I was QUITE certain that I’d fall at this
fence, but various QUAINT & QUEER bits of inspiration have struck during the day, so here goes on a sampler.
QUEST – A quest is a common theme in novels of all kinds – the
quest for love or power or wealth makes a great basis for a story. One of my
main themes in Helter-Skelter is
Albie’s quest for his biological father.
George has known Albie for a few months when he asks Albie the QUESTION “Why
were you sleeping under the pier?” and this is the moment Albie tells George
about it:
Albie stared at the
tattoo on the back of George’s wrist and spoke so softly that George could only
just hear.
“Mum
told me to eff off. She was going to stay with this bloke, she said – the one
what hit her – and they didn’t want a gyppo bastard tagging along.” He stirred
his tea savagely. “She’s always calling me that – says a gypsy got her in the
club. Anyhow, I’d fed meself for months, she said, so I could carry on doing
it. Then they both laughed, so I effed off.”
Is it any wonder that he searches for his father? Anyone
would be an improvement on a mother who treats her twelve-year-old son that way.
Years later, Albie and Bert are QUAFFING their ale in their local tavern when
his own mother fails to recognise him and propositions him. Imagine the horror
of that.
QUESO = cheese, which we love. Most local cheese is made
from goats’ milk – any cows have to live under cover away from the fierce sun –
and many Canarians breakfast on QUESO FRESCO Y MEMBRILLO , which is a sweet jelly
made from QUINCES. They are very sweet toothed, but I prefer my breakfast sharper-tasting. Lemon curd works well!
QUIERO – is the first
person singular of the verb QUERER. It can mean simply “I want” as in “I want
that shirt”, but it can also mean “I love”. "TE QUIERO" = "I love you." I suppose
it could also mean “I want you” but I’ve never been in that kind of situation
with a Spanish speaker!
I "Q"uite like your post!!! Thank yo so much for stopping by my blog! enjoy the rest of A-Z!
ReplyDeleteNoo how can you have Lemon curd for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteThere are few things I love more than queso, so this post made me very hungry for some Mexican food.
ReplyDeleteGreat Q words!
Me, too, Julie! I have a hankering for salsa and tortilla chips!
ReplyDeleteFired white queso with jam on the side - my favourite starter although morcillo comes close
ReplyDeleteSpanish sounds so much nicer than English.
ReplyDeleteIs Anyone There
You did very well on Q day! I'd never thought to pair queso and quince...sounds yummy!
ReplyDeleteI made some quince jelly a couple of years back, lizy. It goes well with cold meat and we also used it to fill a sandwich sponge. Even had an article pblished about it.
ReplyDeleteAnn