A Few Things I Don't Understand

[geebengrrl.livejournal.com]

Can you help?

1. In Peter's Room, Peter, Rowan and Karen are in the bathroom. Peter draws 'an X on the surface of the water in the basin to avert a quarrel'. What does this mean?

2. In Run Away Home, during all the hoo-ha about Nick borrowing Ann's bike to go to Mass at the Merrick's, Rowan says, "I ought to warn you that when old Ramsay [I assume this is their local vicar] does his duty by the A.S.B first Sunday of the month, our mama cuts Matins and goes to evensong instead." What's ASB, why is Ramsay involved avd why would that make Mrs Marlow change her church-going habits?

thanks!

Comments

[robincarmody.livejournal.com]

The ASB is the Alternative Service Book, which was despised by Anglican traditionalists of Mrs Marlow's ilk. It was not unknown for such people to refuse to attend services using it.

[coughingbear]

Yes, I think Ramsay is the local vicar. Nicola and Rowan talk to him in Falconer's Lure, though he's just identified as the Vicar, but I think there may be a mention of him by name in Attic Term when Nicola's talking to Patrick about getting out of church-going.

The ASB is the Alternative Service Book, introduced to provide revised services in modern English for the Anglican church in 1980. (It's now been superseded by a new book called Common Worship.) Until then Church of England services were all taken from the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), the 1662 edition plus some alterations from 1928. Some people strongly objected to the change, and though the BCP was & is still used, how much depended on the vicar involved. Clearly Ramsay preferred the BCP so carried on using it, but there would have been some pressure to offer ASB services as well. Presumably the evensong Mrs Marlow skipped Matins for was still said according to the BCP. It's also very traditional of him to be offering Matins as the main morning service; there had been a movement towards a Communion service instead in many parishes by the time the ASB was introduced.

I don't know about the X; I'd vaguely assumed it meant Pax.

[richenda.livejournal.com]

It's also very traditional of him to be offering Matins as the main morning service; there had been a movement towards a Communion service instead in many parishes by the time the ASB was introduced.

Long before! ASB was 1980 and the Parish Communion movement (started in a Yorkshire parish, I think) was in the 1950s and lots of parishes dropped Matins then (but ,of course, the clergy still had to say it).
Some parishes still had Matins, followed by Parish Communion - perhaps that's what you mean?

[coughingbear]

Well, I meant that there's no mention of anything except Matins, which seems very traditional for the 1980s because of the Parish Communion movement, as you say. But of course Forest doesn't go into any detail so possibly there is a communion service too.

[rose-and-lizard.livejournal.com]

I do like your question posts, even though I seldom have any answers. Anyway, the ASB thing got discussed here (http://community.livejournal.com/trennels/6566.html), if that's any help.

[coughingbear]

I'd forgotten about that, damn! Perhaps we need to start tagging posts.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I've never really worked out how tags in communities work, but maybe factual things like this one and 'when did they change the rules at Dartmouth?' could go under 'faq'?

[coughingbear]

Just looked it up and it seems jediowl or I have to create tags, which anyone can then add to their posts. Hmm, maybe a task for another day...

(I do like your candles!)

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I think it's from obsessiveicons, a lot of my icons are. I like your ceiling, too.

[owl]

There's about 100-odd posts at trennels, if we're tagging past ones—I'm pretty sure that's possible.

Mmm. We need a fanfic one, anyway. Tags by book? Or we could have one called faq for taggings this sort of posts?

[coughingbear]

Hmm, starts making list:

fanfic
[book titles]
[character names]
what does mrs marlow do all day
royal navy
sailing
religion
quiz
shakespeare
peter's age
mod announcements
why did kay marry edwin
buying forest books
acting
language
kingscote
boarding school
music
class
nicola is boring
nicola is not boring
future lives
contraception
mrs marlow's obstetric record
other writers we like

[owl]

nicola is boring
nicola is not boring
contraception
mrs marlow's obstetric record


*gigglesnort*

[coughingbear]

Oh, and yes, faq seems a good tag to append to anything that's cropped up more than once. And obviously that list was just intended as a start - I've thought of another couple:

antonia forest's life
good and bad parents

[owl]

Right. This looks like quite a list. Should we appoint a few people temporary mods so they can tag 10 entries each or something?

[coughingbear]

Sounds a good plan. It shouldn't actually take too long, because quite a few posts will just need fanfic. I will add that list if you're happy with it, and trust that they all get used!

Are you playing with the layout? I rather liked the one before the boxy blue one, if that means anything.

[owl]

I, um, can't remember which one that was. :)

I wanted to get one I liked that would have an 'edit tag' link on the journal page instead of just the entry, for the obvious reason.

[coughingbear]

Yes, I just realised tag displaying would be rather important bit!

[owl]

We can always play wround with it later.

[coughingbear]

Right, I think that's enough tags to be going on with. Let the labelling commence!

[coughingbear]

Can we make it show the complete list of tags on the side as well (as in your journal & mine & ankaret's)? And shall I post something asking people to start tagging entries and comment if they have any problems?

[owl]

Can we make it show the complete list of tags on the side as well (as in your journal & mine & [info]ankaret's)?

I'm not sure how many free styles do that...I could do a link to the tag page (http://community.livejournal.com/trennels/tags/), I suppose. ah, Smooth Sailing has a list! And with such an a propos name, too...

And shall I post something asking people to start tagging entries and comment if they have any problems?

Go ahead!

[coughingbear]

In fact, just checked the faq and I don't think you have to be a mod to add tags once they exist - it says members can add them to other people's posts. We can experiment in a minute or two when they exist.

(Good icon!)

[owl]

I've tagged all the fanfiction ones, and others sporadically. Systematically, I think, will turn out to be a hobby like tapestry.

I thought of another one—AF conference discussion.

[coughingbear]

Have added. Have also just realised poor geebengrrl is probably getting comment notices for this discussion, so am going to put a post up about tags and we can adjourn there...

No I'm not! ankaret's already posted something about it.

[owl]

Perhaps we should amalgamate: nicola is boring/not boring?

[coughingbear]

yes, fair enough!

[melandraanne.livejournal.com]

Concerning your question about the x in the water, I thought it was to do with a superstition that said that if you share water to wash, it would end up in a fight. I did a quick search, and found that "To wash in water, which has been previously used by someone else means that you will quarrel with him, unless you clasp your hands together over the water when you have finished"
I suppose the 'X' is a symbolic way of clasping hands...

[richenda.livejournal.com]

"To wash in water, which has been previously used by someone else means that you will quarrel with him, unless you clasp your hands together over the water when you have finished" I suppose the 'X' is a symbolic way of clasping hands

That's very interesting. I've always thought that it was a leftover from making the sign of the cross to bless/purify the water from the other person's use, but had turned into a cross the other way by people who didn't know the origin.