Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Bup my buppoo


Grandson and I went to Saughton Park today. It was damp but not raining. He dressed for the weather. "Boots," he said appreciatively.


We admired the crocuses. Well, I did.


He admired this lawnmower. "Wheels," he said. Then it began to rain very slightly so we put up our hoods.

After a while, we went into the greenhouse and walked round admiring the plants. "Flowers," he said.

Then we went home and he played with his toys. This is his Thomas. It speaks when you press its funnel. It says, "My name's Thomas. I'm a really useful engine. Bust my buffers."

Grandson has lots of words and joins them together to some extent - for example, "Hello Gaga", "Go lights". But his only actual sentence, it occurs to me, is "Bust my buffers", or as he puts it "Bup my buppoo" (giggle giggle). I've no idea what he thinks it means; in fact I don't really know what I think it means.

There's an educational lesson there for teachers if I could only think what it is: concentrate on your pupils' interests? Or possibly: rote learning is useful but only if the pupil has the remotest idea what they're learning.

(PS I think some modern architecture is lovely. As Daughter 2 points out, architects often can't design what they want to because of various constraints: the site, regulations, money - it's often money (old buildings were built by exploited and underpaid labourers with materials from countries we had conquered), the client's wishes. I don't myself think that this excuses the orange panels but hey, some people like orange.)

6 comments:

  1. This is true......

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  2. Ah, Thomas trains. Time was, neither of my boys could leave the house without at least one little train clutched in their hands.

    We had an American sounding talking toy, a digger called Scoop who said in a tinny cartoonish voice "Scooooop it up, pal, You're FUN to play with!" and a very Young Climber used to wander round saying "Scoooop-itup al. You're unter-famous" Still makes me chuckle.

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  3. I nwill have to take pictures of some of the architecture here in the 9bloody freezing!) north. You would, I'm sure be interested. They have beautiful, elegant old buildings juxtapose with (I think) really uigly, modern monstrosities, that undoubtedly some think of as wonerdful, innovative designs! Call me a fossil---I know what I like. These modern abominations do not "bup my buppoo!"

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  4. Pity I didn't read that first! I'm sure you can mentally make corrections as needed!

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  5. Had to laugh. My young son used to shout, "F*ck" every time he saw a truck, as we rode on the bus. Mama would cringe while gasps of horror surrounded me.
    I have now, finally realised where Gaga must have originated.. my children called their Grandfather by that name, and being from another island, we were curious as to where the name came from.
    Gom would have been Gaga also, but our granddaughter decided that Gugsy was better, so Gugsy/Gugs he became.
    We have had a family tradition of the first grandchild naming the grandparent. It has led to some very interesting names!

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  6. He is so cute! I suspect that 'Bup my Buppoo' is grandson language for 'Bust my Buffers'. Not sure how useful this phrase will be for him, though! xCathy

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