What is the Alphabet Club, I hear you ask? Well, it is the brainchild of Chiara from The Grey Tail and Jo from Serendipitous Stitching and is loosely based on the premise of the movie "The Breakfast Club" - you can see the button for The Alphabet Club on my right sidebar.
On the first Saturday of each month, members of the club have "detention" and have to post about something that will enlighten others about their culture (as blogland is so diverse). Of course, there should be something stitchy in there, if possible. Each month will be a different letter of the alphabet - hence the club's name - and, of course, we started with "A" and now we are up to "B"
So, "B" for me stands for Blue, like the Blue in my "B" from "A Stitcher's Alphabet" by Brookes Books.
Of course, we all know about feeling "blue" or having the "blues" when you are feeling down or sad or a bit depressed but here in Oz, the word Blue has some other connotations, as well.
Aussies will often talk about having a "Blue" with someone, this means a fight of some kind. It could be a physical fight or a verbal one or just a bit of a falling out with another person. It usually doesn't mean a drag down fistfight or a "I will never talk to them again fight". Usually things are patched up.
Here are some other meanings of the word, Blue, from the Australian National University:
bluey
The word bluey in Australian English has a variety of meanings. The most common is the swag (i.e. the collection of possessions and daily necessaries carried by a person travelling, usually on foot, in the bush) so called because the outer covering of the swag was traditionally a blue blanket (which is also called a bluey). The earliest citation in The Australian National Dictionary for bluey as a swag is 1878 where the bluey ishumped as it was by the itinerant bush worker tramping the wallaby track in the works of writers such as Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson.
This image (an Australian stereotype) is epitomised in The Australian National Dictionary's 1899 citation for bluey:
There's the everlasting swaggie with his bluey on his back who is striking out for sunset on the Never-never track. W.T. Goodge, Hits! Skits! and Jingles
The association of the swaggie and his bluey continues in the dictionary's most recent citation:
A swaggie suddenly appeared out of the bush, unshaven, with wild, haunted eyes, his bluey and billycan on his back. G. Cross, George and Widda-Woman (1981)
That bluey is later transferred to luggage in general, is perhaps not surprising in an urban society which romanticises its `bush' tradition:
Where's yer bluey? No luggage? J. Duffy, Outside Pub (1963)
In Tasmania, a bluey or Tasmanian bluey is:
a rough overcoat of blue-grey woollen, to be worn by those doing outdoor work during inclement weather. Canberra Times (19 Nov. 1982).
The word has been used to denote another item of clothing - denim working trousers or overalls - but the citation evidence indicates (the last citation being 1910) that this usage is no longer current.
More familiar is the use of bluey to describe a summons, especially for a traffic offence (originally printed on blue paper):
Imagine my shock upon returning to a bluey at the end of the day. Choice (2 April 1986)
Perhaps the most Australian use of bluey is the curious use of it to describe a red-headed person:
1936 A.B. Paterson, Shearer's Colt: `Bluey', as the crowd called him, had found another winner. (All red-haired men are called `Bluey' in Australia for some reason or other.)1978 R.H. Conquest, Dusty Distances: I found out later that he was a native of New South Wales, called ' Bluey because of his red hair - typical Australian logic.
A more literal use of bluey in Australian English is its application to fauna whose names begin with blue and which is predominantly blue in colour:
Source: Australian National Dictionary Centre (part of the Australian National University) http://andc.anu.edu.au/1961 Bulletin 31 May: We call them blue martins...Ornithologists refer to them as some species of wood swallow... They're all 'blueys' to us.
... and of course, who can forget that oh so Aussie cop show, "Bluey", starring Lucky Grills.
Anyway, enough from me on the word "Blue", it is Sunday morning here in Oz and I have the following plans for the day:
- Water aerobics at 9 am (Lucky Marie is in Christchurch on a mini holiday viewing the wonderful daffodils - so no walk with her this morning) Update: Done!
- Post this "B" post for The Alphabet Club (Update: Done!) PLUS post my FNwF/Friday Frolics post AND a sign up post for my latest idea for a SAL blog "Friday Frolics" PLUS choose a winner of the Christmas Ornie SAL August prize AND post about it on the SAL blog
- Household chores - hmm! not much fun but stuff needs to be done
- Bake some biscuits
- Visit lots of blogs
- Finish reading my book "V is for Vengeance" by Sue Grafton
- Lots and lots of stitching
- Frog Strawbery House (see FNwF/Friday Frolics post when it is up for an explanation)
- Cuddles with Furio and Milo and TraderVic, too, of course (we did our Father's Day stuff yesterday with DD - so I need to blog about that, too - aagghhh!)
- Try out a new salmon with an Asian soba noodle salad recipe for our dinner
- Try to get some rest, as well for a very busy week ahead!
What are you all up to?
Oops, nearly forgot, if you want to see what the other detainees have been up to, please visit The Grey Tail and click on the Blue Button.
Bye for now, have a wonderful weekend,
hugs,
