to be super shitey-scared of single magpies?

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Or rather the perceived doom that they may convey?

I am not superstitious about anything else. Broken mirrors can fuck off and black cats can do one.

But one single magpie puts the right willies up me as harbinger of ill will.

Someone once told me that if you spit at them it counteracts the potential 'sorrow' Spitting is the most revolting habit available, so instead I just do a little bubble to myself. Only last week I did a full-on dribble down my chin and got a horrified look from a passer-by.

Please tell me what a twat I am and why one magpie spotted on a school run will not lead to my imminent ruin.

Husband used to salute single magpies - that's supposed to reverse the doom.

He gave up years ago however, when he realised it was just silly.

I've got loads of magpies living in the big trees in my garden! I've had to get over any superstition related to magpies or else I'd be dribbling everywhere!

YABU.

Superstitious nonsense.

Howling at the dribble chin! Just salute and "tsk tsk" to yourself or say "hello me magpie how's your wife"

You say the opposite time of day to them, so if you see one in the morning you say "good evening Mr Magpie, how's your wife?" and if you see one in the afternoon you say "Morning Mr Magpie, how's your wife?" etc. This will negate any bad luck

This is it, Mouthful. There are loads of them in the field opposite my house. Dribbletastic.

Y probably ABU, I am too. My Nan always said 'Good Morning/Afternoon Mr Magpie Sir' so I do it too, out loud when I'm alone, under my breath in company. I can't relax until I say it

My Grandma taught me that magpies spread bad luck as a form of supernatural predation - the sheep will fall into an unlikely trap, die, and feed the magpie.

I loved the combination of superstition and pseudo-scientific logic.

Anyway, the counter hex she taught me was to make the sign of the cross and blow a kiss to the magpie as a prayer that it gets a partner soon.

I used to salute single magpies (am also completely non-superstitious about everything else), and used to feel pleased at seeing two magpies (two for joy) but very early one fateful morning in 2009 I was awoken from my heavily pregnant slumbers by my mother screaming at me down the telephone that my step-dad was having a heart attack and I needed to drive over to hers immediately. He very sadly died. On the rather panicked drive over to hers I saw two magpies and have never saluted the single ones since

You would be ok here on Salisbury Plain.

Counted 42 pairs along a five mile stretch of road at 6 in the morning.

I was constantly looking for its partner if I only saw one tho

Oh, of course YABU, but you did make me laugh.

"Good morning Mr magpie, Good morning Mr magpie, Good morning Mr magpie"

I have to do it each time, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible when out in public.
< dp's face.

I could have written this! Trouble is I moved to the NE and they're everywhere. I salute (subtlety) and say (or mutter) 'good morning Mr magpie'...depending on who can see me. I also keep my eyes peeled for a second one, one for sorrow, two for joy and all that.

Man, I'm a staunch atheist and everything but magpies???! Woah!

Just consider that magpies have the right to a bit of alone time!

Maybe we should just wink at then or something a bit more discreet than saluting and dribbling?? Hahaha

haha @ bubble dribble.

When I was about 7 months pregnant, with a high risk pregnancy, my cat killed and brought in one, single, magpie. I opened the sitting room door, and there it was, staring up at me. Bastard cat.

I'm still surprised my waters didn't break then, and I spent the rest of the pregnancy shitting myself, convinced something was going to go terribly wrong.

It didn't.

So I no longer feel shit scared when I see one single magpie

They always say where there's one there's another not far away but maybe not always in sight....so therefore I convince myself there are two(for joy) but ones hiding from me. I love the feeling when I see two together though.

If you buy into a single magpie being a harbinger of sorrow, you give them a little wave to ward them off. That is what my son does, anyway. Don't know where he picked up the superstition about them. I keep saying the him that the supposedly single magpie probably has a buddy behind a bush or nearby. So that's two for joy, right.

We have had a pair of magpies here for about 6 years that nest in one of the trees in our garden. Prior to my giving up saluting them, it was always good to have them here because they were always together and if it wasn't them, it was a group of the babies. 'Twisty', one of the first babies (so called because he has one feather sticking up on his back) still comes and visits but is usually alone.

Crossed, Maisy. I think you're probably right. They're just foraging.

I'm glad that I'm not alone in my weirdness! I salute single magpies and say "Morning Captain"... I'm also a total non-believer in superstitious nonsense APART from the magpies! Why? I don't know!!!

I don;t think YABU, Magpies are the one superstition that bothers me too. I do anything from a full blown salute and Morning Mr Magpie out loud (if i am on my own in car) to a slight nod of head and a Morning Mr Magpie said in my head if i am in company. Magpies are the ONLY superstition I have passed on to any of my children, 2 of the 4 of them also salute them now
However I have had great days where i have seen just one magpie, and crap days when i have seen 2 :)

There is usually a second one nearby anyway

They wait, they bloody WAIT , hovering about the A12 to swoop in front of my car in that lazy deliberate way.
I say "HelloMrMagpieHowsYourWife" all in one breath. DH is of course/

But on the M25 they furtle about at the edge of the hardshoulder. How much distance can I allow between two , assuming they're a pair and not 2 singletons. (Which calls for HelloMrMagpie,yourwife'sbackthere )