My mother
used to 'salute' lone magpies, as this wards off the sorrow. I couldn't help doing so too. When I got married, my wife pointed out that actually, to ward off the sorrow one has to touch ones collar.

For a period of some months I found myself having to do both, until it finally dawned on me what a load of pointless superstitious nonsense it all was!
( RiffRaff lurking like a lurky thing, Fri 16 Dec 2011, 16:00, Reply)