Fa – the Green Dragon

A Place for the Odd Musings of an Expat Bristolian


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Uncommon Sense 1.

I thought I might be useful to change my theme for a while: Considering our pandemic with the corona virus. It’s a very serious matter and our thoughts actions and words should be appropriately aligned.
Therefore, I dug up a book from my library written by Joseph Telushkin entitled “Uncommon Sense”. If you are interested, hi book was published by Shapolsky publishers, New York, 1987.
I will share some of these/those quotes which I think express the importance of our attitude, thoughts and actions during these testing times.
1. The question of bread for yourself is a material question, But the question of bread for your neighbour is a spiritual one.
i. Nkolai Berdyaev 1874-1948

Note: You might find it interesting to check out these people. They had interesting things to say.

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Unusual U.K. place names 78. – Babcary

BABCARY, Somersetshire

Site of Wimble Toot

Glastonbury Zodiac

Bronze-age round barrow

Note: Toot derived from Old English tot meaning,  a lookout point.


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Unusual U.K. place names 77. – Curry Rivel

CURRY RIVEL, Somersetshire

Site of Roman house

Name comes from Celtic crwy

meaning boundary

Note: Rivel from its landlord Sir Richard Revel


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Unusual U.K. place names 76. – Cleobury Mortimer

CLEOBURY MORTIMER, Shropshire

Name from Old English

Clifu meaning a steep place

Church  has crooked spire


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Obscure words explained 82 – abracadabra

I have written three versions of this word because it is very complicated to explain in 17 syllables.

ABRACADABRA – Ab’r achad ab’ra (Aramaic and/or Arabic origin

1.Concerning the bull

it’s  the one and only one

a name for the sun

2. Used by magicians

to perform their magic tricks

a magical spell

3. A magical spell

inscribed on an amulet

to cure deadly ills

For those readers with a mind to do so, I hope you ask yourself the question: is there such a thing as magic?  Sir James George Frazer in his book the Golden Bough thought so.

He explained that contagious and homeopathic magic (both generally referred to as sympathetic magic) were valid and practiced throughout the world in one form or another. This magic (these magics) basically formed the basis of our religions.

I have always wanted to throw the cat among the pigeons Ah yes! it’s a full moon.

 


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Unusual U.K. place names 69. = Trewhiddle

TREWHIDDLE, Cornwall

Francis P. Pascoe

noted entomologist

studied beetles here