When you see a Magpie, what do you do?

[FavouriteMug]

Going by the reactions of my friends, choices seem to be broadly split as follows:

A. Stop whatever you are doing/saying IMMEDIATELY to utter some weirdy salutation stating with the words 'Good Morning Mr Magpie', even though it's 4.30 in the afternoon. After which your friends are permitted to resume the conversation again.

B. Deftly perform some sort of ritual involving 3 salutes and a tug on your collar without breaking conversation and still managing to keep one hand in the steering wheel/pouring hot water into a mug etc.

C. Absolutely nothing, because it's just a sodding bird and why would you?

I'm C - I think I'm the only one who is and that the world has truly gone mad

Hello Mr magpie, where's Mrs magpie? looking after the children, that's all right then or Morning General, plus the one for sorrow etc.
Truly raving, barking mad

C. There are loads where I live, I’d never get on with my day otherwise

Salute and say "Morning Major" whatever time of day!

Just been reading up about them and the superstitions surrounding them. Fascinating stuff. Our rhymes are only the tip of the iceberg, apparently the French see them as reincarnated evil nuns!

"Hello Mr Magpie, you look lovely in your black and white coat"

Doesn't the rhyme end
10 for a marriage never to be old
??

“Good [whatever the time of day it is] Captain” with a salute. But only if it’s a lone magpie. Two for joy and all that….
I’m generally not superstitious, but this one stuck!

In spring? Duck
But I live in Australia and they are buggers for swooping and causing major injuries. The rest of the year I listen to their lovely singing

Morning Mr Magpie, how's your Missus? Doesn't matter what time of day it is, always Morning. Then I look for a second one so it's not One for Sorrow. Though greeting them is supposed to ward off the Sorrow. My parents don't do it ( they are Scottish, is it just an English thing?) I think I picked it up from friends as a kid.

Salute the magpie! Then have a discussion with about I'm with about 'one for sorrow, two for joy, etc'

I salute and say good morning or good afternoon mr magpie

I say it in my head. But I still say it!
I also cannot stand walking on 3 drain covers and I’ll deliberately walk over 2
I’m a grown adult

Erm A

@OhYeahyeahyeah

Hello Mr. Magpie, how's your lady wife?

Then a Salut 😆

If there's more than one then I recite the whole thing.. 1 for sorrow, 2 for jou, 3 for a girl, 4 for a boy, 5 for silver, 6 for gold, 7 for a secret never to be told, 8 for a wish, 9 for a kiss and 10 for a bird that you cannot miss!! 😅

The version I know is "....eight for a wish, nine for a kiss, 10 for a surprise you won't want to miss. 11 for health, 12 for wealth, 13 beware, it's the devil himself!"

Every now and then I notice the pavement cracks and consider avoiding them. Then I pull myself together.

C normally, but occasionally I find myself doing what my mother did which is more like B (she used to make a spitting sound, but not actually spit as she was quite ladylike really, and say "morning John" )

"good morning Mr Magpie, have a nice day"

I think poor beautiful persecuted fucker.

I say good morning / afternoon Mr Magpie and how’s your lovely wife.

If I stopped to do something every time I saw a magpie, I'd never get anything done - I doubt if our garden is ever magpie-free for more than a minute at a time during daylight hours.

Every time someone says one for sorrow, it makes me think of this Steps song. I've always wondered if the writer of the song was thinking of this superstition. And now I want to dance around my living room! m.youtube.com/watch?v=e3oknt9K3BM

I'm normally driving and I think "fuck, where's the other one?!". Even though I know it's silly.

Has no one mentioned that if two people see one magpie, there's no need to worry, as "Seen by two, it's joy for me and you".
( DH reckons that's just me massaging the Magpie Rules to suit myself, but I had it on good authority).

I say "Good morning Mr magpie how's your wife and family?" And I salute.

I say 'Morning Mr Magpie, give my regards to your wife' though to be fair I usually say it in my head if I am with another human...