FELL

This is our very first word and it offers a fair bit of scope for discussion. For a start, it can relate to a past occurrence of falling over, something we all do at various times. I fall over more than most because I am extremely clumsy and have lousy eyesight, so I tend not to see things like cats lying across doorways or on stairs and things like that. My grandmother was the same and she fell over so many times she was covered in bruises half the time. On one of his many visits, her doctor suggested that she just spent the rest of her life sat in her armchair, considering that everytime she got out of it she fell over something.

Suggested Song: IF I FELL (Beatles)

We then have fells. In England, we have quite a few fells, mainly in the North, although nowadays the term tends to relate mainly to the Lake District, which has a lot of fells. Here is a picture of Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England, which is also a fell. I think the name fell is rather apt considering I am sure many people have fallen off fells. I'm sure I would if I tried to walk on one.

We can also fell trees, cities fall in wars and lambs are said to have fallen when they are born (as in a lamb fell today). Then, of course, we often talk about how we fell for a joke and I am always getting wound-up by people and falling for it. The word fell can also relate to falling for temptation, falling for excuses and falling into traps.

Fell also means shooting someone or knocking them about and it also relates to sewing, something to do with sewing a seam down flat. Nasty things are described by this word too, such as fell poison and fell disease, whatever they may be. Fell is also an alternative name for the skin or hide of an animal, as in a pelt. Hair falls, such as her hair fell down her back, faces fall (their faces fell when they heard the news), eyes fall (his eyes fell on her face), voices fall (her voice fell to a whisper), light falls (the light fell on my book) ... air pressure falls, stocks fall, dates fall ... the list is endless, it seems.

I fell in love recently. This is no mean feat for someone of my age and it has affected me in all sorts of strange ways. I'm surprised I didn't fall over when it dawned on me. Oddly enough, there is a sort of indirect connection with the Lake District here, although in a very oblique sort of way. Personally, I like this version best of all, but that's because I'm a soppy, romantic fool.

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