. Not read any since, though.
On reflection probably the most memorable character from a film for me is Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver – not sure what that says about me. I don’t think of him as a hero though, although some seem to. For a more light-hearted version there’s also Rupert Pupkin from King of Comedy.
I chose my current name when I went to university, but that is the beauty of having a long name, many variants. My parents recently revealed that I was almost known by my middle name which I am pleased they didn’t do to me. I think of June as a dinner lady name (nothing wrong with dinner ladies and I have the arms for it now), and I don’t think it would have suited me.
My life is not ruled by superstitions, but touching wood for luck, greeting magpies, not putting shoes on a table or crossing on stairs… there has been a lot of it about. My grandfather believed that if you brought blackthorn blossom inside someone in the house would die shortly afterwards, but that did happen in his childhood, so fair enough.
Potatoes. Having two children who could exist soley on pasta, I am thoroughly bored of cooking it, trying to make it interesting and eating it.
Reverting to type, Neil Gaiman’s Death character from the Endless family of Sandman is quite inspirational from a comic, as a child I was much enamoured by Dido Twite the heroine of Joan Aitken’s book and from a film probably Dorothy from the Wizaed of Oz.
My perfect day includes no alarm clock, a walk in countryside without rain, a swim in the Cornish sea and a lot of earl grey tea.
I love Earl Grey tea. It’s all Yorkshire Tea up here which is basically builder’s tea 🙄 so Earl Grey is my treat.