Conversation with my mum on Tuesday:

"Mum, why have you written L'OISEAU on this piece of paper?"
"It's the French word for bird."
"I know it is, but why have you written it on this piece of paper?"
"I was trying to remember how to spell it."
"I thought it would be something like that."
See also: Meadowlark
I have a piece of paper with 8.30 written on it, just in case anybody asks me the time!
THAT'S MY JOKE. GIVE IT BACK!
Funny, that: I (genuinely) used to carry a 14" piece of string around with me, in case anyone asked 'How long is a piece of string?'
The answer is 'twice as long as it is from the middle to one end'
[They never did ask, by the way.]