What's In A Name?

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12 November 2015 at 10:38

Dr Fester is helping a PhD student identify the invertebrates sampled this summer at the University’s Nafferton.Farm

Eli is taking over where Fester left off invertebrate sampling Nafferton. 

Having "retired", himself wants the work to continue and all his previous work and data to be properly used. 

The university has no suitable lab space for this work so a few times a week Eli comes over and they spend the day sorting, counting and recording at the kitchen table.   

This is great, keeps the man of the house occupied, happy and Eli is good company.

The only problem is Eli was born in Jamaica, brought up in Canada and also has US citizenship, and is therefore the most courteous and well-mannered young man to ever enter this house.

He cannot bring himself to call me anything but "Mrs Fester".

I find this charming.

Nowt wrong with a bit of respect and formality.

At home if it wasn't Auntie or Uncle (by blood or friendship) then it was Mrs, Mr, Dr or Vicar.   

The wives of doctors or vicars were even sometimes referred to as Mrs Dr or Mrs Vicar, for example Mrs Vicar Williams.  And, of course, being Wales, people’s farm or house names were also often appended.

Mrs Price Venray’s daughter is the same age as Middlesister and they became schoolmates and friends in 1958.  Mum hated knitting anything except gloves and Mrs Price was ‘a big knitter’ so she made my school jumpers and cardigans.  In 1972 Mum started working as a School Meals Supervisor (not dinner-lady) close to Venray; Mrs Price would stop off at our house for coffee on the way back from her weekly shop in town and they’d walk up the hill together.  When Dad retired he would drive up the hill to fetch his pension from the sub-Post Office, nextdoor to her house, giving Mum and lift to work and Mrs Price a lift home.  This continued after Mum retired, up until the time Mrs Price became too frail to do her own shopping.  Coffee and chat every week for decades and they still called each other Mrs Price, Mrs Boyd and Mr Boyd.

I was well into my forties before I could bring myself to call OldestBestFriend's parents Tom and Mary and still think of them as Mr & Mrs Evans.

Fester, despite understanding it's cultural, keeps telling Eli "Call 'er Ben or Oi You".

He of course has no problem with being called Dr Fest.

Showing Eli around Newcastle as all he'd seen was the University, our house, the farm, his flat and the Haymarket area.  Such a treat to see the places we know and love through new eyes, even on a cold January day.