Why Magpie?

So, in blogland you're required to have a nickname it seems….

Magpie is a name I created for an imaginary design company I was required to draw a logo for when studying design in Dublin in the 90s - perhaps I'll try and dig it out and resurrect it. Things I like about the name Magpie - it has my name in it (Mags) and the homeliness of pie!

Facts about Magpies I like and relate to: they and the rest of their family are fond of bright objects. When Magpies pass each other in open country, they command attention by rapidly moving their wings and chattering.The magpie is one of a small number of species, and the only non-mammal, capable of recognizing itself in a mirror! Magpies are territorial and stay in their territory all year. The pairs are monogamous, and remain together for the duration of their lives. The mating takes place in spring. In the courtship display, the males rapidly raise and depress their head feathers, uplift, open and close their tails like fans, and call in soft tones quite distinct from their usual chatter. Short buoyant flights and chases are part of the courtship. In folklore it was sometimes associated with trouble, maybe because of its tendency to 'steal' shiny objects, and its harsh, chittering call.

Magpie was also the name of the 70s children's tv programme shown which was the 'hipper', version of the Blue Peter. Like me, the show's creator is said to have named the programme Magpie as a reference to the magpie's habit of collecting small items, because of 'mag' being evocative of 'magazine', and 'pie' being evocative of a collection of ingredients.

A collection of ingredients, that's me. x