This afternoon I visited my sister Tracey (pic top left) at her home in the gloriously named East Sussex village of Upper Dicker. My other sister, Sheena (top right) had travelled down from Saffron Walden too with her partner Alan and my God-daughter Zoe. I don't see either of them very often at the moment which is far more my fault than theirs. I took Gio with me, which was a bit of a risk as he is not very good with children normally. Well, actually he hates them. I used to be known to my nieces as Uncle Herod. Well, if there is a dog equivalent of Herod, Gio is it. But he was on surprisingly good behaviour.Now I'm back home I suppose I'd better get all the stuff prepared for Bournemouth. Hmmm. 3 fringe meeting speeches to write and God knows what else. Later.
Give Rick Stein his dog back!!!
ReplyDeleteHe needs a muzzle.... but enough about Iain. Boom Boom!
ReplyDeleteI find it endearing that when people get their pet's photo taken, they always try to hold the pet at what they think is its best angle. We all want other people to think our pet is a little star!
ReplyDeleteThat is a sweet little dog, Iain. I'm a cat person myself. But I like dogs, too.
Why don't your sisters look pleased to see you Iain ?
ReplyDeleteUpper Dicker is pretty good , on our Cornish holiday I noticed `Brown Willy `the mysterious hill whose foreboding grandeur looms over North Cornwall. I was able to resist the challenge of mounting Brown Willy but I gather it is very often visited by those wishing to sample the wild pleasures of this magnificent promontory. My wife and I were able to take Brown Willy in on the way the Eden Project and resolved that we would sit upon its apex when the next opportunity arose…….
ReplyDelete(enough ?)
Please Iain,
ReplyDeleteStick your pocket tape recorder into Cameron's ear and 'blog' some sense into him!
All we need is to get this smug bunch of lefty twits out of the way, and perhaps then we can start building Britain again!
Enjoy Bournemouth - the BICC is the best place to get this country realising what we have lost over the last several years.
Last chance saloon?
Lend Gio to David Cameron during the Party Conference and ensure he bites a few children on camera - that will bring an end to 'Hug A Hoodie' comments. Keep your sisters out of sight. They look far too friendly.
ReplyDeleteGio should be kept on hand at 18 Doughty Street. Cannot afford to be seen as too friendly. We are Conservatives, you know.
ReplyDeleteA friend used to live in Willey Furnace. Willey is a small hamlet near Ironbridge. There is a Lord of the Manor there too - Lord Forester of Willey.
ReplyDeleteWhere I used to live - Much Wenlock - there is a brook that runs through the town called Shit Brook.
Evening Iain,
ReplyDeleteI normally allow at least three hours to drive to Bournemouth (from near T.Wells). You will be slightly faster in your Audi no doubt.
You can always get a cup of coffee on the A27 at the Little Chef after Arundel, but quite frankly, I prefer to do the trip in one, and relax a bit when I get there.
Why am I telling you this?
Because we are all rooting for a proper blog when you get there.
Safe journey anyway!
More Brown Willy
ReplyDeleteOn Bodmin Moor beside the swelling folds of Brown Willy lies Rough Tor or Rough as the Locals call it . ( honestly). After Rough ,Brown Willy and Heather until one could take no more .I felt a like a visit to nearby Weak St. Mary . I couldn`t say why exactly
Dunno whether this is germaine. I am curretnly undergoing an intensive Anthony Trollope education. Read 5, perhaps 20 to go. He has the most interesting names for Lords...Lords Fawn, Mount Fidgety, Auld Reekie, Dukes of Omnium and St. Bungay, not to mention Messrs. Toogood, Twentyman and Gotobed.
ReplyDeleteBTW, anybody know of good/interesting Trollope fan net communities?
DICKER is still used in American law..one of the requirements for a contract to be valid (at least prior to rise of legal realism) was that the parties "dickered"..bargained back and forth...
ReplyDeleteThis is all incredibly solemn, sober and non-controversial, isn't it Iain. Just how you like it no doubt. That piccy of you and your dog just screams Rick Stein, somehow, except he's straight.
ReplyDeleteYour sisters must be really pissed off with you.
Injured cyclist
ReplyDeleteWRONG WRONG WRONG
Your etymological excavations on the name Dicker are convincingly disputed by the German School of linguists which, unfortunately, I only have in the original High German so bear with me …the derivation suggested is as follows
` An exhortation to the husband to perform at his best in the nuptial chamber ` -This usage was retained as an archaic form at English May Festivals. We read that, amidst the merry wassailing; young men and women were often spied disappearing into the bushes. `Dicker` `Dicker` the peasants would cry with a the carefree bawdy of the age, and in celebration of the fruitfulness of the season
The origins of Cockermouth are not dissimilar and in parts of the West Country the close association of Cock and Mouth still has a resonance in idiomatic speech to this day.
I was reminded of this fossilised ancient form by Iain dale
Passages full of rich linguistic rootedness are contained in his polling item today. For example `….hard for it. It's now time for David Cameron to ram it down their throats. `… Yes indeed, his use of the English `tongue` is a flickering pleasure is it not
I can think of one contributor who is no doubt already quivering with anticipation at the prospect of receiving David Cameron’s `substance` at Bournemouth.
A few people on here would obviously appreciate this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Rude-Britain-Rudest-Place-Names/dp/0752225812
`I can think of one contributor who is no doubt already quivering with anticipation at the prospect of receiving David Cameron’s `substance` at Bournemouth.`
ReplyDeleteYou mean Adrain Yalland?
Actually, I think Iain had Gio all posed with Gio looking handsomely and alertly at the camera and Iain gave the nod to the photographer and in the millisecond it took to press the shutter, Gio spotted a child.
ReplyDeleteTsk Tsk! Politicians who exploit their family for photo opps.
ReplyDeleteWho said there's no totty left in the Tories????
It should be muzzled. Gio, that is.
ReplyDeleteVery attractive ladies you have as sisters Iain!
ReplyDeleteI stil think some of the Dorset place names are great - Piddlehapmton, and a group of villages called 'The Slaughters' are my favourites!
uk pundit - If you had read the comments of others instead of being so eager to gift us with your witticism, you'd have seen that this was Comment No 2.
ReplyDeleteIs noone going to say how funny I am .. ? If I don`t start getting a bit more appreciation round here I am not going be funny ever again .I `m not joking I mean it.
ReplyDeleteNever .
And in Worcestershire can be found Wyre Piddle and Bell End.
ReplyDelete