Social skirmishes

● I’ve always been Rosie. Everyone calls me Rosie (except my mother, who persists with Rosemary). I’d forgotten about this, but apparently Rosemary is for remembrance. And in the language of flowers, the gift of rosemary means “never will your memory fade”. Some hope.

There’s nothing wrong with being named after a fragrant shrub – let’s face it, I could have been Bragmansia or Photinia Red Robin. But, to put the record straight, I must admit that I was named after the first names of my grandmothers, Rose and Mary.

But I prefer Rosie, so I changed it. I mention this because North-East Lincolnshire Council wants to change its name. Its chief executive, George Krawiec, says few outsiders know where North-East Lincolnshire is. So, apparently, there is a move to re-name it Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes Borough Council.

Given that we’re a nation that sneers at geography teachers, I am not sure how that will help. It needs something more. A quick Google search of “Cleethorpes” unearths this killer fact: on a clear day, the lighthouse at Spurn Point can be seen with the naked eye from the North Beach.

That will get the doubters running for their atlases, or my name’s not Rosemary.

➔ E-mail your anecdotes and observations to rosie.warlock@yahoo.co.uk