My (hopefully less contentious) random thoughts for today!!

There's a village in Devon spelt Woolfardisworthy and even on some road signs it's Woolsery.

I think anno's right and it's 'Mingies' to rhyme with 'thingies'.
'Ming' is just his nickname.

We have a Great Wyrley which is pronounced Great Whirrley.

Oh is it pronounced Mingis or Mingies? I just Googled him and it says Menzies 'Ming' Campbell.

And of course we are only 12 miles away from Leicester!

Round here Beauchamp is pronounced Beecham!

Also round here, if you go up Groby (Groobey) Road you eventually come to Coalville (Coville). And, we also have the Carillon or is that the Carilleyon?

The clan name Menzies is pronounced Mingies. This stems from an old alphabet in which, I believe, a Z type of letter stood for NG. Well, something like that anyway. No doubt someone will be able to put me right on that.

Think it's pronounced 'Mingis', KatyK.

Not far from us are Weobly - Webley, Leominster, Lemster and Baggleidiart!

Is Menzies as in Menzies Campbell pronounced Ming? Or is that just a nick name?

And the name Beauchamps pronounced Beeching!!

I never knew that Ana!
There was a teacher I knew who pronounced Diggins as De Guyan.....

And what about Featherstonehaugh, pronounced 'Fanshaw'...

St. John as a surname is sin jun, as for Cholmondley....chumly?

Typed say not play!
And what about Bicester pronounced Bister?
Goes off singing
Oh why can't the English teach their children how to speak?

Remember in Wednesbury asking the way to Derby rd, pronouncing it Darby. The locals couldn't help until I wrote it down. They play it Derby as in herby.

I know two Southwicks, one of which is Suthick, but not the other.

And Kilconquhar is Kinyuchar . . .

And Airwick is Air-wick, but Flitwick is Flittick. Kirkcudbright is Kircoobrie, Penicuik is Pennycook and Bozeat is Bozhat. Olney is Owney, Woughton is Woofton, but Broughton is Brought On whereas Boughton is Bough -ton. Milngavie is Mull Guy and Ettrickbridgend is Ettrick Brig End.
And don't even start on Welsh place names!

LOL, yes, got me very confused when I first moved to Leicester (as a native French speaker). One of the local school was also Beauchamp (Beecham- well, my first job in the UK was with Beecham's in London, so that got me confused too). Still always visit Fenwicks when I am in Leicester (Lester ... or Lesta ;) ).

When I first got to London to work, exactly 45 years ago to the day today- I had to go to Gloucester Road. So I duly asked for a tube ticket to 'Gloocaistair Road' and after a few minutes of mayhem, showed the guy the road name written on a piece of paper... oh Gloster Road, you should have said!!

Favourite is of course Wooster! Especially Woostershersauce.

DD1 had a friend called Thistlethwaite who lived in Theddingworth- now that really got me stumped.

You need my (patented) banister method of putting on a duvet cover, katek

Wash duvet cover inside out and dry it and put it away like that too.

Hang duvet over banisters on landing.

Put your hands (and arms - but try to keep your head out!) inside the duvet cover (still inside out) down into the two corners.

Grab the two top corners of the duvet with each hand, through the duvet cover.

Drop the duvet over the stairwell, with the cover falling over the outside of it. Shake it well (don't let go!)

Drag it back over the banister and into the bedroom and onto the bed. If there are two of you, you can grab a corner each and each walk up one side of the bed with it held between you. If there is only one, you have to do the best you can here.

Straighten it up, get the bottom corners in, and fasten it at the bottom.

In the days before the wonderful John Lewis came to Leicester, the best shop in town was Fenwicks on Belvoir Street (or Fennicks on Beaver Street)

Shrewsbury or Shrowsbury?

At 5' tall and the cover measuring 6'6" square I am seriously overwhelmed! May have to take you up on the rescue offer Roseq! I like the idea of an envelope type closing Juliette...much easier and neater.

And why is German Bight not Bite? Is it a different kind of bite? Or maybe I just need to get to sleep before the shipping forecast......,,

Berwick's dahn saarf, relatively speaking. Lerwick is probably closer to the original (Norse?) and less affected by other accents and languages.