Nope. Sat in the office today, and SWMBO has got me doing other stuff this w/e. Its probably the last decent warm weather, and I'm driving a bloody removal van. Shucks.
Maybe I should count myself lucky if there are bad omens about
<font color=blue>Jeremy Flynn/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif Dawn Chorus</font color=blue>
Do'nt know! But as a wee laddie I used to spend my summers on the fishing boats in Scotland and these two words were taboo as was whistling.
In later years I spent a lot of time climbing in Portland(Dorset) where the word rabbit again was taboo, the story goes there that the rabbits used to burrow underneath the props holding up cliff thingies and they would then drop and dump on the poor unfortunate quarrier.
True story: Heading for St Malo on Brit ferrys' 'Bretagne' last summer, I went to the on board shop to get some new batteries. 'No sir, we dont stock Duracells' ' Why ever not?' ' They have a picture of a rabbit on the packaging, and the crew refused to sail with them aboard'
'And sir, please dont shout 'lapins' again - the older hands are quite serious about it....'
Oh and yes, I did go out for a sail yesterday, not beleiving in superstitious nonsense about numbers and days of the week... fabulous day, lovely breeze, just right.
I work on a Norwegian registered ship, & the Noggies are mad about unlucky superstitions
Horses, Women, Whistling, Rucksacks, Umbrellas.
After one particularly long dry-docking in Bergen when the ship had acquired numerous umbrellas onboard. The transit accross the Atlantic had the vessel manager sacrificing these objects to the seismic gods from the Bridge wing on a daily basis. Of course we only let them out of hiding in dribs and drabs, usually carried in a rucksack while whistling the theme to Black Beaty, Anything to push him over the edge really. - No women though.
PS. Does anyone know how to post a picture on these forums, We've just taken some photos of the Vietnamese fishermen where were currently working, & these guys bring a whole new meaning to 'no frills' boating. Unbelievable.
DON'T EVER MENTION THE BL**DY LONG EARED MONSTERS AGAIN.
In the old days, when the ships were made of wood and the man of steel, they used to take them animals with them for food.
On one journey, the food ran out. In as much that the crew started stealing the food from the animals.
Now, you should know that the teeth of rodents grow continously. So they have to keep gnawing. So the blighters chewed right through the wooden posts and frames, ultimately sinking the ship with all hands lost.
So in the future, please refer to them as "underground racing horses".
BTW: every time you light a cigarette from a candle, a seaman dies.
I don't know about underground race horses et al. Personally, I find the words "isn't it a lovely day - the wind is just right" strike fear into my heart every time SWMBO uses them.
Recently I've been able to cut her off in time.
Otherwise rain, high seas and wind on the nose ensue - mind you - no change there then!
Heard another one on Radio 4 last night. If glasses chink, apparently it is the done thing in some circles to say "Save a sailor." Its to do with the bell like sound .. did'nt quite hear the total story though.