Do you know where Will's mother lives?

[AnnaQuayInTheUk]

For 20+ years I lived in an area where everyone knew about Will's mother. People would arrive late to meetings explaining that they were really sorry, but roadworks on X Road meant that they had to go round Will's mother's.

I'm aware that in the Midlands they know about Bill's mother's, not Will's. And that sometimes it's black over Bills mother's house. But I've now moved to a different part of the country where no one knows about Will's mother's, or Bill's.

So,
YABU - who on earth is Will/Bill's mother?
YANBU - everyone knows about Will/Bills mother.

Best get a few drinks under your belt then 😘

I regularly go to the foot of our stairs.

This baffles my students - there are many stairs at school.

From this thread, I have now learned ‘Round the Wrekin’ which is glorious and much better than ‘All the way round the Sun to get to the Moon’, which is what my family saying used to be.

Never heard "over the back of Bill's Mother's" until I moved Oop North to the West Midlands. Someone looked out of the window at a storm coming in on the horizon and said it. And one of the Senior staff was called Bill, who's elderly infirm Mother lived in a care home, so it made sense. Then a few weeks later someone else said it again. I looked in the general direction of the previous storm and the sky was fine. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I asked where, and they pointed out of the windows on the opposite side and repeated "See, it's really black over Bill's Mother's". I assumed Bill had moved which care home she was in. Then a few months later the same happened, in yet ANOTHER direction. Bill REALLY fell in my estimation because of how much he shuftied his poor old Mum round between different care home at the drop of a hat. He was otherwise a lovely chap so I couldn't understand how he was so heartless. 🤣🤣 This went on for MONTHS before we realised when I was saying to someone how surprised I was that he seemingly couldn't care less about her having stability in her care home setting and they must be hardly settled in before he moved her again 🤦🏻‍♀️ 🤣🤣

My mum used to look out the window at a stormy sky in the distance and say "it's dark over Wells mother" and I never understood it. (Wells is the name of a place less than ten miles from here but in a slightly different direction.)

Now I'm wondering if I misheard!

Edit: typo

It's not the same. "Black over the back of Bill's Mother's" is saying it's looking dark over there <points into distance>, whereas "all round the Wrekin" is going the long way round <waves hand in vague semi circle in mid air> it taking forever to get something done.

West Sussex here and have heard the phrase ‘it’s looking black over Bill’s mother’s’ used by older people.

Yes! I was trying to remember the phrase.

..... And Bob's your uncle..... Apparently.

You don't know about Will's mother?
Well! I'll go to the foot of our stairs!

Durham - haven’t a clue about Bill or Will

I’m from Telford, I occasionally go around the Wrekin!
No idea who Will’s mother is though

I have heard of Will’s mother not Bill’s. Also at first I thought you were asking for help tracking down Will’s mother as you knew Will but had lost touch and wanted to ask if anyone in your local community could help you locate his mum. Then I finished reading the post.

I’m from down south and heard about Will’s mother when I was young, don’t hear it now. Also used to hear someone was going to see a man about a dog and also going there and back to see how far it is

I’m from Yorkshire and have never heard of this

Polly's mother here! I think she may be related to Bill.

We're about an hour South of.x.

No idea, but it reminds me of when my in laws started going on about Soft Mick…that one took a bit of explaining, I assumed it was a family friend. 🤣

Same!

I know exactly where Will's mother's is. About a mile away in the distance from my childhood home in Norfolk as my mother used to look out of the window and say it was black over there.

I'm from London, as are parents and grandparents, I've heard of Will's mother as in 'going 'round Will's mother's' ie. a long way round to get somewhere, also, once in my life heard expression 'Charlie's dead' from another girl would've been 1st year (Year 7) secondary, never heard before or after, I just answered 'Who's Charlie?' to much laughter, apparently it meant 'your petticoat is showing'?!

I know soft Mick!

If you were annoying my Granny she would send you 'To play with Joneses kids.'

I'm Scottish but often say 'Its black over Bill's mum's house' when it looks like it's going to rain. No-one here knows what I'm talking about. My mum is English (Yorkshire) so I'm presuming it's something I've grown up hearing?

It's Bill. And we used to talk about it being a bit dark over at Bill's mother's.

However this was complicated by my granny having a brother William who lived over that general direction.

Everyone knew Bill’s mother when I lived in the East Midlands, but I don’t recall anyone mentioning her in North Wiltshire. I’ve never met a soul who speaks of Will’s mother, though…

East coast, and yes, it’s sometimes black over bills mothers house here too