Piskies are the Cornish version of pixies, cousins to leprechauns and brownies. Like most of these creatures, piskies can be kind and helpful to people in need but they are also mischievous creatures. The Cornish say that if you annoy the piskies their revenge is to leave you lost and confused on the moors, this is known as being piskie-led.
Last Friday, we visited some friends who live on a farm about 10 miles from Liskeard in Cornwall and the wretched piskies seemed to have had it in for us right from the start. We set out at 09.00 in bright sunshine, with good weather forecast for the rest of the day, so we decided to drive across Dartmoor. After about an hour, a thick mist came down, accompanied a few minutes later by driving rain and howling winds. The moor is a very hostile place in bad weather and, with visibility down to a few feet and navigation not the strongest of my skills (yes, I turn the map round to see where I'm going!), I was glad that the Master Mariner was with me. Another hour on, we crossed the Tamar into Cornwall and sunshine. Ours was the only car with windscreen wipers and headlights on, the storm had obviously been our own private piskie mischief.
After a pleasant few hours with our friends, we decided to drive home by a different route, this time across Bodmin Moor but the pesky piskies were waiting there too. As we left the farm, we saw a signpost showing Liskeard 3 miles; we are used to country miles so we weren't too worried when we found ourselves still in the middle of farmland fifteen minutes later. We carried on along the same road until we saw another signpost, showing 'Liskeard 7 miles' and we knew it was going to be a long journey home.........
Warning: when planning a trip to Cornwall remember that piskies can sense scepticism.
The Piskies are obviously in league with the feminist hegemon in attempting to force male drivers to abandon their highly evolved navigational skills in favor of asking for directions, thereby degrading the manly arts ever further. I'm glad to hear that the MM resisted their pathetic attempts at intimidation and dead-reckoned the way through, dignity intact.
ReplyDeleteThe MM would agree with you completely. I don't mind acknowledging his superior navigational skills, but I claim better spacial awareness. We have to drive through a tunnel into our back yard and I have negotiated it successfully for 18 years, while the old MM has collected numerous dents on his car bumpers.
ReplyDeleteDocking the ship is the tugboat operator's job. A man can't do everything.
ReplyDeleteLet's not get into the male inability to multi-task! With erp and adelephant going quiet of late, I feel very outnumbered.
ReplyDeleteYou should feel very needed. Obviously the MM needs you as his Harbor Master.
ReplyDeleteI'll try that as an excuse for not cooking his dinner tonight.
ReplyDelete(yes, I turn the map round to see where I'm going!)
ReplyDeleteAll women I know of do this.
Men, in my experience, always hold the map north up.
I read somewhere once that it is an evolutionary thing - male hunter gather needs to find his way back to stay-at-home woman in cave. So you can all read maps (the wrong way up) and we can operate complex washing machine programmes and bake cakes. Vive la difference.
ReplyDeleteHello Monix - a number of computer problems (too numerous and complex to go into) have forced me to remain silent. However, on this point I have to speak out - I always hold the map facing North and rotate myself. Thus I am always heading upwards.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back!
ReplyDeleteThank heavens for some sanity in the field of navigation.