Hello darlin can you shut the back door? It's the window cleaner. My first brush with humanity after retiring with this hideous headache. I go and check my purse to see that I have the right cash for him. My cash normally goes on him or fish and chips, the last £20 went on that, £30 for three fish and chips, no longer cheap (to be metered out between four.
Living with a ginnel between the houses is a surprise for me. It can be choked for instance with all the stuff they are taking out of the house which is being renovated, or builder's vans or even cars. Cars are somewhat frowned upon and little altercations will go on. The man in charge of the flats over the way was upset by the car that had parked in front of his row of dustbins. So he carefully moved the dustbins in front of the car. The car man still went on parking in the ginnel after he had moved the dustbins, then Lillie put a note on the gate which said obviously 'Please do not park in front of the Gate. The car has gone, we feel guilty of course.
Guilt to my mind is a peculiar pleasure we indulge ourselves in. I can feel guilty about many things past or present. It is a foolish emotion. And yes it doesn't worry me being addressed as 'darlin', it is the window cleaner's way of speaking and as I fork out the money for five minutes of work, I think this is also justified as well, keeping the wheels of work going around.
I don't think we will go back to the High Streets we once knew, or to cash for all our goods. Though I suspect there will be some trades who will still take 'cash in hand' but that is the way of the world.
Why do I get such headaches, and why do I know they will eventually get better around three in the afternoon. It's the weather and that high pressure which has once again moved in. Yesterday I listened to Kevin Anderson spelling out the physics of why we are going through climate change. I choose to listen to him but (and this is so important when you listen to other people) I willingly also let my skepticism rule. He was fascinating in his political talk as well. As a professor he chose to work one day a week, he was happy with his £28,000 annual salary for work done. He was happy with the flat he had. In other words he had made peace with his world. And more important allowed the new change in. Alas shocking news ;) ;) he had done some work for Burnham as well. So we will see if the two oil fields come on line or not.
Ginnel is a new word for me -- not one I'd heard before. (I looked it up so I know what it is now!) I do try to support our high street where I can, but I'm happy to say farewell to cash.
ReplyDeleteYes it is much easier, except of course when the fish and chip shop and the window cleaner can only take cash. I shall have to go and look up Tracy's snickelway as well. Thelmax
DeleteLots of ginnels up here in Yorkshire, Steve and even the odd snickleway or two!
ReplyDeleteWell according to Wikipedia Tracy it is a fairly modern word, snickleways, applied to York city many little back lanes. Needs more investigation. Thelmax
DeleteThat's interesting. I have a book on York's snickleways and had always assumed it was a Viking word.
Delete'Snican' in A/S means sneaking along but that is all I can find. Except of course Lemony Snicket, and that is used by an American author.
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DeleteI meant to say that I was visiting my daughter and off for an explore. I got turned around and had to ask for directions. The man referred to a snicker, and I was ridiculously tickled to hear a word I had only read about on Cro's blog. The gentleman must have thought I was a fool!
DeleteUgh! *snicket!
DeleteIt doesn't sound a very good word Debby. You almost have to say it through your teeth. Have you listened to Cody Vail, an American on living in Britain. He enjoys it by the way, as he travels the very dangerous streets of our towns and tries to unravel our sarky tongues. Sarky = sarcastic.
DeleteI too had to look up ginnel. It's such a localised word, although it seems spread by Coronation Street. Being called darlin', darls or luv totally relaxes me. Where I buy my coffee on my weekly shopping day, the Italian born woman calls me what sounds like bella but I think for men it is bello.
ReplyDeleteYes some people, especially feminists, bristles with indignation at the familiar tone Andrew. But such places as the ginnel are not owned by the council but their upkeep is left to residents. Our ginnel still shows the original cobble stones but with tarmac laid here and there. Thelmax
ReplyDeleteGinnel was a new word for me, too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about headaches and the weather. I always say I'm like a giant barometer and can know when a storm is moving into the area because of my headaches.
Death would have been preferable yesterday Ellen, but it seems to have cleared today.
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