THE AVERAGE ENGLISHMAN...

'The average Englishman starts his day with a walk in the park, afterwards he saunters to some coffee or chocolate house frequented by the persons he would see, for it is a sort of rule with the English to go once a day at least to houses of this sort ...'

Lewes, Baron de Pollnitz, writing in 1745

A CELEBRATION OF BRITISH ENGLISH...

I just could not resist buying this fantastic Collins Quite Brilliant 'A Celebration of British English'.The cute bulldog on the front made me look at it straight away.

As I have previously written we British are an eccentric population with a culture as put in this book as 'suitably, and uniquely, barmy'.

After all as they say we invented 'trainspotting and raves, we love saying please and thnak you to strangers in the street but then shouting at them in football grounds, we taught the world how to write great pop music and also how to make a jolly good cup of tea', so we really are a unique lot.

This book is a celebration of our gems and the people and culture around it, its what they call 'a jubilant celebration of of British English's most wonderful moments.

Enjoy ….   

‘THE WEEK’S STATS OF THE WEEK…

‘THE WEEK’S STATS OF THE WEEK…

Did you know that the fashion industry is worth £26bn to the UK economy, and supports 797,000 jobs according to The Daily Telegraph.

Did you also know that up to 5,000 people earning more than £100,000 per year live in council or housing association properties according to the Department for Communities and Local Government !!!!

For more stats of the week in ‘The Week’ magazine follow the link below for your free copy –

Claim a free copy of The Week magazine

• The best of the British and international media
• Clear unbiased journalism presenting you with the facts you need
• Intelligent writing delivers you a concise and complete briefing in just one hour of your time
• Keeping on top of the news has never been so easy or enjoyable – in print or through our dynamic digital formats

• Our Review of reviews brings you the most interesting and entertaining insights on the latest books, plays, films, opera and exhibitions
• What are top food critics saying about British restaurants?
• Plus the most bizarre stories from the tabloids, a smattering of gossip and Talking Points

Follow this link to claim your free copy: http://subscription.theweek.co.uk/landing/bigshot/01/

POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS ACTION WEEK - 25th JANUARY - 2nd FEBRUARY...

About Action Week

Poverty & Homelessness Action Week has been running each year since 2008. It brings together two special Sundays which have been marked in UK churches for many years: Homelessness Sunday and Poverty Action Sunday.

The Week aims to:

• raise awareness of the issues of poverty and homelessness in the UK
• raise funds for projects and campaigns which work to tackle poverty and homelessness
• involve people in campaign actions that tackle the causes of poverty and homelessness

Individuals, churches and groups are all encouraged to get involved in the week:

• Churches can run worship services to mark one of the Sundays, praying for vulnerable people as well as raising awareness and funds.
• Many churches also run special activities for children or young people.
• Groups and organisations (including schools) can run events to raise funds or awareness.
• Individuals can use our resources to reflect on the theme, and donate to support the cause.

Free resources are available from this website to support people doing all of these things. We also maintain a database of all events being organised each year, helping to promote and organise events.

Action Week is jointly organised by Church Action on Poverty, Housing Justice and Scottish Churches Housing Action. It is sponsored and supported by many other organisations.

Action Week 2014: Standing alongside people in crisis

This year we have turned to Proverbs for inspiration: “Speak up for the rights of all who are destitute”.
There are people who are destitute in today’s Britain. The phenomenal growth of foodbanks has happened not because there is ‘infinite demand for free food,’ as Lord Freud put it last July – but because thousands of people have recognised something needs to be in place to fill gaps left by our creaking benefits system. Without them, families are starving.

Low wages, zero-hours contracts, outrageous interest charges by doorstep lenders, benefits cuts, benefits delays, ‘sanctions’ on job-seekers – all these and more contribute to a Britain where many are locked out of what the rest take for granted.

And there are plenty who are not destitute, but teetering on the edge. “Just two pay-packets away from homelessness” is how many feel.

So from Homelessness Sunday on 26 January to Poverty Action Sunday on 2 February, we call on churches across the UK to stand alongside people in crisis; to give, act and pray for justice.

In the Old Testament, we see an emphasis on social duties and community obligations: the periodic jubilee under which property debts were wiped out; the importance of supporting the widow and her children, of providing for the stranger and the refugee. In the New Testament, Jesus demonstrates grace in the stories of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son.

These biblical approaches are a world away from the current fixation with driving a wedge between the poor and the comfortable in our land. Action Week is one opportunity for churches to stand together and speak up for people in poverty.

Click here to download the flyer and order form for Poverty & Homelessness Action Week 2014.

TOP TEN MOST 'TYPICALLY BRITISH' NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS...

Now Christmas is over and New Year is nearly upon us, us Brits absolutely LOVE to make New Year resolutions. Have a guess what the top most popular ones are?

1. Lose Weight

2. Read more

3. Save money

4. Get fit

5. See more of my friends and family

6. Write a book

7. See more of the world

8. Sell unwanted stuff of Ebay

9. Drink less

10. Start my own business

THE FAMOUS BRITISH CARNABY STREET SHOPPING PARTY...

 

 

On Thursday 2 May, 5-9pm, Carnaby is the place to be. The Carnaby Shopping Party in association with Grazia magazine, features over 100 shops and restaurants including independent boutiques and  stores exclusive to Carnaby, all offering 20% discount. You can also enjoy loads of free activities including live music, trend talks and free drinks. Grab a bite to eat after at one of the 20 restaurants and cafés taking part including Cha Cha Moon, Fornata and Carnaby Burger Co. Register for your FREE ticket here.

 

 There will be live music, DJs, an instagram photo shoot with Benefit makeovers, spot prize goodie bags and a free drink at The White Horse Kopparberg bar in Kingly Court. Legendary shoe designer Terry De Havilland will be signing shoes at his new Carnaby boutique and Grazia's Fashion News Editor Katherine Ormerod will be hosting trends talks in Kingly Court, plus lots more. Register for your free ticket at carnaby.co.uk and follow @CarnabyLondon for updates and competitions.

LOVE OR FRIENDSHIP - WHICH DATING SITE WOULD YOU PREFER...

 

With so many dating sites online it's nice to see that some are 'just for friendship'.  And apparently the British prefer online 'friendships' as opposed to 'dates'.

One such site is www.4friendshiponly.co.uk - This site has a strictly no dating format for couples who want to make new friends. 4  Friendship Only helps you to find genuine friends with similar interests in your area. It could be a dinner party, a trip to the pub, or just a chat on the phone. Whatever you would like it helps you to make new friends.

 

Another site is www.4m8sonly.co.uk - is another genuine 'friendship only' website. They say that when you have added your profile and image this will then be checked by their team before being made available to existing members. They are confident that you will be greeted by lots of genuine people seeking friendship only and with 75% of women and 63% of men using social networking sites on a daily basis, it won't take long to find a friend.

 

Another one called http://rentafriend.com/index  has Friends from around the world available for hire. Rent a Friend to attend a social event, wedding, or party with you. Hire someone to introduce you to new people, or someone to go to a movie or a restaurant with. Hire a Friend to show you around a new town, teach you a new skill/hobby, or just someone for companionship.

I'm not so sure about this one but useful at times I'm sure.

 

With women being the ones that use the social networking sites most of all, it's no surprise that there is one just for women, http://womens-friendship-group.meetup.com/cities/gb/17/london/

most of these are based in and around London. Take a look at the list of others they have available and maybe start one yourself. The formats look easy to follow and if your area doesn't have one then maybe there is an opening to start one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE BRITISH WEATHER...

 

What is it about us Brits that we are so obsessed with the weather.

Every time we go into a shop we comment on the weather, we chat about it on the phone, while out walking a dog, over dinner in a Restaurant. In fact we just don't stop talking about it. A survey has shown that we spend nearly six months just 'talking' about the weather.

Apparently the British in particular are obsessed with the English weather.

Its one of the most common ways to start a conversation, and I feel sorry for the check-out staff at supermarkets which must listen to people talking about the weather all day long.

We spend almost five times a day talking about it and spend longer discussing it, than on sport or work!

Women talk about it more than chatting about their men, love lives and gossip.

Even Twitter gets 500,000 'tweets' about it, and as for older people, well we have three times as many conversations about it and still believe in old wives tales, such as, cows sitting down (rain comes) something I 'always' say and the family make fun of me and of course, red sky at night is legendary.

These findings prove that we are a nation who is totally obsessed with the weather and with our unusually cold winter, millions of conversations at the moment are about the weather.

So, while I'm on the subject of the weather, where has the so called glorious sunshine gone to today, its more like cloudy skies to me...

 

 

 

MARGARET THATCHER'S GRANDDAUGHTER DID HER PROUD...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsslZNodDoM

          

Lady Thatcher's 19-year-old granddaughter Amanda Thatcher gave a reading at her Grandma's funeral at St Paul's Cathedral yesterday.

The young Thatcher looked composed as she read a lesson from the Bible to the congregation, watched by millions on television.

Her reading called for the righteous to put 'on the whole armour of God" and that her grandmother may be able to stand against the 'wiles of the devil'. Report by Sophie Foster.

 

BABY NAME FOR KATE MIDDLETON, THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE ...

According to the Huffington Post - Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, will name her baby Philip if it's a boy, source says.

Well, I guess we shall just have to wait and see...

DO YOU FANCY A ROYAL AFTERNOON TEA?...

The Tea Cosy tea shop in Brighton www.theteacosy.co.uk is keeping up with the royals in all ways.

The walls are decked with commemorative memorabillia and the menu hosts the likes of Queen Mother's Cream tea to William and Harry's Tea, see below.

Menu

William and Harry's Tea
A selection of homemade biscuits with a pot of tea for one.

Beatrice and Eugenie's Tea
Cupcake with hot chocolate, cream and marshmallows.

Charles and Camilla Tea
Two pieces of toast with Pate or homemade preserve and a pot of tea for one.

Princess Margaret Low Tea
A piece of cake with a pot of tea for one.

Queen Mother's Cream Tea

THE RETURN OF DOWNTON ABBEY...

I can't wait for return of one of my favourite programmes, the British period drama series 'Downton Abbey',written and created by actor and writer Julian Fellowes, and based around the early 1900's and filmed in the Stately home of the Earl and Countess of Grantham.

You cannot help but think of how life was around that time where 'the table' was an important setting, the focus of much of the social life of that period.

Guests were invited to teatime where important rituals helped to reinforce a family's wealth and social standing.

Dinner parties were held to show off their daughters with all the social skills and foibles of the time.

Teatime, sometimes immediately followed on from dinner (now lunch-time). Some of the breads you could choose from were wholemeal bread, cheese bread, soda bread and crumpets. Then there were lots of different types of scones followed by unusually named cakes like, Surly Curd Tart, which included one teaspoon of Epsom salts in its recipe!!! Cherry cake was very fashionable at this time as well as 'boiled' Fruit cake and of course a large choice of home made jams.

You can follow them on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/DowntonAbbey or online http://www.itv.com/dramapremieres/downtonabbey/

FAMOUS BRITISH HAPPENINGS IN AUGUST...

Did you know that on the...

1st August 1774,(230 years ago)the English scientist Joseph Priestley discovered 'dephlogisticated air' (later known as oxygen).

4th August 1914, (90 years ago) Britain declared war on Germany and World War 1 began.

3rd August 1924,(80 years ago) Joseph Conrad, the Ukrainian-born English novelist died.

5th August 1729,(275 years ago) Thomas Newcomen, the English engineer and inventor of he atmospheric steam engine died.

5th August 1984,(20 years ago) Richard Burton, the welsh actor died.

9th August 1979,(25 years ago)Britain's first nudist beach opened in Brighton.

8th August 1974,(30 years ago) Richard Nixon resigned as the US president after being threatened with impeachment for his part in the Watergate Scandal.

AFTERNOON TEA WEEK

Throughout August to celebrate National Afternoon Tea Week you can get 25% off some afternoon teas in London and the UK.

Just click onto www.afternoontea.co.uk and click on the link for your 25% offer plus a gift voucher.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE AND AFTERNOON TEA...

The renowned and iconic British landmark that is Buckingham Palace is only open to visitors for a short time in the summer.

Enjoy exploring the opulent hallways and furnished interiors of this Royal Residence. See the state rooms and finish with an Afternoon Tea at either the Thistle Westminster or Grosvenor Victoria, both renowned four star hotels. For a limited time you can also see Kate Middletons wedding dress, tiara, shoes and cake.

The offer was from www.buyagift.co.uk has been reduced from £115 -£95 for an afternoon tea and tour of this superb building.

THE FIRST TEA SHOP TO HIT THE UK...

The Country's first tea shop was opened in 1864 by the Manageress of the Aerated Bread Company.

The company directors allowed the manageress to serve refreshments to favoured customers.

Then, demand for her service grew, which then sparked a new trend for similar shops across the UK. Within two years the Aerated Bread Company had opened 250 of it's self service tea shops.

These also helped to liberate the lives of women, as it was considered 'perfectly proper' and acceptable for a woman to meet her friends in a tea shop without needing a escort and without risk to her reputation.

J. Lyons & Co opened their first Lyons tea shop in 1894 at 213 Piccadilly. It was the forerunner of some 250 white and gold fronted tea shops which occupied prominent positions in many of London's high streets.

AFTERNOON TEA CATWALK...

With biscuits and fancies copied straight from the catwalk, and tea served in fine Paul Smith bone china, 'Pret a Portea' at The Berkeley Hotel in London is the place for post shopping refreshments.

It is designed to add a creative twist to the classic elements of the traditional English afternoon tea. You can find it in the Hotel's Caramel Room between 1pm-6pm.

The hew Spring/Summer 2011 collection sees Victoria Beckham, Miu Miu and Tom Ford make their début on the Berkeley's tea stand.

www.the-berkeley.co.uk

WIMBLEDON'S FORTNIGHT, BRITAIN'S BIKE WEEK AND THE HIGHLAND GAMES...

Some reasons to get active this month, The Highland Games, which are a must-see, and take place from May to September countrywide. There are all sorts of games to choose from with the popular Braemar show, which attracts 10,000 spectators watching games such as caber tossing, hammer throwing and a highland fling.

For more details look on the website www.shga.co.uk

Or you could join in Britain's Bike Week which has events ranging from beginners trails through the Cotwolds to endurance charity races. There will also be pop-up bike clinics offering free safety checks. This is running between 18th to the 26th June and you can find more details on the website www.bikeweek.org.uk

On the other hand if like me you love Wimbledon fortnight but have not been able to get tickets (advance tickets have sold out) then don't miss out completely. Search over 20,000 courts and tennis clubs at www.lta.org.uk

THE CLOSING OF A TEA SHOP...

It was sad to read in www.yorkshirepost.co.uk that after 92 years of service, a cake shop, called 'Sterchi's' in Filey, North Yorkshire is about to close.

It's heyday, it said, was in the 1930's when afternoon tea and light supper were an every day part of British life.

The shop opened in 1924/25 but now with big shops eating up all the little shops, it just came down to basic book balancing, that made them decide it was time to close the doors.

The owners Mr Philip Cammish and Mrs Sue Cammish, were very sad to have to close the shop. They have been overwhelmed with letters and phone calls bemoaning the closure.

BARACK OBAMA AND HIS 'SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP' WITH THE UK....

How lovely it was to hear on the BBC News that US President Barack Obama has hailed his country's "special relationship" with the UK in a speech delivered at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

He thanked the UK for its solidarity since 9/11 and in tackling the security threats that followed.

He also paid tribute to the UK's military forces for "standing shoulder to shoulder with the US for decades".

The banquet was hosted by the Queen and attended by royalty, politicians and film stars.