Beedubya

Yeah just wondering about that, West Country AND Ireland and I never heard a peep of it in the North of Engerland.................though we do have magpies here in Australia who will dive for the glitter in your blue eyes apparently, I have never had this experience but my daughter and 2 ladies I worked with did have........not just the once mind, but seems that they were all "victims" of the swooping Magpies........

Burbage

Do Australian magpies count, or just the real ones?

Paula31

As a child in the NW of England the saying was 'I salute thee Mr Magpie' and even though I don't actually say it out loud anymore I still say it in my head hoping that that the magic magpie will be able to read my thoughts and not give me bad luck. However, me and my husband always salute a solitary magpie. One for sorrow, two for joy and all that....

ABCDiamond

I am not superstitious at all, and the fact that I had 3 car accidents on one Friday 13th was pure co-incidence, nothing else.

Jen1977ni

Do they look the same as the Ulster ones?! lol

Beedubya

I only remember that from the kids TV show back in the 70's, MAGPIE, one for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl and four for a boy.......

Pollyana

I talk to the Aussie ones as well, don't want to tempt fate!
Jen, haven't you seen the Aussie ones yet? They are almost the reverse of back home - the white bits are black, and the black bits white, if you get what I mean. And their tails aren't as long.

Jen1977ni

Are they the things that are wandering around the garden all the time eating those scary beasties!? There's a bird very similar to them with grey bits and it makes a noise a bit like a baby crying...I always want to go out and pet it, it sounds so cute!

There's also another bird that sounds like this 'caw caw caw caw cawwwwwwwwww' like it's laughing and the last sound is always longer, the ones in school say that if they hear that it makes them think of death...EEEK!

Dreamy

"Good morning Mr Magpie" and a salute of some description has been common place in all the places I've lived - Co Durham, Cheshire/Lancashire, North and Mid Wales, Yorkshire.

Himself from Kent, also has a similar version.

My birthday is 13th August - it was the last Friday 13th of the last millennium (if you subscribe to the view that the millenium ended on 31st Dec 1999) I've never had a problem. Well apart from the time I had tonsillitis for my birthday, but I don't think it was a Friday occasion

I've never heard of the 'splitting the posts' thing - Himself and I are always doing that, especially holding hands, its a challenge to see who will get their arm bashed into the post, hehe.

I am superstitious about other things though - not putting new shoes on the table, putting a silver coin in a purse/wallet if you give it as a gift, I also have to leave a dirty plate in the sink if I go away somewhere on holiday, but that's a personal superstition.

captain_beefheart

Didn't you guys know it is bad luck to be superstitious?

JoanL

My husband is very superstitious - well, it goes with the territory: he used to be a sailor in the RN. Come to think about it, he does have a fair bit of bad luck.

My Mum was superstitious too - it was hard to keep up with all the things not to do. I'm too lazy and forgetful to be successfully superstitious myself.

Pollyana

First one does sound like a magpie. The mournful one is a crow I think, used to have them in the first place I lived in Brisbane, and they are awful sounding - I was also told they are always around when there is a death.

Jen1977ni

What about the wee ones that sound cute which are very similar to the magpie, but slightly smaller and have more of a grey tone as opposed to a black one!?

Kooky.

Very.

Salt over the shoulder, no new shoes on the table, touching wood, magpies (one for sorrow, I freak if I don't see a second), no open umbrellas indoors, coin in the purse - yes to all of those...can't change your clothes if you put them on inside out, can't cut your nails on a Friday...tons more I'm sure, if I could think of them.

What can I say - I'm a country girl

stevenglish

Brilliant,