If I did a survey of 26 people, I would probably cover every letter of the alphabet that replaces a taboo word in someone’s language.
My current unmentionable word is Tenterfield (spoken only in whispered mutterings), henceforth to be known as the ‘T Word’.
It’s amazing how often a word is mentioned once it becomes unmentionable. Tenterfield (please read the word quietly) came up when we went away recently for a sojourn to Stanthorpe. The T place had been on my list of places to visit, for reasons unknown (even to me). Maybe it is the song.
And there we were, only 40km or so away, the attractions of this town within cooee. But on the day in question, my husband turned right instead of left and we never got there. My husband’s decision to turn right was based on the tourist brochure about Tenterfield, listing its 10 top attractions. Number one may have been visiting the tallest granite rock in the southern hemisphere but number two was meeting the locals around town. Clearly there was a giddy chasm between climbing Bald Rock and wandering around town. And according to the motorist who had recently turned right, reading between the lines on said brochure, the town didn’t offer all that much. The rest of the eight attractions were nebulous at best and I do believe they were scratching after making it to attraction number four (which mentioned coffee shops).
But the lure of the rock was great and if the local’s friendliness was so highly rated at number two, I remained adamant that Tenterfield was indeed a destination at least worthy of an afternoon.
The proverbial salt was ground into the wound (it may have even been rock salt from the tallest rock structure for miles around) when, only two weeks later, during a weekend stay with friends in Leyburn, Tenterfield was mentioned again. It seems our friends had only recently been there and were talking to us with great animation about its wonder. (And all this without climbing the giant rock).
They described the town as “quaint” and “timeless” and used words like “charm” and “olde worlde”. All these adjectives made my heart faint with desire. I let them bounce across my imagination, gradually gaining momentum, until I could stand no more. The T place may have friendly locals and a big rock, but it will always remain a capital initial in my heart.