A few posts ago I mentioned that I’d won a copy of Can’t
Sleep Without Sheep by Susanna Leonard Hill and that it hadn’t arrived yet.
Well, thank you so much to Susanna because... it just arrived!! and what's more it’s travelled 3344.841 miles. Can you believe it? It’s crossed New York State, the Atlantic Ocean, Ireland and England. What a
big journey for a little book [Actually, it’s quite a big book with great
pictures that include huge animals… but I was using poetic licence!]
I’ve been following Susanna’s blog for some time now and although
we live 3344.841 miles away from each other, there are many similarities between
us. She’s an ex-teacher who loves animals [just like me]. She’s not so keen on
housework [definitely like me!] She writes children’s picture books [just like
me again!] and I now have one of them. The book is hilarious. It’s one of those
stories that you look at and say, “Why didn’t I think of that!” Well done,
Susanna.
There may be similarities amongst us bloggers but there are
differences too. This week’s posts hit a bit of a language problem and thanks
to a number of my blog friends I now know that:
- In the US a cooker is called an oven
- US bakers do not use castor sugar [which is finely milled sugar and has nothing to do with castor oil].
- J. L. Campbell explained that in Jamaica electricity is so expensive that they prefer to cook on gas.
- And during a Twitter chat with Misha I discovered that ‘holding thumbs’ in South Africa is the same as ‘crossing fingers’ in the UK.
I love it when there are similarities and I’m fascinated by
the differences but more importantly, I love the way that we can all blog and
chat and get on with each other across all the borders of the world. In fact, wouldn’t it
be amazing if we could nurture world understanding and peace just by blogging
together? Maybe I should suggest it to the United Nations.
That's a great idea! It is amazing what you can learn through online networking.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned bacon sarnies to an American blogging friend this week, and thoroughly confused her. I guess sarnies are very definitely Bristish :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's good to keep learning new things and if I visit America again I'll know not to say cooker.
ReplyDeleteP.S I've mentioned you in my new blogpost hope you don't mind.
Interesting info, Rosalind. I'd never heard of "holding thumbs" either. Bloggyland is a wondrous place.
ReplyDeleteBe well.
xoRobyn
My manager is American and every time she says "route" she pronounces it like "rout" which to me relates to woodwork or to routing out something/one. Lots of other pronunciations are different but at least with blogging the words can look the same sometimes...!
ReplyDeletethese language differences are so interesting! Makes one wonder how these changes occurred all in the English language!
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that we speak the same language but it can be so different! I like the word "hoovering" for vacuuming!
ReplyDeleteThe blogosphere is so awesome to be able to bring people from all over the world together.
You should definitely suggest it to the UN! Someone with sense needs to be in charge :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad the book made it all those miles across the ocean, and so glad you enjoyed it! It's funny you mentioned it's journey, because today on my blog, I've decided to send one of my books on a journey around the world! If anyone's interested, come over and check it out. The idea is that the book will be passed from person to person, wherever it goes, signed, dated and with the location specified, and then when it eventually comes home, I can share it with kids on school visits and they can see all the cool places it has been!
I'm loving all these differences. Thanks for sharing everyone and what a coincidence, Susanna. That's synchronicity at its best.
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated that you are so precise in your measurement of miles. I might have been tempted to round up on the decimals.
ReplyDeleteI love your final thought. It would be so amazing.
ReplyDeleteI love the differences in language and phrases.
Not only have you learned a lot, but I'm amazed at how well you remember it all! I love your idea to "nurture world understanding and peace" through blogging! Now I'm off to Susanna's blog!
ReplyDeleteI love learning about different cultures and places, seeing how things are different and the same. It's so eye opening, and it's crazy how well people can get along if you're willing to learn.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about the differences you've encountered. It's always fun to learn the different words we have for the same things.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about how wonderful it is to connect with others through the blogosphere. I only just began blogging a few months ago, but I'm thoroughly enjoying getting to know everyone I've met through visiting different blogs.
Congrats on winning Susanna's book. It sounds like a great way to top off a lovely friendship.
I love learning about all these little differences. My MG novel was set in England and I had to pick up a book to make sure that I was true to the language spoken there. It was a good thing too. In the US, we call trousers pants and I learned that in the UK, underwear are called pants. :P
ReplyDeletenutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
I love learning about these differences. I had no idea about the holding thumbs!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh about your book and its journey, as when I held a giveaway a great blogger in Belgium won one of my book prizes. I sent the book on its way, and two months later the package returned to me, all beat up and looking like it had been through the war. I had to send it back across the ocean again, and luckily it made it this time. But we laughed wondering where on earth that little book had been!
What an intriguing idea! *wishing I'd thought of it* I love learning about the differences. We're a lot alike, but a lot different too. That's what makes the world go round. *waving*
ReplyDeleteHi Ros .. hope this one might get through ..
ReplyDeleteThere are so many different words for so many items - it amazes me too .. I keep thinking of them ..
Glad the book has arrived after it's mega journey over the pond - enjoy the read .. cheers Hilary
So glad you are enjoying the book by the lovely Susanna Hill. I lived in the U.K. for two years and remember how many "new" words I had to learn! It's so fascinating how many differences there are even within the same language!
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