Monday 8 June 2009

China Wight

The crossroads of humanity is the cafe in Eastleigh Bus Station. All of society converges there, and the greatest way to pass a few minutes is to sit and eavesdrop the world's conversations.

Today while Ant and I were enjoying a leisurely lunch, we became aware of the two chaps at the table next to us discussing a recent visit one of them had made to the Isle of Wight. In particular they were discussing Blackgang Chine, a family attraction on the south side of the Island, named after the natural landmark of the same name. The discussion mostly centred around what a great attraction it was, and indeed the loveliness of the Island as a whole. Then it took a slightly unexpected twist....

A: I wonder why it's called Blackgang Chine.
B: I don't know, it sounds a bit Chinese to me
A: Yes I agree. But the Isle of Wight is British isn't it?
B: Yes, I think so
A: So why would somewhere like Blackgang have a Chinese name then?
B: I don't know, maybe its just got Chinese owners

And with that settled, they got up and left!