Are You Superstitious

I have a lovely little peacock with a real peacock feather as his tail. It's been here with me for about 20 years I think. What is supposed to happen to me?

I also have a couple of those plates on the wall with yes, birds! A robin and some blue tits. Am I doomed?

Slightly off track but my son and his partner bought an old cottage in 2020. Part of it dated from the 1580s. When they had a wood burner installed, the workmen opened up the boarded up chimney and 5m of rubbish fell down on to the floor, including a cat's leg bound at one end with copper wire.
Apparently, people protected their homes from witches and other evil forces by putting dead cats or parts of them up chimneys or under the floor boards in front of door ways, to ward them off.
Likewise, there are scorch marks on the beams over the fireplace...another remedy against evil spirits.
I think the cats leg was put back up the chimney afterwards. They weren't taking any chances!

Not really, but sometimes numbers signal to me. If they are particularly relevant I might use them for things like the lottery.

I’m not superstitious but it’s been one mishap after another for me today, so maybe I should be.

I had forgotten it was Friday 13th, but that explains it - the motherboard on my very expensive laptop blew up, and the shop has told me it would take 4 - 5 weeks to get a replacement at a cost of £800 plus new battery and labour costs. To say I am distraught is an understatement.

And the job I applied for has just emailed to say that despite having my loads of experience, it is not quite the right type, so there will be no job to pay for a replacement...

FannyCornforth; I'm not superstitious, although, out of habit I suppose, I do 'knock on wood' when saying that 'such and such has never happened' .
I wear a gold heart on a chain with the number "13" on it.
It was given to me when I was bridesmaid of my Italian friend where the number "13" is considered lucky.
My DD and I can never go for a walk after a rain and not lever an earthworm to the safety of the verge, but not because we're superstitious

I think my mum wouldn't have 'honesty' in the house.
Does anyone know if that was a superstition?
Honesty was almost like mother of pearl, dried out papery circles...

In this area of South Wales it is still considered unlucky to have any paintings or depictions of birds on crockery or on ornaments inside the house. My neighbour would throw away any Christmas cards that had robins on them.
I don't know if this superstition was common in other mining areas of the U.K. but supposedly it arose because of taking canaries down a mine to warn of methane gas.

The peacock feathers comes from them having almost an "eye" on them, I think.

I won't have peacock feathers in the house and cannot cross a knife and fork on my plate (this one inherited from my mum).

Chestnut If a black cat crosses your path it's good luck in the UK; bad luck in the US.

And I've had some wonderful news today, this Friday 13th.

I haven't even heard of some of these, and that book sounds fascinating!

I just thought magpies were 'One for sorrow, two for joy etc'. I didn't know you actually had to speak to them.

If a black cat crosses your path is it good or bad luck? Or is that on the way to a wedding? ?

Goodnees, didn't know that about lilies. Guess I should be long gone!

No I am not I don't walk over barrel cell grids outside pubs incase there not locked properly. I don't walk under ladders incase some one is working and drops something. Not because of superstition but plain old common sense.

I realise that I’ve made up my own.
If I accidentally kill an insect, it means that something catastrophic will happen.
And if I see a worm on the pavement when it’s rained; I’m compelled to return it to the safety of some grass ?

MissAdventure

No, not at all.
I find all the ritualistic behaviour interesting, though, such as throwing salt over your shoulder and that kind of thing.

A few years ago, I borrowed from the library (remember them?) an encyclopaedia of Superstitions.
It was one of the best and most fascinating books that I’ve ever read.
In olden days absolutely everything was an omen of something.
It’s a miracle that they ever left their homes

"Good morning Mr. Magpie - how are your wife and children?" Superstitious? Moi?

Just the ladder thing, but mainly because I don’t want a bucket of paint falling on my head! My younger son was born on the 13th and sometimes his birthday is on a Friday. He isn’t bothered.

Not in the slightest.

You suppose you are Auntieflo???

Goodness me yes good morning/afternoon/evening Mr Magpie!

I’m quite happy to walk under a ladder………but won’t have red and white flowers in the house (from my mother, a nurse)
oh and I always say good morning/afternoon to magpies?

No, whatever will be will be.

Only when it comes to buying things for new babies before they’ve arrived safely and all is well. Daft, I know, but smacks too much (to me) of tempting Fate.

Well, I suppose that I am a bit. I wouldn't go shopping this morning. Mum was quite superstitious . She had an everlasting? calendar, and when it was Thursday 12th, she wouldn't change the date until it was Saturday 14th.