Place Names

What’s in a name?

Want to know a secret?  I have an unusual hobby, which until recently I hadn’t told anyone about …

No. It isn’t toe wrestling!

Or extreme ironing.

Or lion taming.

No! Not even the extraordinary art of Hikaru Dorondango. (Though I’m definitely giving that a try.)

My hobby grew out of a childhood habit.  You may think me daft, but sometimes it makes me stop the car, brakes squealing, and zoom into reverse.  Or stand as still as a statue in the middle of a bustling town, smiling like a Cheshire cat.  It often has me reaching for my camera – and makes me late for appointments because I have to make notes.

No, it isn’t trainspotting.

Okay, time to confess … I have a thing about place names.  I collect them.  There, I’ve said it.

I used to get car sick, so it began initially as a distraction.  However, I soon discovered that it was a great source of inspiration.  Even though a road or place name may only consist of one or two words, it usually tells a story.  Sometimes it leads you down a path to an intriguing make-believe destination … which may even wind up in a book.  It doesn’t really matter.  The fun part is the discovery.

I have all sorts of names in my collection.  Here are some from my neighbourhood.

Steeple Bumpstead … I love this one and not just because it contains a three-letter word I shall avoid mentioning.  I imagine hobbits living here in bumpy dwellings beneath a lofty spire.