Inginuity and Inventions.

The English language is often confusing, even to the English themselves. The British and the Americans are often described as two nations divided by a common language. Never is it more so than in the Yanks Humor or as we Brits prefer to spell it Humour.

Here stick your Moniker on this, is how we might ask someone to append their signature. Ah, Monica – give us a tune old girl, is how we make a play on someone's name. But its not only reserved for the girls. Taking the Michael or the Mick, is how we describe someone having a laugh at our expense. A proper Charlie, is how we might describe someone making a fool of themselves. A Rupert, is how the soldier likes to describe a senior rank.

However, sometimes whole nations are targeted as the butt of all jokes. For the Brits is the Irish and for the Americans it seems its the Polish. So today I have extended British coverage to include the Swiss. This is because we have a Swiss owned caravan parked next door. The adorable German speaking couple seem to have taken humbridge. Because we parked our motor home to one side of our allocated plot. So our motor home is actually casting a shadow on the edge of their plot. On the other side of us is a delightful German couple who have been supplying us with - ad hoc - translation services. My command of German is limited to the stuff I read about in children's comics as a kid.

So today, 'Herr Gruber' turns up again and suggest that we should comply to his request and move the motorhome two metres further over. So, being me, I have complied with the camp commandants request. We are now parked right on the edge of our plot and much closer to his sun lounge which is now totally in the shade. Well gosh and golly, I do believe Gruber is even more miffed. So while Gruber is busy strutting up and down complaining. I said, to the German couple next door.

'Did you know that the Germans discovered Kepler's laws of planetary motion and discovered Goethe's Theory of Colours. The Germans also invented the rocket engine. At the same time in the UK Marconi invented radio, Sir Frank Whittle invented the Jet engine and Sir Isaac Newton discovered Gravity. While the Swiss claim to fame is  to have invented the Cuckoo clock.'

I thought he was going to die laughing. He even went round the site sharing it with all the other Germans. Now, I keep getting thumbs up and cuckoo calls whenever Gruber is around. The Swiss guy is now totally perplexed and wondering WTF is going on.