Lilith uncovers ‘The Origin of Scroblene’.

Thanks to Lilith, I have been found out! She has trawled through thousands of posts, compared notes, listened to clues and come up with the right answer!

You are magnificent Lilith, and worthy of a huge mention for your tenacity, ingenuity, suspicion, sensavumer, and a rather nice looking sideboard in your living room!

So here’s the boring bit…

Some years ago, we used to do the long drive from Kent to Georgeham and Croyde in North Devon, for a couple of weeks hols. The girls were in their early teens then, and as is usual with most families getting excited, we were always mucking about in the car to alleviate the boredom. We’d all sing silly songs, make up jokes and laugh at anything which took our fancy. This is common with lots of families, and sometimes we actually still do it… (I must apologise here to the man in an old Datsun on the roundabout near Barnstaple; I was out of order calling you that…)!

The Aussie soap, Neighbours had just started, and Mrs S and the girls would watch avidly. I always ‘harrumphed’ away in the background as usual, and was always doing something else, but they took no notice anyway!

Now, I like Australians. It all started when I shared a flat with an ever-changing group in the late sixties. We lived near ‘Kangaroo Valley’, (Earls Court), and they were happy days. Once, I actually heard one chum say to another ‘You tubing tonight Sod’? (Translation – ‘Do you fancy a pint of beer this evening Roger’?) Their terms of friendship, jokes and general good nature was endearing, and very funny to others as well! They worked mostly in advertising, were great company, and we always seemed to be laughing at something or other. (That was also the first time that I ever heard the term ‘punch a grogan’ as well, but don’t go there just now…)!

So, fast-forward to a few years ago. Kylie Minogue was the star of Neighbours, and she and Jason Donovan and all the other cast seemed to have the ‘newer modern’ names such as Charlene etc. Half way through one of our journeys, and feeling slightly manic by now, we started making up totally unrealistic and unpronounceable names for the whole cast, and I was in full swing, but the one that stuck turned out to be – wait for it…”Scroblene”! Younger Daught immediately responded with an equally stupid name for the boyfriend “Eccerone”! God knows where that one came from! Elder Daught was called ‘Bruce’, for months after as well!

So there you have it! The name has stuck, but what is so funny about all this is that I didn’t realise who ‘Scroblene’ was in the play until YD patiently explained it to me in an email only a few months ago! I’d always used it as a generic term for anything I could ‘Father Bear’ at! I’m glad it is Kylie though, because if I had half the spirit she has shown recently, I’d be a much better man.