Good Morning Mr Magpie

... and how's your wife today? At the risk of being rude, may I ask, what are you doing sitting on that sheep's head?

After yesterdays gloom, somebody up there clearly decided I needed a laugh, so presented me with this image this morning. Photo a bit fuzzy as (a) I was a long way away and (b) I was laughing!

Apparently, the reason why we say Good morning when we see a single magpie is this:

..in many parts of the United Kingdom spying a single magpie is considered an omen of bad fortune and saluting it is a way of showing the proper respect in hope that the magpie won't pass on some of the misfortune that follows it.

As magpies usually mate for life seeing one on its own is as sign of sorrow because it's lost it's mate, whereas if you see two it's is a sign of joy as it's with it's mate. This is why when you see a single magpie you ask after it's wife, thus suggesting it has a mate and is in fact happy - hence the rhyme one for sorrow , two for joy!


and the rhyme:

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told.