Friday 1 February 2013

I chift, you chift, we all chift

Apparently it's the OED's birthday today. Many Happy Returns. Can you really wish a dictionary happy birthday? Anyway apparently it first appeared on February 1st 1884. In a former life I was a Reference Librarian and the OED featured quite a lot in my life, looking up meanings and derivations.

I have an ambition to get a word into this prestigious dictionary before I'm 88. I have invented one: 'chifting'. I wrote my first article about the august practice of chifting....and it has to be admitted the only article thus far. I got paid for it - yippee. Just find a copy of The Green Parent Nov/Dec 2012 and there it is. It doesn't matter that in the 'Other Contributors' bit there is a typo on my name - admittedly in very very teeny tiny type. I am not bitter. The main thing it's spelt correctly in the article. (Note to self - subject of a good post: annoying mispellings of names in my family). Sorry I was distracted there. Of course, it's wonderful that my article appeared. I'm there now permanently in the annals. As we say in Yorkshire I'm very chuffed.

Chifting? You ponder. What does it mean? I have a bit of a charity shop fixation. I love them. I love the anticipation as I go into one as to what I am going to find. Serendipity is a wonderful thing. Sometimes there is nothing but often there is that fortunate discovery come upon by accident.

Bought from British Red Cross and given to
my friend's little boy for Christmas


Chifting! You scream. What is it? I decided to feed my charity retail urges and save some money and be greener all at the same time. I bought all my birthday and Christmas presents for friends and family from charity shops during 2011. And what is more all my friends and family are still talking to me.

"Chifting - vb - the action of giving second hand gifts bought in charity shops. (First used by Virginia Blakeney Blakeley in Green Parent Nov/Dec 2012)". Get it: charity and gift equals chift. Took me a long time to come up with that!


Poole pottery, found in a hospice charity shop
 - given to my niece who lives near Poole
 

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