Tea and tea drinking in England
Now, listen and learn, son! Tea, is a herb, that has been dried out. So to bring it back to life you have to infuse it, in boiling water. That is BOILING water! Every, everywhere I have been in this…
Has England’s Puzzle blog come to an end?
In Q3 I was very enthusiastic because of the promising signs and results, but in the last quarter of the year I felt I got stuck. Nothing moved forward, in fact everything slowed down. You could say that is absolutely…
Last Christmas – A trip to George Michael’s Cottage
My generation… erm… so those who still remember the 80s, probably can recall that the first foreign channels appearing in Hungary were the German SAT1, PRO7, RTL and the British Sky and Super channels. (Music Television Europe appeared a few…
An old English Christmas custom: the mummers play
I must admit, I always thought the English have hardly any ancient, authentic customs left, so I was quite surprised when I discovered that not only have the English a nativity play (just like betlehemezés in Hungary), but they also…
Keeping a manor house clean
At the beginning of December as we approach Christmas, I realise I have to do a big cleaning in the house. In Hungary we normally have two big cleanings every year: one in spring (around or before Easter) and one…
The Chesterfield Sofa
What comes to your mind when you see a Chesterfield sofa? A billiard room, or a library in an English country house? A gentlemen’s club in London? A cosy English pub? A study full of smoke and Churchill sitting on…
Stowe – The perfect landscape garden
I think, probably most of us has a picture in mind about a romantic, sometimes mysterious English landscape garden, with lakes, groves, pavilions, follies and tea houses that we once saw on television, probably in a Sherlock Holmes film. Whether…
The nanny, the nursemaid and the governess
These women were slightly in a different and special position at grand houses because they looked after the family’s children which required great trust. They all had direct contact with the lord and mistress of the house and due to…
An English funeral
In loving memory of Richard Death is part of life. Or it should be. When I suddenly and unexpectedly lost my Mum and then my Dad within the same year, I could not handle the situation properly and I…
Is Hallowe’en distasteful?
Intro Poirot is sitting in an art deco armchair and listening to the radio, his valet, George whose name is pronounced in French by Poirot is standing next to him. Radio: The feeling of sick dread came over me as…