Evidence that Fran isn't a fan of pastel colours
I'm in love with this colour. I think it's called teal. Here's a square of teal.
I have the following possessions, all in teal.
1. My laptop. (I think I told you that story. The man in the computer shop wasn't impressed that I chose a piece of kit based on its colour alone, without asking questions about megabytes or other such young-people nonsense.)
2. The cover for my Kindle Paperwhite. (My daughter gave me this. She thought my reactions overstated when I realised it matched my laptop cover, but she was probably worried I would dance on her ginger cat if I didn't calm down.)
3. Some teeshirts.
4. Some jumpers.
5. Some scarves.
6. Some socks.
All I lack is a pair of teal trousers and some teal shoes, but one can overdo things. If I went out dressed all in teal, perhaps with a teal hat, I would be mistaken for a bright summer sky and that might not end well.
What I didn't know, until a minute after I began this blog post, was that a teal was a duck and that we get the colour teal from some of the bright-blue colouring these ducks have on their feathers. The colours are more apparent when the ducks are flying; most of the time they're quite coy about their bright bits, like this one below. I can imagine them swooping up into the air and saying, 'Ha ha! And there was you, thinking I was wearing a boring brown speckled coat!'
According to www.etymonline.com, my favourite word-origin site, the colour teal was only used to refer to clothing from 1923, whereas the meaning 'small freshwater duck' was used in the 14th century.
Now, my life's ambition is to get myself one of these ducks, add it to my list of 'Things I Have in Teal' and find some way of wearing it so that it matches my socks.
Or, I could have it on my desk in the study, so that when I'm writing on my laptop, or reading my Paperwhite, there's a pleasing amount of coordination in the room.
I have the following possessions, all in teal.
1. My laptop. (I think I told you that story. The man in the computer shop wasn't impressed that I chose a piece of kit based on its colour alone, without asking questions about megabytes or other such young-people nonsense.)
2. The cover for my Kindle Paperwhite. (My daughter gave me this. She thought my reactions overstated when I realised it matched my laptop cover, but she was probably worried I would dance on her ginger cat if I didn't calm down.)
3. Some teeshirts.
4. Some jumpers.
5. Some scarves.
6. Some socks.
All I lack is a pair of teal trousers and some teal shoes, but one can overdo things. If I went out dressed all in teal, perhaps with a teal hat, I would be mistaken for a bright summer sky and that might not end well.
What I didn't know, until a minute after I began this blog post, was that a teal was a duck and that we get the colour teal from some of the bright-blue colouring these ducks have on their feathers. The colours are more apparent when the ducks are flying; most of the time they're quite coy about their bright bits, like this one below. I can imagine them swooping up into the air and saying, 'Ha ha! And there was you, thinking I was wearing a boring brown speckled coat!'
According to www.etymonline.com, my favourite word-origin site, the colour teal was only used to refer to clothing from 1923, whereas the meaning 'small freshwater duck' was used in the 14th century.
 |
| This duck doesn't look in bad shape at all considering it was born in the 14th century. |
Now, my life's ambition is to get myself one of these ducks, add it to my list of 'Things I Have in Teal' and find some way of wearing it so that it matches my socks.
Or, I could have it on my desk in the study, so that when I'm writing on my laptop, or reading my Paperwhite, there's a pleasing amount of coordination in the room.
I was born in the 15th century. I hold up pretty well considering my age. I like teal. A corner cabinet in my living room has items that are mostly teal, with a few other colors mixed in so people don't say, Boy, you sure like teal, don't you? Then I'd feel compelled to say, No, not especially.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Yes, one so hates to be caught trapped in an addiction. I understand. I think the duck perhaps thought the same.
Deletea teal decoy for your decor?
ReplyDeleteHa ha - clever!
DeleteI was disappointed that the ducks don't take their colour seriously. Just a hint of.
ReplyDeleteSee Janie's comment. I think they are being cautious.
DeleteDo you really want a duck sitting on your desk dropping you-know-what everywhere?
ReplyDeleteYou're such a REAList!!
DeleteIt is my second favourite colour after mauve/purply colours.I am at this moment wearing my lovely necklace that is exactly the colour of your teal square! It is amazing how many other colours it " goes with"…..bright pink being a surprisingly good partner I find.
ReplyDeleteNow bright pink I wouldn't have thought of. I will give it a go. People may have to don their sunglasses when I'm out and about, but, hey.
DeleteThat reminds me - I ate teal once. I remember it especially because one of my sons, a tender hearted boy, exclaimed in horror: "it's our smallest duck, and you ate it!" The guilt has never quite left me.
ReplyDeleteNo! And do you wear the colour?...
DeleteNo!
DeleteI've grown very fond of teal, which I used to dismiss as a sadly outdated color of the 1950s. Then came the day when I realized that I look pretty darn good in it, and I never looked back.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a complexion it wouldn't suit, but maybe someone will correct me.
DeleteDucks are rather messy. Cochineal would be so much easier to live with.
ReplyDeleteI'd like a duck with feathers teal/And not the insect cochineal/The cochineal's a parasite/And of my flesh might take a bite.
DeleteI'm very partial to teal , too ( not that I often say that out loud , since it's difficult to articulate clearly ) .
ReplyDeleteYou could wear it with shades of coffee brown to avoid the summer sky effect ...
Hm .. teal and coffee brown. I've never thought of that one either. I don't wear brown these days - I used to, but now I have grey hair it doesn't go as well as bright colours or black/grey.
Delete"questions about megabytes and other such young-people nonsense!" Loved that!
ReplyDeleteAnd I am also partial to the colour teal as well as to the little quacking ones.
I hate technology. I'm so conscious of its advancement year on year, leaving me way behind.
DeleteA friend of mine has a black labrador called Teal. I wonder why.
ReplyDeleteHave you checked under its wing feathers?
DeleteHahahahahaha!
DeleteI don't think your pictured colour is teal (she said, to add a discordant note). I'd call it turquoise. I think teal is darker. But then, I don't think the bluey feathers in your picture of a teal look the right colour either and I suppose the evidence there is stronger. But I do like your teal colour and also the colour that I think of as teal. I'm typing the word teal so much that it's beginning to look funny to me...
ReplyDeleteWell, Google said it was teal, and who am I to fight with a multinational global corporation?!!
DeleteI was thinking the same thing. Teal is darker than the square. That's two of us, against a multinational global corporation. Two!
DeleteThank you, Iota, a fellow Edinburgh resident, I see. Clearly Edinburgh Teal is the darker shade.
DeleteI only typed 'bog-standard-issue teal' and not 'Edinburgh Teal' into Google, which is obviously where I'm going wrong here!
DeleteI know a woman whose last name is Teal; perhaps she was a duck in a previous life.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be a fly on the wall when you start that conversation with her ...
DeleteI find myslf agreeing with Pam and Iota. I have a dress that was labelled teal, and it's a dark greeny-blue. Your sample square matches some towels I bought recently. They were described by the shop as being 'duck egg blue'. Perhaps you should call your laptop colour 'baby teal'?
ReplyDelete(Although I suspect real baby teals are cute and fluffy and a different hue altogether :) )
Are you from Edinburgh, like Pam and Iota? They are basically forming a little campaign here.
DeleteGreat post, Fran. Teal is in! ( The teal of all shades :))You groovy chick! And you must get teal coloured shoes! There is nothing wrong with looking like a beautiful summer day. Go for it. My favourite colour for this month is purple. I can't go out wearing all purple though or I would just look like a battered wife :) Now, go get those shoes :) All the best.
ReplyDeletePurple is my other favourite colour. I even mark pupils' books in purple.
DeletePurple is my other favourite colour. I even mark pupils' books in purple.
DeleteNow, I don't like purple very much... unless what you mean is Edinburgh Lavender...
ReplyDeleteNow you're just being provocative!
Delete