One White Foot -

Over Easter we were staying near Appleby in Westmoreland, the site of the Appleby Horse Fair, and wherever we looked, we saw horses. I have always loved horses and as a child fantasied about being able to ride bare backed, with my hair and the horse's mane flying, across vast tracts of land. As an adult (before children) I owned - firstly a driving pony called Oliver who had a personality bigger than his short stature and later a rather stupid chestnut with a ridiculous phobia of sparrows and sheep - I didn't keep him long as where we live, sheep and sparrows are a-plenty!

 One little saying that often runs through my head when I am looking at horses is 'One White Foot' which an old proverb about horse trading and it goes thus.

One white foot - buy him

Two white feet - try him

Three white feet - look well about him

Four white feet - go without him

From anecdotal research (I for years worked as a veterinary nurse) it appeared that there is an historic belief that white hooves were 'softer', more prone to cracking therefore rendering the horse as a liability rather than an asset and the black or darker hooves were harder and therefore stronger. 

The colouring of hooves is dictated primarily by the horse's pigmentation and both hoof colours can experience problems of splitting or cracking just as we either suffer or revel in our own finger nails (or in my case - the lack of them!)

But I find something charming about four white stocking legs - and the little chestnut pony was quite startled when I took his picture, as you can tell by the look on his face! 

Now, if you will excuse me, I have to dry Eldest's PE kit shirt with the hair dryer and get it to him in time for his PE lesson ....... no, please don't ask....

Have yourselves a lovely weekend, coz I certainly intend to!! 

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Goosey Goosey Gander....................

Another nursery rhyme that I love as it rolls off my tongue is Goosey Goosey Gander. It is one that can be chanted and skipped to or one that can be said with malice and intent. 

Childhood nursery rhyme books had pretty little drawings of geese, languishing women and comical men tripping down stairs. It is only as an adult I discovered some of the historical meanings behind the accident-prone old man and the  goose wandering around a woman's bedroom!

Goosey Goosey Gander whither shall I wander,

Upstairs, downstairs and in my lady's chamber

There I met an old man who wouldn't say his prayers,  

I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs.

Again a rhyme filled with history and representation, the earliest form is thought to date back to the 16th century.  

The lady's chamber mentioned refers to a room known as a 'Solar' which was an area in a castle that was used by the lord or lady as a bedroom. Originally it had been part of the hall  which was partitioned off from the hoi polloi to allow some privacy. 

During the 16th century, Catholic priests would have to hide to avoid persecution, performing ceremonies is secrecy within private households. Within these houses were built 'Priest Holes' which were bolt holes in which, during a zealous search, the priest could hide. 

It is thought that the reference to 'an old man who wouldn't say his prayers' is a Catholic priest praying (in forbidden Latin and not in English) with the lady of the household in the Solar. The line with the old man being thrown down the stairs by his 'left-leg' is also an indicator that he was a Catholic priest, as a 'left-footer' is used as a religious slur.

Cromwell's soldiers marched in 'goose step' which alludes to the first line of the rhyme. His Roundheads (soldiers) were used to search the houses for Catholic Priests and the line mentioning the man being thrown down stairs is a light reference to the fact both the priest and the family would more than likely be executed for their beliefs. 

Interesting, isn't it? That persecution, execution, subversion and suppression can be chanted happily by children without even knowing the origins!

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Also interesting is that recently friends decided to re-decorate their kitchen. This entailed pulling out the old units which exposed the original stone wall and plaster. Having done so, they discovered a part of their wall beneath their stone steps had some sort of secret covering. They knocked it down and discovered a 'man-sized' hole, just enough space to hide.......

Final bit of waffle - that photograph - I suffered..for..my..art..with..

those..birds.They insisted that I was worthy of a breakfast. Ouch.

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** My information has been garnered over the years, from books, the tinter, from amateur research and general curiosity - there is a lot more out there and this is only what I have learnt and discovered, if you know of a different version or slant, I would love to hear it. I am not out to offend any one!!

Jack be nimble.....

As a non English***, English speaking person, born and raised in the 'colonies', I find the English language incredibly interesting and quirky. It is a hybrid, a mongrel, a mixture, influenced through time. I love sounding the words in my mouth, I love investigating where words originate from and how they have evolved. I am a closet linguist. As a child was taught and listened to nursery rhymes and later as a mother recited the same rhymes to my children.

So, just for fun, I am going to share some of the things I have discovered............

Jack be nimble

Jack be quick

Jack jump over the candle stick

It seems to be most commonly agreed that Jack was Black Jack, a late 16th century English pirate who was notorious for eluding and escaping from the authorities.

However, the 'jumping over the candle stick' does have several origins accredited to it. Candle leaping was a 'sport' that folk used to play at some English fayres which had developed from an even older game of leaping over fires. This had been considered too dangerous and banned and was subsequently substituted by  candles.

Another theory goes back to lace-making school, where children were used as slave labour,  it was traditional to dance around candlestick used to light their workspace which eventually lead to jumping over the candle.

Candles were incredibly expensive at that time and while the wealthy could afford candles made of beeswax, the poor could only buy the cheaper candles made from tallow (animal fat). These candles gave off a poor light and an unpleasant smell while the very poorest people used rush lights, made by collecting, then peeling off the green outer layer of rushes. The inner tissue was then dipped in to animal fat.

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*** This statement caused a rather heated debate this morning - my heritage is English (as with all colony born people)  - our forefathers(and mothers!) originate from Europe but we tend to be fiercely proud of our country of birth, in my case Africa. Hence me me saying 'As a non English, English speaking person'.

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 This weekend was the village  garden festival, I will share photos and results tomorrow!

Hope your weekend was as sunny and warm as ours was :) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx