Monday 9 January 2023

Fanny Fanackapan

 That's an expression my mum used. Apparently it is Lancastrian in origin but no Lancastrian rellies that I know of.  I expect she got it from her parents, who were Londoners for a generation.  Perhaps it was just one in general use that got picked up.  It's a term of endearment anyway.  As in, "Come on Fanny Fanackapan." It just suddenly came to me when I was coming down the stairs this morning, and is a nice link with mum, who had lots of expressions which will die with me as my offspring won't use them, I'm pretty certain.  Fanny by Gaslight was another, I'm not Keyhole Kate you know, You look like Shock-Headed Peter, Up the wooden stairs to Bedfordshire, and many more which don't instantly spring to mind but if I heard them I'd recognize them.



Kittens are apparently the new walking stick adornment!  As Keith found whilst trying to walk from the bedroom to the bathroom over the weekend.  One or other kitten seemed to think it a great idea to attack the stick!


After a perfect storm of medications which had knock-on side-effects, and lack of sleep, resulting in Keith almost bedbound and barely able to speak, he suddenly spoke clearly again in the night and has slept better (only 2 hrs lost last night) and is very slightly more mobile today.  His balance always suffers greatly when there are setbacks and so it has been this time.  He has been mumbling and generally not drinking enough and I'm afraid we both got cross with one another over the weekend. My BP has been sky high too, and I am determined to meditate and walk daily.  I got out this morning for a short walk whilst Keith was still in bed and I felt better for it.  Lovely wild skies promising rain later, but pretty bruise-coloured clouds from the West, hurrying along.



Yesterday I had to get out of the house, and drove to Brecon across the Eppynt range.  It was pouring with rain, so photos aren't up to much I'm afraid.



Anyway, I got my shopping done, plus the cat food/litter from B&M.

    Unfortunately the church I had hoped to visit, St Maelog's at Llandefaelog, just outside of Brecon, was shut.  The website says open every day.  Typical! Next time perhaps.


There is an ancient stone there I want to see, known as the "brianmal flou".  Can't find a translation.  Let's hope tomorrow is a better one for Keith.  At least he has a Careline pendant now so I can go out for short trips with peace of mind.  I also got a £15 voucher for M&S from Careline and have put it towards a Seasalt top that was in the sales.  Originally £53 something, then reduced to £48, then £28, and less my £15 voucher almost give-away (postage on top though).  Something to look forward to.  




30 comments:

  1. i was part of a blood pressure survey and found oily fish particularly herring great at lowering bp but salmon, tinned mackeral and beetroot good, also caffeine in tea and coffee puts it up for more than a day so am on decaff now, i do understand the stress you are under doesnt help things
    i do enjoy your blog and thank you for writing regularly x x

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    1. Only 2 cups of tea a day here - morning and 3 p.m. We're not coffee drinkers. Keith has sardines for lunch about once a week. My BP is purely down to stress. I was having home BP testing (where you check it 3 times a day using machine from Drs - we've now bought our own)when our lovely cat Theo was so ill and then had to be pts. Sent my levels soaring then. They are now coming down slowly as Keith makes improvement.

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  2. Yes, mother used to call me that..and she wasn't being complimentary! Brought up in London.

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    1. London is such a melting pot. My family came there from Devon, Somerset, Northamptonshire and dispersed to the South and West.

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  3. That is interesting to know about your Mum did she live in London and are you from there. The new findings wit h BP is that it is not fat that puts it up but all carbs as in flour, fruit, sugar etc. They cause inflamation.

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    1. It was my maternal grandparents who were from London, but they were only there a generation before heading to Hampshire to live. Keith's PD needs carbs rather than high amounts of protein.

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  4. Yes, I've been called Fannackapan by my Mum (don't think my Dad did) . She was from Bristol and her Dad from London, so it is possible it came down tthrough him.

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    1. My dad didn't use that expression either. He had a few Devon expressions though. Dimpsey was the one I loved most and still use.

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  5. What lovely sayings to remember your mother by. Every so often something my mom would say pops in my head.

    I hope Keith was better today.

    God bless.

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    1. Slow improvement with Keith. May it continue.

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  6. Hope Keith’s medication is beginning to kick in . Sorry the church wasn’t open but there is next time to look forward to. Watched a programme with Prof Alice Roberts looking at excavations at Arthur’s stone in Herefordshire and wondered if it was near you.

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    1. Yes, Arthur's Stone is just over the Herefordshire border. Probably 25 miles away with some windy lanes for the approach. We visited last in the Autumn and stopped to pick Sloes along a lane as we drove up towards it. A really good programme and WHAT a dig - so exciting as they had NO idea of what they would uncover. A really important site.

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  7. My mother also had lots of expressions, and they'll die with me as none of my nieces and nephews know them. They have their own expressions now, it seems sourced from shows they watch. It's good you can get out some now. Walking and a short country drive as well can be very calming and good for the soul.

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    1. It's such a shame isn't it, but then language is always evolving, and I suppose that includes expressions too. I reckon mobile phones have a lot to answer for. My kids think I'm archaic when I use those expressions. Just getting out of the house - further than Builth or Llandod - is a tonic.

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  8. You have been having a stressful time, haven't you. I hope there's improvement soon for poor Keith.
    I love Seasalt clothing too, but have to pay international postage to get it down to me. I'm wearing a Seasalt top today. Great quality fabrics and good sewing, so they last well. There's only one shop in New Zealand that stocks them, so sending for them is my only choice.

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    1. We are almost certainly going to go privately to see the initial Consultant, as this is clearly not Parkinsons and something else affecting Keith's brain and riding tandem. Sorry you don't have good access to Seasalt clothing. Our nearest shop is 40 miles away in Hereford or else inside the M&S store in Aberystwyth which is 48 miles.

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  9. Such a worrying time for you and I do hope Keith feels a bit better soon.
    I love the old expressions - I have some I remember my grandparents and parents saying.

    So pleased you were able to get out but what a shame the church was shut. I have been caught out that way many times with churches supposedly open every day but they are locked.I read of one yesterday at Martley which has a Tom Denny window which I want to stop off on our way to Hatfield which is supposed to be open but I read a tweet yesterday from someone who had visited and it was closed.

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    1. Well, he's having to rest as the morning's initial little bit of energy soon goes. At least he managed a shower first thing.

      I wasn't too happy about the closed church, having got soaked to go and see if it was open! Sounds like your Martley one might be one of the same - open when they remember it! Off to check out Tom Denny windows now . . .

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    2. Ah - NOW I know his work. Hope you can "bag" another window or two!

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  10. My Londoner father used that name, mainly for the cat. To him it was an endearment.

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    1. That made me smile. Glad I brought back memories for you.

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  11. I've never heard of Fanny Fanackapan, and I'm Lancastrian. Seemingly it was used a lot in Manchester ... but obviously not in any part of Manchester that I lived in. I'm glad you've got the pendant now, at least you can go out for a short while and have peace of mind.

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    1. K's Lancastrian too and knows it, but it's an old expression. The pendant will give me some peace of mind.

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  12. I have never heard that name, but it made me smile. (Hopefully SHE called you that with a smile as well!) Fingers crossed for steady improvement with Keith. I had to look up seasalt tops. They really are just my style as well.

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    1. Glad it made you smile Debby. That would have been mum in a good mood. Can remember being chased down the road by my mum wielding a bamboo cane, which she had already broken the end of hitting me across my knuckles. (Still have the scar). Fortunately I was faster than her!

      Keith better first thing but very soon tired.

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  13. Mum's version was 'fannackutipan'. If I said I wanted something, her reply was 'Well want will have to be your master' Pollie

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    1. Hello Pollie, variation's good too. I know that other expression too. Sometimes they get very localized. Just heard mum's voice saying "Don't get airyated" (don't know how it was spelt but that's how it sounded).

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  14. Sorry I came across as rude and demanding. Hubby looked up PD on his lap top and we now know it is Parkinsons Disease. I then read about it and it said it was from lack of dopamine in the brain initially.

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    1. No you didn't Marlane. Sadly, it does stand for Parkinsons' Disease. The lack of Dopamine can be quite devasting for mobility and fatigue levels.

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