I spoke last week about my book, 'A Pocket Guide to Superstitions of the British Isles', which said that it was traditionally considered unlucky to find money. Well, I'm now on the next chapter, and the book has gone on to list some olde worlde proverbs about picking up money which have left me quite confused. The first quote I read with glee (for 'pin' read 'penny'):
"He that will not stoop for a pin, will never be worth a pound".
Great. I will, so it looks like I'm going to be rich.
And then they quoted the Welsh "Gwell plygu at bin, na phlygu at ddim" ("It is better to bend down for a pin, than to bend down for nothing" - it loses a little in the translation).
Still looking good.
But then they mentioned another two, less common maxims: "Pick up a pin and you pick up poverty", and "Pick up pins, pick up sorrow".
So I'm hurtling towards either riches or destitute sorrow, and the odds look about even.
Monday morning, I came into work to a green Post-It, on which was written, in Nix's handwriting, "found on the floor where the water coolers used to be..... just over there!" with a 5p on it and a giant arrow pointing over to where we once kept our replacement bottles of water.
Later on, Kirsty handed over a penny she'd found "down an alleyway", and my mum gave me a penny that had been left by the checkout in Tesco.
Tuesday morning, I got to my desk and was greeted by my first Christmas cards of the season. I opened the first, which was from Natasha in our Sales team....
Inside, she'd enclosed a tuppence that I'm sure she must have found somewhere or other.
Tuesday afternoon, it was Nix again with a penny she'd found outside Little Bay restaurant in Battersea.
Week Sixty-nine
How much found: 10p
Total found so far: £52.24
How it could now be spent: a plus-size Christmas tree fancy dress costume.
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Forget all about 2009 and enjoy your break - we'll face it together next year. A very Merry Christmas!
Has the credit crunch dried up the supply of randomly abandoned loose change? or are you saving it up for a big post Kerry?
Posted by: Duck | February 16, 2009 at 01:07 PM