Excuse me slipping into the local dialect but it was something of a surprise to see these two water birds waddling down the path between the town centre and 'Illy 'Oleys today. They did seem to be out of place but must have been attracted to the "pond" that has formed in a depression where water collects just off the path.
The term "Ey up mi duck" of course is a local greeting and term of endearment in this part of the country and was made famous by several books of the same title by Richard Scollins and John Titford. The term "duck" has its origins in the Saxon ‘ducas’ a term of respect similar to the Middle English "‘duc" or "‘duk" denoting a leader which also gave rise to "Duke". It is not unknown for people who are not from the area being offended by the term but perhaps if they knew of its origin, they would not be so sensitive.
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