Murky mornings provide moody images, so we extended the post office run briefly.
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It has been many months since we had a morning like this and the gloom seems set to continue for the foreseeable future.
However I like the look of wet trees in late autumn.
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Especially when there is mist for them to loom out of.
Such a good word loom.
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As we drove along, I shot pictures here and there as I perceived them. Often I have but a split second to make the attempt and far too often at such crucial moments, the camera decides not to cooperate.
So this morning it got called a rude word.
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Grant chuckled:
“When people ask what sort of camera you have I tell them it’s a – expletive.”
(No, he doesn’t. Nobody asks.)
This reminded me of the time my mother inadvertently let a rude word slip out.
Living in Vientiane, a very long time ago, supplies were hard to come by, so shipments of frozen food were brought in. The British Embassy had large freezers from which we could collect what we needed once our own fridge had room.
One day I went with Mum who stood pondering:
“Oh,” she said with a sigh, “I’ve still got that sodding turkey!”
Whereupon the embassy clerk nearly fell in the freezer – with the sodding bird.
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Back at home I mentioned to Mum that the embassy chap had seemed a little shocked to hear her use such an adjective. “I didn’t!” she protested.
Mum actually very seldom swore. It was my father who used colourful language.
When you hear it often, perhaps you become immune to it.
Words may be used to construct lies or to deliberately hurt someone and in that way they have power, but words as adjectives are just empty air. If I am called a rude name, it hurts only if I allow it to.
“Sticks and stones will break my bones…” I remember being taught as a child.
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The best way to treat rude names is to let them roll off you and smile annoyingly . Easier said than done. It’s not nice to have someone insult you and all too often insults get thrown back.
When I am angry I get tongue-tied and splutter which is most unsatisfactory! Which is when I go away and bang things about.
My anger these days is reserved for politicians and there are no words rude enough for the people I have in mind, though they would not care in the very least.
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Thank you, Carolyn, for the amusing thoughts and the misty landscapes! I always thought that when you have a good command of language, you can find put-downs without swearing.
Joanna
I think my command of the English language is good and I have a pretty extensive vocabulary – substantially padded out by all the swear words I use on a daily basis 😉
We have November gloom in full effect. Constant rain, dark skies, lights on in the house at 3pm while we listen to the rain lashing the windows. I sometimes use expletives to show what I think of 12 hours of rain, but I have run out of new ones.
Best wishes, Pete.
On my first leave from the army, I swore (a single word) in front of Mum. She carried on as if nothing had happened, and that was the only time I swore in front of her. Despite being “an old soldier”, I am not given to swearing, unless I hit my thumb with a hammer!
When I was young, people who didn’t like me called me ginge and I hated it. These days, people who do like me call me ginge and I don’t mind at all. I guess it’s all about perception… and ‘loom’ really is an excellent word 🤣
It’s true, even when the day is misty, it still looks beautiful enough to take photos. I grew up in a town where most people had nicknames—probably because there were so many people with the same surname, and then the nickname indicated whom you were referring to. The nicknames were not necessarily derogatory, and some people even introduced themselves by their nickname. However, I was always careful about using nicknames, because I didn’t want to cause offense.