There was a meaning behind my previous blog name of Penway Product, but I never really liked it. It felt too industrial to me. It was an amalgamation of my mother's maiden name and my father's name, and was indicating that I was a product of those two people. Nice idea, but I just didn't like it and although I wanted to change it I couldn't come up with anything better to replace it with.
A few weeks ago I was having a conversation with Robert, about something I can't remember now, but whatever we were talking about made my brain dredge up the name my dad used to call me when I was little, which was Flossy Fannakapan. I don't know if this was a popular pet name to call little girls in the 1960s, but I've never come across anyone else being called this by their parents. I don't think I liked it much at the time, as I recall my dad using it when I had been perhaps a little cheeky or mischievous, so I associated it with getting into trouble. Not enough to be properly told off, but just enough to know I was pushing the limits. Anyway, now I think it sounds adorable, so I have chosen it as my blog name. You know, the blog I keep up to date all the time.
I did a little research to see if I could find out where this name came from, and it appears to have been used in an old Gracie Fields song about a young man called Fred Fannakapan. On the same site I discovered this bit of information, I read in the comments of one person being called Fanny Ann Fannakapan by her father when she was little. and another lady said her mother used to tell her to stop being such a Fanny Fannakapan when she was being fussy. This second lady's great uncle, William Haines, was a lyricist for Gracie Fields, which was another interesting titbit.
Further googling reveals that it was actually in popular usage in the north west as a term of endearment, so not that mysterious or original, but I still prefer it to my previous blog name, and that's what I'm going with.
