Happy 2011
I hope you had a fun/ peaceful/ eventful in the right ways start to the New Year.
I was going to write a piece about my new years resolutions and how I never keep them ( and I probably will still do that tomorrow) but I am really over it right now. No one is around, everyone is doing their New Years recovery so I shall do the same.
I will divulge a Vanstone tradition/ superstition on the way out though. We Vanstones are a very superstitious lot. (This comes from my Gran, God rest her soul, who had a litany of superstitions she practiced. While I logically know these superstitions are silly, out of respect for her I still observe them.)
Essentially you cannot wash your clothes on New Years Day less you wash a relative away (ie a relative will die). Now my family has practiced this all my life and my grandparents before them. I looked up on the internet where this came from but no clue there. Logically I know it makes no sense either.
However, my sister-in-law firmly believes that the whole thing is codswallop and, in a flagrant act of living on the edge and flaunting her disbelief, she has deliberately washed her family’s clothes on New Years Day.
My mother is looking at funeral plans for herself.
Away For A Bit 
That is very funny.
I think it was probably and excuse so that the woman of the household could have a day off!
Hi Nigel ,Kerrie here , writing from Sheryl’s computer in Tassie.I have been reading her the blogs since I have been down here and she and I have been having a really good laugh. She hasn’t received any blogs and so could not have possibly replied to them.So when I roused on her for not doing so that was the reason why.Now that she is aware and I have put her in the loop, you may just get a reply or two from her, but it won’t be anywhere nearly as consistant as mine. I am having a lovely time down here, and have bought you a gift, which should keep you perky until I catch up with you. I feel lke I have been “wagging” since I have been down here as I haven’t repied to the other blogs, but you can bet that I have been reading with glee.Keep up the good work….. P.S sorry to hear about the poor bird, and by the way they are called magpies!!!!Anyway darling, I must away , and I promise I will be more diligent apon my return to Adelaide .Happy New Year to you and I look forward to a real live catch up soon ….Love Kerrie xx Sheryl also sends her love xx
I have noticed your (and JW) absence keenly. It’s all good though. The stats over the last few days have been in the toilet. I think everyone is doing New Years madness and fair enough too.
I look forward to your return. We are planning a Royle Family night with Future Wife No 1 and MsDunn.
And it wasn’t a magpie!!!! Why does everyone keep saying that?! I know what a magpie is. The state bird. Bit of a clue. No, this was the grey one. If it had been NC I would have known the name for it. Thats spooky
Love to Cheryl.
Washing clothes. Phooey. On a related subject, if women had invented irons better, they would have been matte black and revved up. Then men would have thought they were power tools and forbidden our use of them. That’s my theory.
PS I do wash clothes, of course! Just not on holidays. Not ’cause I’m superstitious (and yes, Nigel, I’ve never heard of this particular one, either), but because I like a day off from the “oh, I should get up and …” voice in my head.
We are at no loss for superstitions here as well. We spent the new Year’s weekend at the lake house packed with people, alcohol, food, alcohol, DVD’s, alcohol, and curled up with electric blankets on the screened in porch. The fog rolled down the main channel and we were incased. It felt like Rivendale!
But back to the superstitions: My neighbor Ricky, and, at least one other neighbor across the cove, and me all shot our rifles into the air at midnight to scare away evil spirits from 2011. Morning came and breakfast was eggs, grits, bacon, and biscuits. Brunch brought the classic New Year’s meal: collards to signify paper money prosperity, black eyed peas to signify coin prosperity, roast pork (as a pig moves forward – never backward), signifying progress for the coming year, and friends present to ensure no loneliness.
I am in awe that you didn’t shoot Ricky.
Funny you should mention that but while I was googling the reason for the washing, I came across the collard and black eyed peas superstition and wondered if you had done that.
Where did the bullets come down?
Lord knows. I’m hoping they fired over the lake.
He didn’t kill Ricky, this is the impressive thing.
My family has a million of ’em… But on New Year’s Day we don’t do ANY cleaning, not just wash. We also say ‘rabbit rabbit rabbit’ on the first day of every month – for good luck.
Seriously dudey, you just leaped in my estimation.
That is superb