I have my computer back, hopefully unsullied by wicked Russians getting into my files. Actually, statement here, there is nothing worth stealing in them!
What a maelstrom of things popping up in the bottom right-hand corner, most of which was my computer shouting help. McAfee and Microsoft Edge kept flying through. Andrew of course sorted it, glad that I had not pressed the button on anything. Don't press the X or 'ignore' they are all lethal.
We had gnocchi last night and it provoked the following question this morning, is 'gn' old English? Well consonant clusters are very rare at the beginning of a word in our language but apparently there are about 70 gn words in our vocabulary.
gn- consonant cluster at the head of some words; the -g- formerly was pronounced. Found in words from Old English (gnat, gnaw), in Low German, and Scandinavian as a variant of kn- (gneiss), in Latin and Greek (gnomon, gnostic) and representing sounds in non-Indo-European languages (gnu).
All this because I never know whether to start with the 'n' or 'g'. The meal was good, mixed with several peppers and tomatoes. I love the way language forms of itself with the intermingling of different nations. Dalrymple captures it in his book 'The Golden Road' Trade by India with the Romans is captured and exchange of goods brings beautiful silver and gold ware to different countries. religions become modified too suit as emigres settle and take on new ways.
Also been reading Horatio Clare's 'Truant', it seems to cover his drug-taking years. Lots of dreamy eyed narrative. The one that made me laugh was the taking of a dog's medicine tablets. Horatio nicked a couple of these Ketamine tablets but with his friends was not sure how to take them!
The drug was explained to me by my daughter it is an anti-depressant but has a psychoactive effect on the brain. My ignorance amazes me sometimes, though I can tell you about skunk, being very strong and addictive and that the Fentanyl drug has pretty drastic effects on one muscles, and ends up in the 'fentanyl fold' .
But enough, both books are fascinating, they explain things to me ;( Is there any political news to pull apart. Farage is 'selling off' his share in the Reform Party, in fact I think today they are having a party meeting. And he is not going to do surgeries in a local office for fear that he might be attacked like his good friend in America. We all know that Farage doesn't give a hang about his constituency and will be up and away in America supporting another rogue.
You seem to know rather a lot about drugs!
ReplyDeleteI remember an excellent TV series "The Story of English" that traced the influences in the development of the language. One bit I've never forgotten was how a single Yorkshire Dale could people with different languages in isolated farms, and that they had to find ways to communicate.
I live with an up to date family Tasker, but that doesn't mean they take drugs. If I had my life over again I would definitely go for an English degree course. Most of our language influence comes from the North and the East I believe, then of course the Normans moved in. That is fascinating about different languages within a small space. We forget of course that travel by foot or horse took a long time. Paired with self-sufficiency people did not have to move out of their immediate environment.
ReplyDeleteHow disappointing that Gn did not mean gin.
ReplyDeleteI understand that ketamine is quite a good party drug if used in small measures.
Fentanyl is a very bad drug and I think in some countries, you whistle and I'll point, has been over prescribed, leading to addiction.
Thanks for the latest Farage news. Not everything that happens in the UK is reported here.
Sorry for the disappointment Andrew. Well whether my news reporting would escape judgement I don't know but there it is.
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