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Malone
Good point. I was wondering why people have been avoiding me all afternoon. I must remember the mints next time.

Chrise

I didn't realise Breton was close to Welsh. Last time I was in Brittany, I tried to speak French and wondered why nobody could understand me. I should have tried Bore da etc.

Yes jigjag - Breton, Cornish, and Welsh are very little different from each other. The Celtic fringes!

Malone

Well, that's it - all preparations made, all pies baked. I baked a special Pedants Protected Pie for you; Norfolk Turkey, Wiltshire Ham and Dorset Cheese in a delicious Champagne Gravy. There was just enough room for some shortbread and black pudding, but not enough for Chrise's old boot unfortunately. I sent it to Stornaway Post Office, I'm sure you wont mind picking it up from there. Bon appetit!

Jigjag

I have sent you a special humble one, to eat on your own, or possibly to share with Cassie. I hope you enjoy it.

Best wishes for Christmas to all our pedants. Gx

Chrise

In case etymology is your thing, the -wall in Cornwall is from the same root as 'Wales' and 'Welsh' and means quite simply stranger/foreigner.
The corn part means headland

Thanks Grunger. I can't wait to taste my very special pie - I am sure it will be delicious. I have to confess to the slight panic I had when you said 'there was just enough room for some shortbread and black pudding'... those items, delicious though they are, aren't actually IN the pie? I am hoping there was a few words missing from your message - I'd love it to read 'There was just enough room in the parcel for some shortbread...' That would fill me with gleeful anticipation - a pie with turkey, ham, cheese, shortbread and black pudding would fill me with foreboding! I will make my way to Stornoway Post Office - that'll take a while as I think I'll have to get a bus, three trains and a couple of ferries. I'm sure it'll be worth it... eventually.

PS Thanks for the earlier pie discussion, I forgot to respond at the time. I have never had a meat and potato pie (which my English friends seem to call 'meat and tater pie') as I am worried that the potatoes are there to ... sort of stretch the meat content.

Thanks for the festive greetings. I too wish all pedants - here and across the globe - a great Christmas.

Malone

Thanks and I must apologise for the omitted words, my brain was racing ahead of my fingers, I'm afraid. I suppose the public transport is frequent and reliable at this time of year, so you will soon be tucking into it.

Meat and potato is rather stodgy. Yes, it stretches the meat out and is cheaper of course. Ideal for the championships.

I am reassured. Reading a few posts in the last two or three pages, I have been thinking that pedants of all people should get the spelling of Stornoway correct.

Grunger, I am afraid any trip to far-off places will now have to wait until 2024. I hope pie and sundries all have good/long BB or 'Use By' dates?

Parallelogram, I always have trouble with Stornoway, even though it is a word I see regularly and use regularly. There are several other words that often trip me up. One is Pharaoh (which I've had to look up) and I can't remember the others!

Malone
I am very sorry but I suspect I have put you to a lot of unnecessary trouble. On Christmas Eve, I picked up a message from Jigjag saying that a pedant had spotted an error in my addressing of the parcel to you. He stressed it was “o” not “a”.

I managed to get Royal Mail to trace the parcel and change the address as follows:

Pie & Block Pudding
For Molone
c/o Stornowoy Post Office
Lewis & Horris
Scotlond

I hope you did not have a wasted journey to get it, and it may still not have arrived, so don’t go yet.

Grunger, thonks for thot, greot fun.

I was going to swap all the As for Os, but some of the words look distinctly ugly. I'll return to normal spelling now....

I was thrilled to hear that I should still be able to tuck into my special pie and black pudding. It'll make a very welcome change from all the Christmas fare. It really was very kind of you to go to all that trouble, thonks (sic).