ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Can anyone help ?

I stumbled on a couple of sayings that my grandmother used to use and they brought back so many memories that i have decided to do a small artical for the local paper.

For fun and fancy to please old Nancy.


It's up in nanna's room behind the clock.

These are the two i found, not sure of the meanings but i think the first one is a throw away line in answer to a stupid question such as. Why are you sweeping the stairs ?

The second i really do not know perhaps someone could help.

Cheers Bob

often when I went over to my Grandfathers Place for semi important family papers he would say they were in grandma's room behind the mantlepiece clock which they were

don't no if it works in with that saying Bob

BW

I concure with Bill. My best Mate as a kid would often take me over to his Nanna's. We'd call in there on the way to the river, haircuts, treats and sometimes just visit. Any papers of importance were kept behind the clock on the mantlepiece. Bills due, letters from family, photos and grandkids 'scratchings'. It was there I first heard the term, "Nanna's room behind the clock". That 'room' contained much of the family history.

Good subject,

Our family version of the second one was "Up in Annie's Room Behind The Clock". This was used when we asked Mum 'Where's my ..." meaning was, in our case, that you should go look for whatever it was yourself.

I'm trying to think of some of the others. If I do I will post them.

Bob

Zodraes meaning for “It's up in nanna's room behind the clock.” is the one I remember; my old Mum also put papers behind the mantle clock.

Mum had a lot of sayings in answer to the little kids inane questions.
What’s that? “A wigwam for a gooses bridle.”

TTFN

It's funny, the parents those days knew their place, they were mature with life-skills and smarter than their kids. They would seldom get exasperated over the inane questions their kids would fire at them. They'd just respond with those silly and mostly humerous retorts such as, "wigwam for a .... " etc. then smile knowing that those phrases would tie up their kid's thinking processes for a while.

Maybe parents these days have forgotten their place and that's why their kids are smarter and more disrespectful.

I think our parents were smarter than us.

...I'm damn sure of it Manfred!...in fact, in my case I reckon they still might be........and I'm not smarter than my kids....so they think, so I guess I am just the weak link in the chain!

Thanks everyone i will keep at it.

Dave your Wigwam was one I'd forgotten.

Cheers Bob

G'day Bob,

I have just remembered another one.
When you would say "I thought I did" Mum would say "He stuck a feather in the ground and thought it would grow a chook." I guess the meaning was that thinking about something would not make it happen and you should go a 'do it'.