Inconnu

A dodgy start morphed into a fine day. This is true of both my work and of the weather. Had you seen the torrential downpour at midday, you wouldn't have believed the blue sky at 2pm. Is this the effect of storm Abigail?
Today's WOTD is 'Inconnu' which I guessed at (and was nearly right); it means a stranger, someone unknown. 
This is the first year that the met office is naming storms in the UK in the same way that the US has been doing for years. It is believed that naming a storm, gives it an identity makes it easier to track and report on the news.
The full list of names chosen for future selection are: Abigail, Barney, Clodagh, Desmond, Eva, Frank, Gertrude, Henry, Imogen, Jake, Katie, Lawrence, Mary, Nigel, Orla, Phil, Rhonda, Steve, Tegan, Vernon and Wendy. Hello, what's my son doing in there?

Storm clouds building over Beachy Head

A colleague mentioned feeling irrationally peeved when someone spells her name incorrectly and I totally sympathised, especially when the error is made by someone you know well (and therefore should know better). I feel a little flutter of excitement if I see my name mentioned in a document, or on a list of attendees at a seminar, and a special pride when I see it written in my mother's diaries. I feel that my name is an essential part of ME, and helps to define who I am. I like to inhabit spaces where people know who I am, and that I know most other people by name. I don't do well in a room full of new faces.

During my holiday in Canada, I found myself feeling like the inconnu at a couple of events. The effect on me was paralysing. I didn't have a name, any identity, I was a stranger, someone unknown, and I froze into uncharacteristic silence. Now the reality of the situation is that I wasn't a stranger to the others (they all knew I was a BA - British Auntie) but they were strangers to me. How bizarre that, in these circumstances, I should feel the effect in such a personal and negative way. Of course, I was soon made to feel welcome and recovered my identity. 

Dinner tonight was a first-rate prawn curry, cheesy chips and garlic bread, all made by Neil. 
My cider of choice is a Koppaberg strawberry & lime (not as good as the Rekordalig) and music has been provided by The Cure, Portishead, Porcupine Tree, Cream, Jethro Tull, and Anathema