Saturday, October 17, 2009

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwlllantysiliogogogoch

I took my children to Barnes & Noble today to pick up The Complete Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf and the recent issue of The Knitter.   My awesome older sister sent me a gift card and I just had to use it. Have I told mentioned before I have a book obsession? I can never go into a book store and just grab something and leave. We spent a good hour and a half browsing and enjoying ourselves.

I found a book by Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton called, Julie Andrews' collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies. I love Julie Andrews and have read several books she and her daughter have written; so I had to browse this book.

In the book there is a poem called My Auntie by Colin West who is such a fun poet. The poem begins "My auntie who lives in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwlllantysiliogogogoch has asked me to stay." This is actually a real city in Wales. I wouldn't know where to begin to pronounce the name but I am glad that there is a pronunciation for it at the bottom of the page.

It is roughly pronounced: "Clan-vire-pookh-guin-gekh-go-ger-okh-queen-drob-okh-clantus-silio-gogo-gokh." In Welsh is means "the church of St. Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the church of Tysilio by the red cave."

What a name!

4 comments:

  1. I love going to Barnes and Noble. Lane's starting to really enjoy it too. I wish ours had more books. We have one of the tiny stores.

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  2. I didn't know that Julie Andrews wrote books. It sounds like it was an enjoyable visit. I love the pictures in the Pumpkin patch.

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  3. that is a great name! how cool that it is real. I was in Wales last year, it is lovely. I will have to check out that book. Thanks for the recommendation.

    Hey, I like you New Moon count down button, I am glad to see I am not the only Momma who is looking forward to it.... ;)

    thanks for stopping by my blog and signing up!

    Shona

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  4. OMG thank u :) im Julie Andrews' biggest fan and I just HAVE to read a poem out of her book in front of 1 of my classes so of course I have to choose a really hard 1 lmfao. You helped me find EXACTLY what I needed thank you so much. Btw, the poem "Two Lymrics" on the next page after "My Auntie" is by Tony Walton who is Julie Andrews' ex-husband lol :) ur useless bit of info for the day ;)

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