Hi everyone,

At last I get a chance to see what is going on in the "Forum". As you know my back problems keep me up stairs for 99% of my time. Well for the last nine days I have had no PC.,my Son and my friend tried moving everything up to a spare bedroom and screwed everything up. I have been keeping in touch with some people using my Daughter's Lap Top,unfortunately it is a business machine so I can't access the "Net".
Wow!! what a lot of stuff to read through since I was last on, first,to Ann and Katie who were concerned about my welfare, thank you for thinking of me, it is very much appreciated. To all, keep up the writings it is a joy to read. To my old buddy Tom McKay keep snapping your pictures are terrific. Now I am going to add a few comments on other posts while I can. Doreen is parked in our lobby handing out candies to the "Trick or Treaters"

Beano

beano
back again great stuff good news
tom[ australia]

Hi Beano,
It is great to have you posting again.
I hope you are keeping much better.

RLR

Hi Beano, Terrific to hear from you. We're all with you 100% of the time.

I hope and I'm sure I can speak for all, that you get access to a computer. We miss you and wish you health.

Think of you all the time - and that's not one of those insincere American sayings.

Get well soon (that's an order).

Hi Ann, What insincere American messages are you talking about,? I have always found Americans as sincere as anybody else

Oh Gawd, here we go, another "no humour" candidate, who needs an explanation when we're taking the ----.
(I left the word out myself as a matter of fact). Begins with p and ends in s.

Well, as a matter of fact, the one insincere saying that just came to mind is "Miss ya already", said before the person has even left. I ask you, insincere or what?

The other one is "Have a good day". Does anyone really care?

Those are just two, but, as I say, are we the only people left in the world with humour? Lighten up.

Have a nice day, sir.

Hi all, going to my class soon. Keep up the chat until I get back.

Ann
Another one is "and how are you today sir" to which I always reply, bloody awful, usually brings a look of surprise to the clerk or assosiate as they are now called in Canada. Over the years I have had problems with people not understanding my North Irish sense of humour. Oh well!
Jimmy

Ann, I probably have a better sense of humour than you or the other guy from Canada who wrote in. Every country has their distinct sayings or slang and I have lived in quite a few. "How are you today" is as sincere as that stupid Belfast greeting "How about You" or how about the Australian "Good Day Mate" or do you remember the old saying "Your Heads Cut", I mean that was really intelligent.

Maurice,
I would have to say that any country that changes the name of an item of food in a fit of pique over a totally illegal war has some way to go in the sincerity stakes.
I refer, of course, to the Iraq war and the changing
of the name from FRENCH Fries.
Now, that takes a lot of understanding.

Maurice
I doubt very much if you have a better sense of humour than Ann or "the other guy from Canada" who happens to be me.
I think we were talking about insincere greetings or comments, not about distinct sayings or slang and whether or not they sounded intelligent.
Jimmy

Maurice, only getting on now - been busy today.

Just to let you know that the correct Northern Ireland saying is 'Bout ya'?

Ann, Which is short for "How About You"

No matter where you go in North America today chips are still called French Fries, at the time I don't know who started it, bu t it was something to do with the French reluctence to fight or particate in the Irag war.

Jimmy, Whats more insincere than "What about you" or "Good Day Mate", whats the difference between that and "Have a Nice Day" or "How are you today", the trouble is that people from the British Isles tend to think in superior terms which has always made me laugh and I am from Lisburn born and bred.

Oh Jimmy, I forgot to add that I still maintain I have a better sense of humour than you or Ann.

Maurice,
I am well aware what it was about.
We in the UK are still paying for it.
The point I was making was that Americans are pretty insular in their outlook.
It was, in fact, officialgovernment policy not to use the word French.
Hardly the actions of an intelligent nation.

What the heck do you mean we in the UK are still paying for it.? What about Canada and the other countries who have lost men. Not forgetting the USA who have lost well over 3000 men. We could go on for hours arguing about the merits of the Irag war, When Bush leaves the White House and Hilary Clinton takes over watch out for big changes including a withdrawl from Irag. Maybe you don't remember but the UK milked Irag and Iran for years out of their oil revenues, did you ever hear of the "British Irag Petroleum Company, they used to have a big sign on the Dublin Rd in Lisburn in McCartney's old garage.

Ann,
Boutyeaulhan!
Donald

Hi Maurice, Thank you for that information about 'bout ya' meaning 'How about you?"

I never would have known that???? Not a lotta people know that!!!!

Get the humour now?

Ann, Humour works two ways, thats why I pointed it out, though I have to admit I have never had anybody say to me "About You", Abtyo.?

Maurice, you still haven't got it, have you.?

Notice the quotation marks? 'bout ya' They're used when other words are omitted, SO 'bout ya' means "What about you". Notice the double quotation marks this time, used in speech.

People here say 'bout ya' al the time.

Where do you live anyway?

Maurice, see you live in Canada. You left Lisburn in 1946. That explains why you don't get our humour. Too long away!!!

Hi Ann, Oh I get your humour alright and despite the years away I still have mine,maybe more than you think. I have been home many times over the years although when I was walking down the square and Bow Street I felt like a stranger.

Hi Maurice, I think you're "coming round".

Give us a wee yarn with something funny in it. I'm not being sarcastic, I mean it.

Yes, you would feel like a stranger in Lisburn now. Even we Lisburnites don't recognise a lot of people when in town.

OK Ann, How about a little story about Jakey Corkens pup that used to be beside Brown's in the square. When home from sea for a few days or weeks I would hang out occasionally with some friends for afew drinks. Jakey was very tight with everthing from money to heating the public bar, one particuarly cold afternoon we asked him to turn the heat up, "Agh sure its warm enough was his reply". On the pretext of going to the washroom a couple of us went down the yard to where the central heating boiler was and really stoked it up with coke, I mean really piled it on. within a short time the radioators were jumping and the place was like a furnace. Jakey was beside himself but couldn't pin it on us besides it was too hot in there sowe moved to the Robin's Nest.

Maurice,
In Hilden in my day we called the washroom the "wee house " or " out the back". Lavatory was a posh expression then.
Reminds me of the joke, a farmers daughter was attending Agricultural college and said to her mother " Mum, I,m bringing some fellow students to view our farm tomorrow, I would like Dad to show them around but could you ask him to say fertiliser instead of cow dung"? Mother replied, " It,s taken me 30 years to get him to say cow dung "!

Thanks Maurice and Donald for those yarns. The first one was a good 'un right enough. Imagine wanting you to sit in a freezing pub, buy drink and expect you to enjoy it.

I'm sure he took out his loss on other customers over the following weeks.

Good one Donald, However I have heard it referred to in other phrases, but I'm to polite to repeat them here. Maurice