Monday, August the 9th, 2004

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Ugo Goofs Off

Ugo lived in Plovdiv. In the fog, Ugo goofed off. “There you go, Ugo, goofing off again,” said Ugo's ma. It was foggy. Ugo stepped in some goo. He got it on his boots. “Ma, I've got goo on my boots,” said Ugo. Ugo's ma gave him a rag to wipe the goo off his boots. She had a drawer of gewgaws. Gewgaws and rags. Ugo's ma was blind, so when Ugo goofed off and got goo on his boots, she opened the drawer of gewgaws and rags and rummaged, feeling for a rag rather than a gewgaw, for if she gave Ugo a gewgaw he wouldn't get the goo off his boots, but with a rag he would. Ugo sat in the porch after goofing off and wiped the goo off his boots with a rag. In the fog. In Plovdiv.

Source : Folk Tales Of Plovdiv collected by O. Pod. There is a different version of this age-old story set not in Plovdiv but in Totnes.