Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Help needed!

Okay, I've got this kid (he's fictional) and he's just acquired this dog. He was rather hoping for an Egyptian Hunting Hound or a Staffy, but the dog he's swapped his BMX for is mostly black labrador. She might have something else in her, like Border Collie or Kelpie, but she's mostly lab. He needs to find a name for her.

It has to be a really good name - something his wannabe romance-writer aunt, Cass, with whom he lives - would think of. But also something a fourteen/fifteen year old boy, who is called Snipe (after the Australian Painted Snipe, a waterbird, not short for Sniper - as he secretly wishes) would embrace as well.

I wish I could offer rewards to any commenters who offer brilliant suggestions but a blogged thank you is the best you'll get. Remember what our mothers taught us, it's the thought that counts!

Names I have rejected so far include: Beauty, Lady, Lucy, Rosie (suggested by Rosie herself, but I explained I couldn't call the dog after my step-daughter, it just wouldn't feel right), Snuffles (he thinks she might be a hunting dog, Helen!), Blackie and Freya - good name, but one of my students is called Freya, so I couldn't do it.

Other news - well Millie received Honour Book in the CBCA awards which was a wonderful thing. Helicopter Man was Book of the Year and Once was also Honour book in the Younger Readers section. Good to have Millie up there!

I can't do the three-day novel contest - and I am woebegone at that, because I'm actually in Sydney for that week. It's a shame, but next year I'll be there with an even better idea. Sound of hollow laughter.

A couple of weeks ago Keith and I went to Bunnings, you know, bloke paradise and bought some hanging pots and little herbs for the back deck as the sun is coming slowly back to Belgrave. They looked beautiful. They made me feel as though I'd claimed a little more of the space as mine and I really enjoyed looking out at them.

Yesterday I got home from walking the dogs and discovered a bloody cockatoo had been at them - randomly pulled little stalks from my coriander and chives, clipped a few leaves from my Vietnamese Mint (I hope that hurt it's taste buds!), chewed some rosemary and sat - I swear it - sat in my contintental parsley. After this little herbal rampage, it plucked some of the flowers from my cymbidium orchid and scattered them around.

Today I'm putting Polly on the deck. That'll show them. She's an ultra fierce hunting dog of the small welcome mat variety, but she'll bark up a storm.


Next I buy a water pistol and lie in wait...Any other anti-cockatoo suggestions - that don't actually lead to physical harm would be gratefully received. But mainly, put your thinking caps on for good dog names - soemthng mythological would be good. Come on Gibah, you can do it!

8 comments:

M-H said...

Sydney? [ears perk up] SSK in Newtown (near The Button Shop)on 2 September.
Dog: Cleo(patra), Diana (both tough grrrls who did or could hunt)
Millie: Well done!

Gregory Brett Hardy said...

Oh, why does it always come back to me? (haha...)

First, the anti-cocky situation. Might I suggest an air-horn. See a cocky, blast the horn. Keep doing it and you'll not only get rid of the cockies, but also the annoying neighbours who keep laughing at you while you're trying to do a perfectly normal hand-stand in the garden beds, and you land in the eggplants.

The name situation...

Well, first I have to say that Freya is inappropriate not because of Freya my classmate, but because Freya was the patron of cats.

You can see how that would be bad.

But lets focus on the Norse for a bit. Theres a couple that instantly spring to mind: Fenrir, of course, a variant of which is Fenris. Fenrir was actually described as a hulking black wolf, so the colour, at least, matches.

There's also Garm. You'll recognise it, Catherine, as the name of the Saxon warlord in my temporarily shelved YA work. Garm was a dire wolf and also very cool.

You could go Cerberus but that's a little cliched, don't you think?

A quick Wikipedia search yeilded this URL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Mythological_dogs

Explore away!

Carmsmars said...

I'd give you Otley.. but it's male and much too regal for a mythical name.

Here are a few, which aren't mythical but more aboriginal australiana. Don't wince until you've read them.

Adina - means Good
Alba - means wind
Akuna - means follower
Alinga - " the sun
Alkira - the sky
Amarina - rain
Apanie - water
Arika - water-lily

I think you'll like this one.

Arora - means cockatoo
Baiamul - black swan
Bambra - mushroom
Bara - sunrise
Barite - girl
Barrandura- brush myrtle
Beeree - lagoon
Calca- star
combara - tomorrow
Coolalie - south wind
eleebana - beautiful girl
goolcoola - sweet
gurley - willow
iona - fire
junee - talk to me
karri - eucalypt tree
katina - first child
killara - one who is always there.
kindilan - full of joy
kunama - snow
merinda - beautiful girl
minkie - daylight
nandalie - fire
nardoo - clover
nunkeri - excellent
waminda - friend

Hope this helps.

Gregory Brett Hardy said...

Well done, Carmel, great list. Those would make some great names.

Cattyrox said...

Wow, Carmel, thanks - great list. Hey you scriptwriting people know that the next class is next Tuesday, right? There seems to have been some confusion...

Carmsmars said...

Catherine,

I've got the 12th...is it the 5th too??

Cattyrox said...

Oh sorry, Carmel, no you're quite right, I'm so out of the loop at the moment - it's the 12th, of course it's the 12th. Just don't turn up on the 5th, I'll be in Sydney!
Catherine

Anonymous said...

How about you give the dog a normal, english, name, like Gregory. Or let it make up it's own nickname.