Current RTBC is that I have a lovely white Cyclamen hederifolium flowering happily under the big rowan tree in my garden. Not just any cyclamen, but a seedling of one my Dad grew from seed and gave to me for my first "proper" garden in 1975. That plant grew a corm eventually so large it wouldn't fit into any of my pots when we moved into our previous house in 2006, and had to be transported in a crate. It finally died of old age a few years later, but its offspring live on... a happy reminder of my dear Dad. I love the plants in my garden which remind me of the people who gave them to me.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Thunder and lightning. This sort of question interests me so I have been researching it.
First appearing in Exodus in the Old Testament it was written in Hebrew as thunder and lightning, got translated that way into Latin and, via Tyndale, it became a ‘locked’ phrase in English. However in other languages like Spanish, Italian, German and, to an extent, French, the order of the two is reasonably interchangeable. By contrast, in Danish and Swedish lightning always comes first.
Other explanations comment on the fact that in most cases we hear thunder before we see the lightning. Thunder reverberates and can be experienced for several seconds and often with binomials it is the perceived stronger, more powerful word that comes first eg Adam and Eve, bride and groom, food and drink.
The number of syllables will also dictate word order so though not applicable to thunder and lightning it does apply to bow and arrow, horse and carriage, milk and honey.
Logical order plays a part: start to finish, life and death, sooner or later and maybe, as argued above, thunder does come first unless you are in a field or looking out of the window.
Donald Trump.... OK, I now he also fits in to the category of 'What Makes You Want To Give Up On Humanity' but this:
...and the article it came from - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53761744 just made me smile. Surely he uses a sledgehammer and chisel to get off his 'Dapper Dan' hair prep before showering? I think someone should suggest it to him - or maybe pouring bleach over his head or draincleaner?
I think there should be a new thread: 'What has Donald Said Now?!'
Puts a new slant on '...the breeze softly blowing through his hair.....' as it all moves in one piece...But, his hair has to be perfect - and we all know he's worth it..
I must admit that the pure stupidity of his actions and comments go back to the days of Brian Rix farces for me - or maybe the black and white slapstick of 20s Hollywood.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
This has just occurred to me: why do we usually say "thunder and lightning" when the lightning comes first? Why don't we say "lightning and thunder"?
Other explanations comment on the fact that in most cases we hear thunder before we see the lightning. Thunder reverberates and can be experienced for several seconds and often with binomials it is the perceived stronger, more powerful word that comes first eg Adam and Eve, bride and groom, food and drink.
The number of syllables will also dictate word order so though not applicable to thunder and lightning it does apply to bow and arrow, horse and carriage, milk and honey.
Logical order plays a part: start to finish, life and death, sooner or later and maybe, as argued above, thunder does come first unless you are in a field or looking out of the window.
Thunder and... is easier than ....and thunder
At least everything has cooled down a bit today.