The secret of the Lavenham Blue
At Easter, we visited Suffolk and Norfolk, whilst we did not see everything we wanted, we did manage to see a lot. Lavenham was on our list because we both have seen it on TV several times and wanted to…
The oddities of the English!
If you think about England or the English or even about the Englishness, probably the strange plugs and sockets, the left hand driving and the two taps on a sink come to your mind which – to be fair –…
A pub with county borderline in it
Yes, you read it well: there is a pub in England (in fact there might be more, but I am only aware of this one) which is divided by a county borderline. Something like this can only exist in England!…
The Chef and the Cook
The kitchen is the heart of the home. When we visit a grand house, I am always looking forward to seeing the servants quarters and the kitchen. The Victorian and Edwardian kitchens are amazing: you can see the…
If it is March, then Crufts!
Alright, but what is it? When I first heard the word Crufts something like 15 years ago, I had no idea what it was and I associated it with Krafts, the chocolate brand, or the word “crafts”. I asked one…
Do British postcodes follow any logic?
Have you ever wondered if the British postal codes follow any logic?l? I Have! Especially since I had to learn the primary postcodes of the UK for work, so that I can instantly decide whether we cover the area in…
How did the colour of the iconic red phone box end up in parliament?
Beside postboxes (red) phone boxes are typically English as well and which was voted one of Britain’s top 10 icons. No wonder as the good old red phone box is a fundamental element of English streets, landscapes. (We would probably…
Why are there strawberry leaves on Dave Gahan’s crown?
I bet everybody remembers the iconic video “Enjoy The Silence” by the British band Depeche Mode in which Dave Gahan wears costume of a king and rambles across fields and mountains carrying a blue deckchair. Anton Corbijn’s video from 1990…
Free living parrots in Britain?
When I relocated from Hungary to England, I was surprised how much the English care about their birds. I was amazed how many types of bird food (seeds, suet, worms etc) are available at stores especially in autumn and winter.…
What does Shakespeare have to do with English mustard?
The English mustard wasn’t love at first. When I first tried it, I found it too hot and salty. I asked myself the question several times: is there anything good in the English mustard at all? But as time went…