About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Friday, April 13, 2012

N is for NAME

We’re going to take a break from the photography theme again this week because I can’t think of anything related beginning with the letter N. So, I thought I’d tell you a bit about my NAME – Leslie, spelled the masculine way. First of all, it’s a Scottish name and can be either a first name or a surname. There is a Scottish clan named Leslie and if you’re at all interested in reading up on it, simply click here.

There is a coat of arms and a crest for the Leslie family and the name dates back to a Scottish tribe called the Picts. The first family lived in the barony of Leslie in the county of Aberdeen, and the name is derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. My maternal grandfather was born in Ayre, just south of Glasgow and he was the son of a Scottish Lord. Unfortunately, he was born "on the wrong side of the blanket," if you catch my drift. But it's fun to tell people I'm the great granddaughter of a Scottish Lord.

These are the coat of arms and the crest (with motto) of the Leslie clan.

When I was growing up, I hated my name – I guess because it was...well, different. All the other girls were Linda, Carol, Cheryl, Sandy, or Susan. Now, however, I like it because it IS different. I pronounce is LESS-lee, not LEZ-lee, although I don’t mind the latter. Only one friend has ever shortened my name to Les and must say I don’t like it. Another good friend calls me Lester sometimes because when we go out together, we joke about who's going to be the “guy” that day or night. If it's her turn, she's Wendell.

You may have heard of some famous Leslies, both male and female: Leslie Caron (French actress), Leslie Nielson (Canadian actor), Leslie Moonves (president and ceo of CBS), and Leslie Hope (aka Bob Hope). In the 1956 movie Giant starring Elizabeth Taylor, her character's name was Leslie Lynnton, and in the 1965 movie The Great Race, the character played by Tony Curtis was called The Great Leslie.

I am pleased with the sound and meanings of my name. It means “holly garden” or "garden by the pool"so I think when I get a puppy, I might call her Holly...or Pippa. But then, I digress...

Nuts! Before we go, we better remember the most famous N Name of all - Nesbitt (aka Denise) the founder of ABC Wednesday. She and her notoriously noteworthy gang of assistants will visit and nurture your nice and neat but maybe nutty posts. As I nibble on a bowl of nachos, I'll take note of the nourishment I take from your noticeable notions. I look forward to seeing you all again next week when we delve into the letter O. In the meantime, here's a little slideshow of me through the years.

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24 comments:

Powell River Books said...

Nice slide show. - Margy

Shrinky said...

What a fabulous post, Leslie - I had NO IDEA you and Lorne had first met in your youth, that is just too, too romantic for words! What a gorgeous array of photo's, does Noah still have those wonderful curls?

And how fascinating about the origins of your name. I was not only born in Aberdeen, but lived a while in Ayre, too!

chris said...

I loved seeing you at different ages, weren't you a beauty, well still are... some how I was expecting to hear your voice altho' the music was nice..
I read back to K and saw that
you and Lorne are together again?.
Your 'Happy in 2012' photo says it all. How lovely I am so pleased for you..
Every Blessing
Chris xx
Thank you for your comments about my quilt.. it is going in the back bedroom as the colours aren't my choice these days, but because it was quite a lot of fabric being me I couldn't not put it to use! It would have been too wasteful. My next one is smaller and pastel shades!

Carver said...

Great post for N day and interesting history. Cheers, Carver ABC-W team

Jane and Chris said...

Holly or Pippa for a puppy...my cat Pippa votes for Pippa!!
Jane x

Roger Owen Green said...

I'm pretty sure I told you that both my father and my sister are named Leslie, which caused some confusion.

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Meryl said...

Oh what a treat! You are beautiful and so is your family. I love the photo with you and your grandson Noah, leaning into each other and just SMILING! Pure joy! Happy 2012 to you and your entire family...and I just love the photos.

photowannabe said...

Oh Leslie, I love this and especially the last picture in your collage...Happy in 2012.
Awesome. That makes my heart sing.

Reader Wil said...

This is a very beautiful post. I enjoyed seeing your video very much and I am glad that you are happy.
Great N post.
Wil, ABC Team.

EG CameraGirl said...

A fun post, Leslie!

Anonymous said...

what a fun read full of ns. i like leslie, it's a fun name i think. i disliked my name growing up too.

Penelope Notes said...

Funny how we want to be the same until we mature and realize it is the differences that make us special. Your name has such a nice ring to it and your photos of "then and now" are a delight. Thanks for sharing all those great pictures with us, Leslie! :)

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Pippa , that famous person who became famous because of another famous person who got into trouble with the gun in France?

Attention seeker because she couldn't be the queen????

VioletSky said...

that was a fun trip through your life in pictures!
I hated my name precisely because it was too common (my real name is one of the ones you listed!)
and I also have ancestors 'born on the wrong side of the blanket' from Ayr!

Hildred said...

That was really lovely, Leslie. You were a sweet child, and you look sweet and happy still.

magiceye said...

am impressed your highness!

Arthur Schenck said...

Wow—the Picts! One of the ancient peoples of Britain! That impresses me for reasons I can't even begin to explain. Liked your slideshow, too!

Hazel said...

Holly garden - that is such a beautiful meaning of a name. Having a family coat of arms and crest sounds charming and 'royal' to me, my lady :) Did the people around your grandfather call him "Your Grace?" I love your graduation photo. (I also graduated with a B.Ed. at the same age - 21)

Ann said...

I really enjoyed your video, sweet pictures of growing up.I like your family crest also. I took kind of the same direction this week but with nicknames.
Ann

Chubskulit Rose said...

Very nice details on your Name Leslie and thanks for sharing your precious photos!

Nursing to Nuclear Medicine
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

heiresschild said...

this was beautiful Leslie. enjoyed your post.

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

Great post Leslie. I didn't realise there was a "Leslie" clan. Very interesting.

Anonymous said...

it's so great that you can know this about your ancestors

voices in a treat

ChrisJ said...

Oh good for you for thinking of Nesbitt! There it was under our noses all the time as we scoured our brain for a Novel N. I have always been happy with my name. It never occurred to me not to be. But I do like Chris better than Christine. Christine is my formal name for signatures or official people, but I am afraid I'm not a formal person. :)