Millie writes: Do you have a House Flag? I have. Did you know that it’s also called a Private Signal? Mine has an orange ‘field’ and a black ‘charge’; that’s a black fish on an orange background for the non-vexillologists among you. It is a swallowtail shape.
Esper also has her own house flag; a classic rectangular shape, with a yellow smiley on a sky blue background, given to us by Liz’s friend Vicky. The first version eventually became too tatty to fly so we had another one made by a sail maker.
Since then my Dad has made a third version which I reckon is the best one ever. He also made my flag, under my supervision. It was I who chose the design and colours. It’s the prettiest flag on Esper. What my parents don’t know, though, is that it serves as a warning to other cats. It means ‘get off my boat and don’t come anywhere near my fish; they’re all mine’. In feline folklore orange and black are warning colours. One thing I don’t understand, though, is why it is essential to swear when sewing a flag by hand?
Apparently there are lots of important things you should know about flags if you have a boat. There is a vast code of flag etiquette out there, just waiting to trip us up! Have a look at the full length version of this article on the subject of nautical flags.
[GARD]