30 thoughts on “Petal

    • September 23, 2025 at 11:57 am
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      Yes – they are very friendly folk in Yorkshire Gillena…

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  • September 23, 2025 at 11:50 am
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    A lesson on cultures. As Dean of a Global MBA program, with my global travels, I was always fascinated by cultural traditions, be they about naming, food, gestures, body language. I always taught students this: things are not better or worse, they are simply different.,

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    • September 23, 2025 at 11:58 am
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      Very true Lillian – and that was a long comment for a woman with a dickey shoulder – thanks…

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  • September 23, 2025 at 12:18 pm
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    I remember a visit to Cornwall and being addressed as ‘my lover’, which was a bit if a surprise, but I wouldn’t mind ‘flower’ or ‘petal’, Andrew. Love Yorkshire.

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  • September 23, 2025 at 2:20 pm
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    That is so interesting… (and I have seen it in Brittish Crime series)

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    • September 23, 2025 at 4:42 pm
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      No you won’t get that much in gritty dramas lol

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  • September 23, 2025 at 4:14 pm
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    Andrew, that is the one thing I miss the most about living in the UK… The way people called you “love.” It always made me feel special!

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    • September 23, 2025 at 4:41 pm
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      Just so Coleen love!

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  • September 23, 2025 at 7:20 pm
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    Andrew, I love how your piece captures something real and meaningful – regional identity expressed through how people address each other affectionately❤️

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    • September 24, 2025 at 6:31 am
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      Thanks Ange – I have a list of Yorkshitre expressions on my phone – I knew they would come in useful one day…

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  • September 23, 2025 at 9:17 pm
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    Just once I would love to be addressed as “Flower” ~ how delightful. I will not be so bold as to request “Petal.”

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    • September 24, 2025 at 6:28 am
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      Eeeyup petal! Thee little beauty…

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      • September 24, 2025 at 6:36 pm
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        Kind Sir … I blush.

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    • September 24, 2025 at 6:19 pm
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      Thank you Sanaa – I think that bus conductor would be surprised to be told he was exhibiting culture but of course he was…

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  • September 25, 2025 at 2:55 am
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    That’s something I miss about England, the familiarity of certain language. In Australia, they had their own version but it never resonated quite as much for me. Now in Thailand, I know the Thai language contains these types of cultural indicators but have little idea what they actually are.

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    • September 25, 2025 at 11:40 pm
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      The things we discover in fresh cultures are never expected, Shaun…

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  • September 26, 2025 at 12:10 am
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    I like the distinctions, Andrew!

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    • September 26, 2025 at 7:00 am
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      Yes,, Sara – the subtletys…

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  • September 27, 2025 at 3:29 am
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    ‘Petal’ is fairly common in Australia, as an extension of ‘pet’, and can signify anything from goodwill to a stranger, through mild affection, to very dear love.

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    • September 27, 2025 at 9:06 am
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      Rosemary, an Australian habit we noted on our visit in 1968, was to abbreviate even the shortest name – Ian to Eee, for example, so “petal”, perhaps imported by Yorkshire folk, may well be the origin of “pet” which always seemed a strange term of endearment – as if ones beloved was a kind of pet (animal) and as for petting – let’s not even go there – lol…

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  • September 29, 2025 at 3:40 pm
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    Ah yes, this I remember well, and lives on in my extended family, even expats but our antipodean brethren eschew the practice as too friendly. It was my understanding that pet was a derivation of petal? Love this poem Andrew ❤️

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    • September 30, 2025 at 10:37 pm
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      Thanks for confirming that Paul – it never occurred to me before pet/petal…

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  • September 30, 2025 at 12:49 pm
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    How sweet and so apt, actually! This is what I love most about sharing poems on WP, everyday we learn something new! Thanks, Petal. 😄

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    • September 30, 2025 at 10:35 pm
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      Aww! Thanks flower…

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    • October 20, 2025 at 10:11 pm
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      Full of fun facts me…

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