‘Good morning/afternoon Mr Magpie’

[Sunrise6875]

Does anyone else HAVE to say this, whilst touching something black?

Where does it even come from?

If you know, you know

I say "Hello Mr. Magpie, how's your wife today?". My DH always looks at me really funny but it's something I've always done as my DM always did it!

My son does it, he started in his early teens. Until he did it I had never heard of it so don't know where it came from.

He's 43 now - I don't know if he still does

I've found my people! I salute and say good morning Mr magpie. We all did it at school. DH thinks I'm bonkers. .

We used to say 1 for sorrow 2 for joy etc but then 8 for a wish, 9 for a kiss, 10 for a marriage full of bliss.

I say ‘Good morning Mr Magpie how’s Mrs Magpie today? I’ve taught my children the rhyme as well. It’s a harmless superstition and it’s nice to pass on these traditional pieces of folklore .

@YellowandGreenToBeSeen

I think it comes from Magpies mating for life so if one is alone, it beggars the question ‘why - what bad luck has befallen his family?!’ Asking after ‘his’ wife and children challenges the ‘bad luck’.

I always salute and ask.

I was going to say this. As someone who used to be ridiculously superstitious I started to research the basis of them to try and rid my fixations. Seeing a solo magpie seems to come from the fact that magpies mate for life, so if you see on one their own then they may have lost their mate, so you ask after their wife and family.

Like one PP we say “Hello your Lordship! How’s her Ladyship?”
We have a better class of magpie down here.

I know the rhyme from the seventies TV show best but also the version Terry Pratchett uses in Carpe Jugulum.

London born and bred but it's always been "Morning Magpie, where's your mate?" while knocking off a quick salute.