Scrabble … Really?

I’ll admit it. I love scrabble. Don’t be too harsh on me.

I’m fully aware it’s seen as an old people’s game, a dull person’s game, a tediously lengthy game for the quiet type with a bad haircut and an annoying habit of absently pulling at their nasal hair. Whilst I currently do indeed have a bad haircut, I do not however put my fingers up my nose, well, certainly not in public.

The Colonel and I take our games seriously. We have taken competitiveness to another level. We have a large black book for our scoring and an extensive list of words that are and are not allowed. No slang, abbreviations, Latin and absolutely nothing from the Urban Dictionary. Quite how “gonad” was allowed in I’ve yet to work out, but I digress …

The last game was won by The Colonel by a mere three points. This result was met with ecstatic fist punching and jubilant hysteria from himself and much screeching, cursing and howling from Yours Truly. This daily release of emotion is a wonderful antidote to any pent-up frustrations of being held in confinement.

Strange we may well be as we find ridiculous pleasure in bringing out the longed-for seven letter word, or in utilising the ‘J’ on a triple letter score, but one thing is certain … it sure does pass the time in a very happy way!

Kx

P.s. How are you passing your free time? And dare I ask, do you play Scrabble?!

115 thoughts on “Scrabble … Really?”

  1. I can go one better than scrabble, no two better…. Rummikub and Adult Colouring ! But ANYTHING to pass the interminable time has got to be good (except excessive house cleaning).

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    1. Ha!! I’m now going to have to google Rumminkub! I have no idea what it is! But adult colouring …. oh yes! I remember doing something called ‘Doodlebugs’ (?) or something like that, when I was young. They were A3 sized pictures in black and white which using felt tips, crayons or paints, you could colour in! They took days! Days! Bliss 💗

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      1. Absolutely! I recently got out a tiny little tin of paints that I bought a couple of months ago whilst having an artistic moment … it was really therapeutic! So glad we enjoy the same things!

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    1. Ha!! You’re absolutely right … I need to focus on writing and less on such frivolity! I’ve hit a difficult patch in the book as regards sorting out the structure … this book writing business is hard work isn’t it! Do hope you’re keeping well and staying safe 📖📖

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    1. That’s a wonderful idea! And such a great game to play with children … our parents used to play it with us sometimes (and also card games during which someone always cheated! 😂) I’m so glad you enjoy scrabble too! Hurray! I’m not alone! Katie

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    1. Ha! Welcome to the Scrabble Lovers Club! Now that’s funny actually, because I too remarried a few years ago and my previous ‘family’ played only party games which I wasn’t mad about, (and no scrabble) but now, my new husband loves to play. Having said that, I don’t mind charades but can’t play Trivial Pursuit because I have a brain like a sieve and simply can’t remember anything important. Indeed, when we play scrabble I have to have a little piece of paper with words that I’ve come up with and their value, because within a few minutes of looking for something better, I’ll have forgotten the first one. My husband calls it my ‘cheat sheet’. What sort of games do they like to play? I’m so glad you enjoy it too … maybe in time with a bit of persuasion you can entice her to play? 😃

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      1. They like to play things like Apples to Apples or LCR or other things that require little thinking. The goal is laughter and shared experience. I broke out our Monopoly board once and we played a round. I thought it was a friendly game but my wife still talks about how cutthroat I was!

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      2. Ahhh yes … sometimes we can discover hidden depths of competitiveness! I can’t play Risk because my husband is truly vicious and even if I beg, bribe and grovel, he’ll still invade my countries … 😖

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    1. Oooh! Two sets of crossword books! What a brilliant idea! When we were in London last year, we’d get two copies of the Evening Standard and race to see who could do it the fastest (we didn’t always manage to finish, I hasten to add!) … I miss that one! If by any chance you could recommend any books I’d be very grateful! I could try and order some online. Croquet … gosh how lovely! I’d thought it was a civilised game, but I can imagine one could get quite competitive with knocking each others’ balls out of the way!! Thanks so much for reading and for the idea about crosswords! So glad you too enjoy games … wonderful. What fun you must have! 😄

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  7. I love Scrabble. When I lived in France, I used to play French Scrabble ( does that constitute showing off?!). Since ‘confinement’ I can actually be found playing on-line Scrabble against a computer. The jury is out as to how I actually feel about this but I couldn’t contain my excitement on the one occasion I actually won. My other game of choice is Backgammon; fabulous, darling!

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    1. I didn’t know it was possible to win against the computer! I thought it was like going to a casino and therefore one was always going to lose … well done you! Doing scrabble in French is definitely a step above the likes of me! Now that’s fabulous darling! Not showing off at all … although frankly if I could do it, I’d be shouting it from the rooftops! I’m doing my French on Duolingo at the moment as the French classes I was attending a) were very expensive, and b) had to go online because of the lockdown and I simply couldn’t cope with the UN website … way too difficult! When we eventually find our house in France, I hope that the Duolingo will have paid off a little and I shall have moved on from “The hotel is close to the Metro!” to something faintly more useful! I then shall try and do scrabble in French! As for Backgammon … yes! Yes! Yes!

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      1. I think it was a fluke! It hasn’t happened since. I always use Duolingo when I want to revise my ancient and, frankly, rubbish Spanish before going to Gran Canaria. It gives me some (probably misguided) confidence!

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      2. Fantastic! Duolingo seems to be rather controlling my life at the moment. As I type this, I’m aware that I’ve now spent the last 2 hours on WordPress and haven’t yet done my French, and the German is proving rather tricky …. arghhh! The stress from a little green owl!

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  8. Scrabble is a sore point here. I dislike all games but my wife loves them and especially scrabble. She is dyslexic and can’t spell but still slaughters me 7 games out of 10. It is because I never plan ahead whereas she is an ace strategist. I once taught her to play chess and she beat me on the second game….

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  10. I love words, but I am so rubbish at scrabble. I get excited if I can scrape together a six letter word!
    My pleasure of lockdown is a poem of the day. I text it to my mum and sister, and force my partner and children to listen to me read it each day. I ignore their eye-rolling and not-so-secret looks, and take pleasure in my own recital!

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      2. I bet it looks amazing! I shall have a pop over to your blog and see if you’ve got any recent pictures. I remember being in absolute awe last year! Sorry, I’ve gotten so behind this year, but am trying to remedy that! I bet it’s been an absolute saviour for you having the garden. 💕

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  11. Scrabble is a great game played from being young to older. I started my son playing scrabble from a young age too, it is good to learn words and spelling. Boring people do not play scrabble those who cannot think LOL LOL…..

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  14. I like scrabble 🙂 though I haven’t played it in years and am not good. I like word games though find boggle hard.
    Enjoy your scrabble! Maybe next time you’ll win…
    Love, light and glitter

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    1. All childhood games, the ones we played of course, make me nostalgic. Stratego, monopoly, battleship, 4 in a row, checkers, yahtzee (I don’t remember how to play), articulate, pictionary….

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      1. Pictionary! Yes, another favourite! I don’t know Stratego which I’ll have to look up … I once played Pictionary with a college friend and we won … although we had to confess … we had been at secretarial college together and instead of drawing the pictures, had been writing the answers in shorthand 😱😱😱!! How awful we were!

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      2. Cheek!!! Stratego is, I don’t know how to define it. I’d need to refresh my memory to be able to play… othello was a later game that we had for a couple of years. I think monopoly and stratego we played the most. Along with candy land and snakes and ladders and ludo I think it’s called. My mother and grandmother love scrabble.
        💕🕯✨

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    2. Oooh Boggle! I’d forgotten about that one. Yes, word games are good fun and now of course there are so many online too. I’ll try and win next time … will keep you posted and trust you’re ok and having a good day. Will check your posts. X

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    1. Draughts and rummy are great! My dear mum and I used to play rummy a lot and she introduced it to my boys when they were little … you’ve just brought back a really wonderful memory of my mum. Thank you my friend. I’d play scrabble with you in your house! Katie 💗

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  17. Of course I play Scrabble. And fortunately so does Two Brains. Blood has yet to be spilled but we are mighty serious about the beautiful board game. I go for a run each morning and then walk the dogs – it’s a total of 15k – 5 running and 10 with the hounds. The big project is a quadrupled veggie patch. I am currently clucking like a broody hen over 7 different varieties of tomato, aubergines both long and big fat ones, peppers (bell, long and 5 different chillis), tomatillos, okra, courgettes and squash, cauliflower, carrots, fingerling potatoes, shallots and garlic, parsnips, celeriac, leeks and peas. Now clearly this is far too much for two people so the plan is to donate any surplus in boxes to the food banks of Boston and the poorer reaches of Massachusetts (which though a very privileged State does have deep poverty in places). This is my mission. It may be an epic failure but I feel I must try. I think it’s that land army mentality instilled in childhood by a mother who never quite got over the fact that we were not still at war!! And I do love digging and getting my hands dirty! 💫

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    1. Oh my goodness you and I have so many similarities! Gardening is my biggest passion and I genuinely miss it. Ridiculous really that we should be living up on the 49th floor just off Broadway!! I’m so very, very excited for you. And this is such a good project. I wish I was there with you. (Although forget all that running … I couldn’t be doing that!) There is something so therapeutic in gardening, the physical exercise, being out in the sunlight, getting filthy, producing something … it’s all so healthy. Well done you a thousand times over. 💗💗💗

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      1. I have always insisted that if we are going to live in a City (which we only have once together but Moscow was once on the agenda as was Bonn and Paris) that we must live right in the heart and feel it beat and live the absolute life of whatever that city is. So I am glad you are on the 49th floor right off Broadway but I am sad that therefore you don’t have a garden. But like the Pandemic, your moment in NYC will pass and then you can get down and dirty with the earth and it’s bounty again and won’t you be like a little piggy in poo!!! Xxx

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      2. Absolutely! You’re spot on. And like you, that’s exactly what we thought. We could have found somewhere outside of the city with a garden, but we’re only here for now another two years so I think we can cope! I must say though that I rather like the idea of living in Paris! All that lovely food … ahhh 💕 xxx

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      3. I was inconsolable when Paris failed to transpire 😓… You absolutely did the right thing (she says loftily). I have realised over the years that I am happy in the hectic centre of things or in the middle of nowhere but suburbia really doesn’t make me thrilled. Here in MetroWest Massachusetts we are a little too suburban to be perfect for me but we are blessed with almost 2 acres and I really can’t grumble. Well I can, I’m British after all and that’s what we do – we grumble and then say ‘mustn’t grumble’ but I think we have a good grasp on coping in harsh times. I keep thinking of you so far from your boys. Are you coping? I do understand what it’s like …. that ocean seems mighty big when one literally has no idea when we’ll be able to cross it again. Xxx

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      4. You’ve absolutely hit the nail on the head. I’m perfectly happy except for being so far away from my boys. It just feels so unutterably wrong. Thankfully we speak often … thank goodness for FaceTime and WhatsApp. I’d be lost without them. As for the suburban life … yes I’m with you. I like extremes too. Here, we’re right in the thick of it, but equally when we lived outside Aldworth up on the hill, we were rather a long way from a pint of milk, and God forbid if we were ever barred from the pub … it was our lifesaver! Having your two acres must be heavenly though … I’ve been thinking of you growing your veg with much envy! I can see rows and rows of leeks and onions and, and, and …. oh I know I shouldn’t be jealous! Never mind, I shall live vicariously through you! Hope you’re feeling ok and will ping you an email (if I still have the right address!). Xxx

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      5. osyth.storyteller@gmail.com I knew you must be feeling wrenched inside vis-à-vis the boys. Empathy is an overused word in the modern vernacular but in this I empathise wholly. What on Earth it must have been like when there were only letters that took weeks to deliver I can’t begin to imagine. Here’s the deal – you live the good life through me and I’ll shake my sassy urban tail through you! Do email. I promise I’ll reply. And doing fine here, promise!

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  21. Have you played with two sets of pieces, no board and ten letters? It fantastic and can bring spectacular scores with the artificial triple word nonsense.
    We’re cleaning fit to bust and gardening- lucky us – as well as writing and in the Textiliste’s case making quilts for covering prem baby incubators.

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    1. Two sets of pieces, no board and ten letters?!! Crikey I think that might blow my mind!! Hope you’re enjoying the cleaning and gardening … I certainly envy your gardening … Central Park today was absolutely beautiful, very sunny and everything is coming out. Gorgeous! Stay well!

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  22. I come from a scrabble crazy family, that and monopoly. My daughter and best friend are brainiacs so they always win. I live alone so in this time of quarantine I miss those game nights and even my inability to win.

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    1. You sound like us … Scrabble and Monopoly. My husband introduced us to Risk but I’m utterly useless at it and take it far too personally when he invaded my countries. I hope this all ends soon and you can get back to playing with your daughter and best friend. It’s funny how we miss simple things like games (even if we lose!) … I think it must be difficult in quarantine on your own. I’m without my kids but at least I’ve got my husband … I’m always here for a chatter. Katie 🌷

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  23. Ooh! I love scrabble! But sadly no one ever wants to play it with me! 😂 Not because I’m that good mind you (because I honestly am not) but I think all the others are too lazy to be bothered. 😁 I thought I might play some chess on my MacBook but somehow I still haven’t found the time to do it. 😂

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  24. I love Scrabble! I keep playing it with my silly mobile phone and much to my credit I have defeated that machine a number of time. And yes J can be quite a trouble but I love it when I get to use ZOO. I keep saving Z for that 😀 Now I have started playing Scrabbles in French!

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  26. I love scrabble and never thought of it as an old people’s game, or a dull person’s game. We always kept it going at a pace though, if someone was taking a long time to decide we would set a time limit.

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  27. No need to be hard on yourself for playing scrabble. I’m impressed. Even though I enjoy words, I find the game challenging and tend to gravitate more to number games. Our family has been playing more cribbage these days.

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    1. And I find number games very challenging! I love that we’re all so different and yet have all managed to find some form of game that works for us and our families. Thanks so much for reading and happy cribbage playing in these very peculiar times! Stay safe.

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    1. Well I’m all for cleaning! Weirdly I find it a little therapeutic … and yes, I’m with you on the reading front too. Have just started ‘Angela’s Ashes’ and now want to just lie on the sofa for the rest of the afternoon and read! Hope you’ve got a good book on the go? Katie

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  31. “I’m fully aware it’s seen as an old people’s game, a dull person’s game”

    I take offence to that, lol. In fact I see it the other way around— dull, boring and old are the people who aren’t up for playing it!! Damn them and their poor vocabularies and lack of competitive spirit.

    I’ve always struggled for people to play Scrabble with!! I love that game, it’s my favourite game. So much skill, creativity, competitiveness :D. I rarely get to play it. I could try to find people to play it online with, but it’s really not the same lol.

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    1. Ha! I’m so glad you love it. Do you have ‘partner’ who would like to play with you? (Please note I’m being very politically correct) If not, then in that case it’s going to be friends, friends who have a very good sense of humour! I lost last night and was (almost) grumpy … I missed getting out all seven letters and was furious with myself 😂😂. Why do I put myself through this?! I’ve tried playing it online too (to have a secret practice) but it’s not the same! I think I’m too competitive 😩which is ridiculous really because most of the time I’m a completely soppy muppet.

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  32. I play Words With Friends online. It is like Scrabble but unfortunately it allows you to cheat. For so many coins they show you all the places you can put a word. Then you mess around with all your letters until you make a word. For a few coins you can change your letters for other letters without losing your turn. There are other foolish things and some of the words are absolutely ridiculous- a bush from Saudi’s Arabia, a coin used in Kenya. I tried playing Scrabble online but it was too confusing and also had cheats. How nice it would be to play a real scrabble game with a real person.

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    1. I’ve not come across Words With Friends before … not sure about the cheating side of it, I think that might bother me! Do hope you’re ok … am behind on everyone’s posts so need to catch up and hear your news. If it’s any consolation, I’m now eleven games down in our Lockdown Scrabble Cup. On a bit of a losing streak which is driving me potty! Sending love 🌷💗

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    1. Yes I totally get that!! And sometimes I’ll do a word that just fits in so neatly and perfectly combining a couple (or very occasionally even three!) other words and I feel so clever (that’s a laugh in itself!) that I put it down even though I could get more points elsewhere!

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