Speaking of warships, I’m painting the garden wall today (bear with me) out at my mother’s place. According to the label this is supposed to be a very dark, slightly bluish grey. Slate, in other words. In fact my mother chose it to match the tiles on the roof. Which are also meant to look like slate. On the wall though, it’s coming out the dullest middle grey you ever did see.
Battleship grey. The tension is resolved. Thank you.
It said this colour was called “Merlin”. That seems to make no sense at all, but I was actually there when the name was chosen, in the chemical plant’s creative department. In my head.
“OK, grey. We need another name for another shade of grey. Brainstorm time.”
“Overcast!”
“Decay!”
“Boredom!”
“Depression!”
“Despair!”
“Razors!”
“Come on, there must be some positives. A happy memory from childhood maybe.”
“Woodlice!”
“Did anyone here have a normal childhood?”
“We work in the creative department of a chemical plant.”
“Gandalf! Gandalf the Grey!”
“Brilliant!”
Then the legal department finds that the licensing would cost millions and changes it to Merlin.
I’m just hoping it gets darker as it dries. Otherwise I’ve spent a lot of effort painting a cement wall to look pretty much like a cement wall.