Thursday, August 11, 2011

visitor, Bury, zero


Posted by Picasa On the wall beside our front doorstep.

There is a Chinese restaurant in Sevenoaks with a pleasant outside seating area. On a return visit today I question the owner about his Mancunian accent. I'm a Manchester boy," he says, "Or rather Bury. I was born in Bury." Why did you come south?" "I was 18," he says."I wanted to leave home. I told my parents I was going to London. My Mother gave me one of those green phone cards which the Post Office provided in those days. But otherwise my parents put no obstacles in my way. I got the train to Kings Cross. On the train I met a woman who said whatever you do, don't stay in London. So I took a train to Croydon. I started off down the road outside the station but it didn't seem promising, so I turned round and went the other way. Before long I found a Chinese take-away. I said I'm looking for a job. They said we're looking for someone. My experience was Chinese take-aways and fish and chips, my parents business. I stayed there three years. This is my restaurant," he says  looking round him. "I've been running it for 10 years. I'm 48." I tell him that I was amused to see someone deliver a plate of English pub sandwiches to the restaurant last time we were there. (I reported the incident here). "They were for me," he says, smiling. I need a change sometimes."

Reading up about zero I find this. It is the sort of thing I am looking for. It is attributed to a manuscript found in the 12th Century Salem Monastery  in German.:
 "Every number arises from One, and this in turn from the Zero. In this lies a great and sacred mystery."

4 comments:

tristan said...

i lost faith in my maths teacher back in the sixties when i asked "WHY does minus times minus make plus ?"

"you'll have to take my word for it!" she replied

CC said...

T- I had the same experience with a religioso when at 15 or 16 I queried him about "faith".
His reply,"You either believe it or you don't".

J - Delightful post. You have such a great eye for the natural world, love your escargot!

Roderick Robinson said...

Bury: its pronunciation the bane of my life while living in the south-east. If toffee-nosed TV presenters (and others) must refer to it as "Berry" why not spell it that way?

Unknown said...

T Never to take anyone's word for anything without the support of reason and evidence, is a good rule but not always easy to follow. Take my word for it.

CC A good query, which constantly requires repetition. Have faith!

BB The restaurateur first pronounced it "Berry" but through in the local pronounciation for good measure.