OMG It's Friday the 13th

So it’s Friday the 13^th of December – oh no what bad things are going to happen today? I must admit that, like many others I am a little superstitious. I don’t think I am obsessive about such things but I will always choose to walk around rather than under a ladder; if I spill salt I will always throw a pinch over my right shoulder; if I break a mirror I’m worried about seven years bad luck, you know all the usual little superstitions that we have been brought up with. Therefore, I have to say that I am always most pleased when Friday the 13^th has come to an end and I have escaped unscathed!

According to the Mirror News, one third of Britons will change their normal plans and routines when the 13^th of a month falls on a Friday. Just over one third of adults (34%) say they would prefer to have a duvet day, and not even leave the house, whilst a whopping 72% of adults say they have experienced bad luck on this date. It is widely known that many, many people refuse to travel, will not make big purchases (like signing a business deal or completing on a house sale), get married or hold important meetings on Friday 13^th. It’s not just in Britain either, The Stress Management Centre and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, states Friday 13^th is the most feared date in the history of the USA. It is estimated that millions of dollars of business are lost each time the 13^th falls on a Friday!   There is even a name for the phobia of this date – paraskavedekatriaphobia, bet you didn’t know that!   

So why are we all so afraid that bad things are more likely to happen on this date than any other? There is not one particular answer to that question. Many people believe it is that historically the number thirteen and the day Friday have been seen as unlucky, and so, when you put them together you are in for double trouble! Christians will point to there having been thirteen people at the last supper, and it was the thirteenth person to sit down, Judas, who went on to betray Jesus. Jesus was then crucified and put to death on a Friday. Others suggest it goes even further back in the bible, to the Garden of Eden, when the forbidden fruit was eaten on a Friday. And let us not forget that Cain was supposed to have killed his brother Abel on a Friday.

Another factor may be that it is said in 1306 King Philip of France had the revered Knights Templar arrested and tortured on a Friday, giving more evidence that Friday was an evil day. And let’s not forget that most hangings in Britain were carried out on a Friday, and traditionally there were 13 steps up to the noose! As if this wasn’t enough there are also 13 witches in a coven – wow it is a wonder any of us survive this awful date!

It is true that the superstition surrounding the number 13 is so strong that many high rise buildings do not have a 13^th floor (they jump straight from 12^th floor to 14^th). Also some hotels don’t have a number 13 room as their owners believe customers would not want to stay in there. Just as an aside I once lived in a street of houses that did not have a number 6 – I never got to solve the mystery of that either!

There have been a number of small studies carried out that suggest that there are more accidents and admissions to hospital when the thirteenth of the month falls on a Friday. Could this be yet more proof that it is a bad date, or are we just so fearful of having an accident that we act in a different way? Personally, my logic tells me that Friday 13^th is no more unlucky than any other date, I think I am a reasonable person who can think things through to a logical conclusion and I know fearing one particular date is not sensible. However would I move house, get married, start a new business or book a flight on Friday 13th – to be honest probably not!        

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Great Yarns and Soft Poems

December has well and truly arrived, the days are shorter, the weather is colder and preparations for Christmas are all in hand. Funnily enough I love December! It's a month of good cheer, of parties and catching up with family and friends. Even more than that, the holidays with the cold, damp weather are a perfect time for catching up on your favourite authors and watching your best loved films.

So with this in mind, I thought today we could have a quick look at the famous Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894). Stevenson is most famous for his novels Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, however it must be noted he published much, much more than this and was an excellent novelist, poet and travel writer who ranks among the 26 most translated authors in the world. To give you a little potted history, Stevenson suffered long periods of ill health as a child which meant that he missed a lot of time away from school, and often had to be educated at home by a private tutor. Although late learning to read and write his love of storytelling became evident at a very early age, and his father paid for his first publication when he was only sixteen years old. He attended Edinburgh University, at first to study engineering, possibly with the idea of following his father into the design and building of lighthouses, but was quickly disillusioned and changed subjects to obtain a law degree. Stevenson never practiced at the bar though, as by the time he qualified he was certain that his career lay in writing. Stevenson married Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne, an American divorcee who was over ten years his senior in May 1880 and they remained married until his death in 1894 at the age of 44.

So why did December make me think of this great author? Well if you have any children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews who you love to sit in front of a roaring fire and read to, then I can recommend his work. Robert Louis Stevenson certainly knew how to write an adventure to captivate an audience. Without giving too much away Treasure Island, written in 1883 is a tale of pirates, buried treasure and desert islands. Kidnapped, written in 1886 tells the adventure of a young orphan, David, who is in pursuit of his rightful inheritance. Both tales have stood the test of time and remain firm family favourites. Both have been adapted for film and TV on numerous occasions.

Stevenson also wrote “A Child's Garden of Verses” in 1885. Although written for children, the poetry proved just as popular with the parents! I have taken a poem from this book to show you a sample of the brilliant writing by this amazing author. I hope you enjoy it as much as I always do!

Winter-Time by Robert Louis Stevenson

Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,

A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;

Blinks but an hour or two; and then,

A blood-red orange, sets again.

 

Close by the jolly fire I sit

To warm my frozen bones a bit;

Or with a reindeer-sled, explore

The colder countries round the door.

 

When to go out, my nurse doth wrap

Me in my comforter and cap;

The cold wind burns my face, and blows

Its frosty pepper up my nose.

 

Black are my steps on silver sod;

Thick blows my frosty breath abroad;

And tree and house, and hill and lake,

Are frosted like a wedding cake.

 

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