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Wednesday 21 December 2016

Vernacular language...

Separate groups in society have always had their own private codes, and definitions, only fully understood, and agreed within that group. ..

Whether that be amongst the professions. 

Or marked by those regional dialects and differences within languages. 

And then there's the verbal and idiomatic distinctions,  drawn along such delinations as age,  social grouping, or hobbies, enthusiasms, and what have you... .

But it only really occurred to me today,  how these terms, and descriptions can become so very localised to people working together, in one place.

To within a 12 acre, rural neighbourhood in fact.

Girl Monday, has, for various reasons, been temporarily repurposed as 'Girl Wednesday'
.
It was most noticeable today, how her presence speeded up the pre Christmas veg harvest..

When we'd finished picking sprouts, I was pleased to discover that she would still have an half an hour free,  in which to continue working,  so I suggested she help us 'fettle' the sprouts...

Which spurred her to enquire,  whether 'fettling' is the term we use when preparing all the other vegetables for delivery ?

I'd not fully considered before, the logic behind the particular terms, applied to each operation...

(Spoiler alert!.... As with most of these 'job specific' etymologies .... There is no real logic, or at least, not one explicable to others)

But here is the 'correct' parlance; for these operations, peculiar to this place, just in case; you should ever be called upon to help out in this very local, locale...

And wouldn't wish to feel like a hopeless ingenue.....
Few of us enjoy not feeling 'in the know' vis a vis specific terminology...

So...

Sprouts,  and leeks are fettled

Cut leaves, eg spinach,  kale,  or salad
are graded.

Roots such as carrots,  parsnips, beetroot,  are prepped

- but seldom washed, unless it's felt that not to do so, would seriously imperil the conservation of soil, within the valley ..

And cabbages are groomed.

Most other produce,  is bagged up,  and sent out in much the same state as it was picked...
Thankfully that task, should all be done and finished by the end of tomorrow.

And then; after Friday; when the man of that moniker will be putting in a welcome appearance, to get completed a few urgent tasks on the jobs list.

There'll be a chance of a sit down, for at least a day or two.

And perhaps even, the necessaries will be put in place, to enable the resumption of pictures here,  alongside the words...

For some reason that does feel important.

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