Temporal Island

Looks like we have a new dog - Ripper. And he is a Ripper! Friendly, obedient and not bothered by the goat or Rosie. Dad's taken him down the beach so he can go for a run the last couple of nights. Fun just to throw him a stick or the ball and I'm not so freaked out about the goo.

Today I finally made it into the regular RP chat and caught up with lots of regulars. Not for the first time the subject of 'Black Irish' people arose. I have never heard the term outside of chat, where people refer to having 'Black Irish' in their ancestry. I looked for more information on the Web and it seems the term is not common outside of the US and also has several meanings. Cecil Adams gives a brief outline of where the term 'Black Irish' (as used in the US) comes from in The Straight Dope - who are the 'Black' Irish?. The Black Irish myth by Tom Kunesh is an essay that explores the stories that people from Ireland who have dark features are descended from Spanish men in the Armada who were shipwrecked on the Western coast in 1588. Other sources describe 'Black Irish' as dark haired, blue eyed and fair skinned people. One description claimed that these people have the blood type Rh negative. That's when I thought it was all getting too specific but I searched for information on people who are Rh negative. Rh negative is relatively rare - with the Basque population in Spain/Southern France having the highest percentage of people with this blood type. I was going to summarise what I've read but it's all too much - geography, genetics, linguistics - and not all of it easy to interpret or credible. I now know all about the problems that can occur if an Rh negative mother is pregnant with an Rh positive baby and I have a recipe for Frozen Black Irish. I'll write more if I find more!

We've had eight-year-old Jessica stay tonight and I've discovered a few of the games at ABC Children's TV, including Dress Up Mixy.