What's with that briefcase?

Tomorrow is Budget Day in the UK, the day where the Chancellor of the Exchequer (the guy who looks after the economy, currently George Osborne) presents the budget plan for the nation to the House of Commons.   I've got a few things to say about what George is expected to announce in the budget, but we'll save that for another day.

More importantly for now, chances are if you live in the UK, you have seen a photo or news clip that looks similar to this:

Have you ever wondered what the deal is with that crappy old briefcase and why the Chancellors always like to show it off? 

It's called the budget box or the Gladstone box.  Basically, its just a briefcase that holds the budget papers, but that old one in the photo above is special because it was used from 1860 by William Ewart Gladstone until 1965 when James Callaghan decided it was time for an upgrade and used a newer but basically identical briefcase.  In 1997 Gordon Brown upgraded the box again, but in 2008 Alistair Darling went back to using the very original box (trying to earn some points with some people maybe?).  George Osborne kept using it when he took over, but has since retired the original 1860 Gladstone box due to its fragility.  Tomorrow, you'll see him with a shiny new briefcase full of budget papers and when you do, you'll know all about the history of the budget box!  You're welcome.


Did you know? 

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is allowed to have an alcoholic drink whilst he presents the budget. This is the only time alcohol is allowed during speeches to Parliament. 

According to Wikipedia, previous Chancellors have opted for whisky (Kenneth Clarke), gin and tonic (Geoffrey Howe), brandy and water (Benjamin Disraeli), spritzer (Nigel Lawson) and sherry and beaten egg (William Gladstone).  Boring old Osborne apparently just has water.  What a waste!

Ascot Gets Tough on Fashion Crime!

Remember when I busted the myth that Royal Ascot is posh?   Well, it appears I wasn't the only one who has noticed the drastic decline in standards.  The racecourse has tightened their dress code for the Royal Enclosure (at the Royal meeting), Premier Enclosure (at "regular" meetings) and the Grandstand (at all meetings).

Royal Ascot: Fascinators have now been banned in the Royal enclosure and those in the Grandstand MUST wear a hat or fascinator (head wear was previously optional).  We now will be spared the dreaded boob fat spill-over because strapless dressed have been banned in the Grandstand (they were never allowed in the Royal enclosure), but unfortunately, they did not go so far as to demand that dresses "are of a modest length" as is required in the Royal enclosure, so we will probably still have to deal with loads of orange cellulite on display. For the men in the Royal enclosure, a morning suit, complete with waistcoat and tie, will be mandatory and cravats have been banned.  A suit and tie will be required for the Grandstand.

"Regular" Ascot:  Men in the Premier enclosure must wear a jacket a tie, but more casual trousers or even "smart jeans" can be worn in place of the suit trousers. If it is an especially warn day, they will make an announcement that men's jackets can be removed.  Ladies should dress "for a smart occasion" and hats are encouraged, but not mandatory.  In the Grandstand, the standards remain low - basically, you can wear whatever you want, but you may not go bare chested.  Thank god for that.

The new dress codes were put into effect last weekend when a "regular" meeting was held at Ascot. So, what did they do to the people who didnt meet the dress code?  Turn them away?  Pass them a leaflet explaining the new rules?   Of course not.  They actually tagged the offenders with orange stickers to mark them as a rule breaker!  Secretly, or not so secretly since I'm telling all of you, I think this is awesome, but the stickered racegoers didn't seem to appreciate it.  In true British style, they whinged about their mistreatment and embarrassment and now will be given a refund of their ticket price.  For the record: Ascot officials say they chose to sticker people so that they wouldn't be reprimanded multiple times by different members of staff.

Photo: Daily Mail Online

If you're planning a visit to Ascot in the future, the official dress code guidance can be found here.

Awesome New Thing: #8

I'm taking the easy way out on this one... Just read this article. 

The best combination of pure awesome and that famous British "quirkiness" ever.

Would you put that in your pasty?

You may remember when I did my best to explain the pasty and mentioned a pasty can be filled with pretty much anything, but I had to do a double take when I saw this poster yesterday:

That's right - a breakfast pasty filled with beans and sausage.  Does this make anyone else but me want to barf?

Tell me - what would fill your dream pasty?

Not just any weekend... Bank Holiday weekend!

For those of you outside the UK, a Bank Holiday is similar to a Federal Holiday in America - you know the kinds where all the post offices, banks and government buildings are closed.  In America, we always pretended there was a reason for a Federal holiday and gave them a name like Labor Day or Memorial Day. In the UK, they've just assigned them randomly because as L'oreal says "we're worth it".

We've got a Bank Holiday on Monday* which means ... its Bank Holiday weeeekeeeennnnddd!!   Many people will stock up on BBQ supplies and pray for sun, others will brave the traffic and go down to the coast and pray for sun, loads of people will go to the Notting Hill Carnival* and hope its riot-free, but if none of those activities inspire you, may I suggest a few unusual events?

England's Medieval Festival
Held at Herstmonceux Castle (which is cool because it has a moat), I imagine it's like a Renaisance Festival you may have attended in America minus all the very bad fake British accents.  Oh, and there's also England's largest medieval battle, The Siege of the Castle, with over 1000 reinactment participants. Cool or nerdy?  You decide.

Portsmouth Kite Festival 
I love Portsmouth and Southsea, but sadly, have never made it to the Kite Festival.  This year is the 20th anniversary and according to organisers 'Flyers from as far as Singapore, India, New Zealand and America will be coming together to put on this annual spectacular. On Monday, 29 August (bank holiday) there is free-flying and a free dog show.  The festival, which is held on Southsea Common, has been recognised as one of the biggest of its kind in the world, and is even playing host to a UK record attempt this year.'

World Bog Snorkelling Championships
Who knew there even was such a thing!?  The World Bog Snorkelling Championships are being held in what claims to be the UK's smallest Town, Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales (that reminds me of when we talked about the smallest, longest, etc villages...Read this post if you missed it) and promises to be bigger and better than ever. Apparently, competitors wearing goggles, snorkel and flippers have to snorkel two lengths of a 60 yard trench in a peat bog. The rules state that 'conventional swimming strokes (e.g. breast stroke, crawl) are not allowed, so flipper power is the key.'  It would appear that fancy dress is encouraged, which basically ensures that this will be an awesome, albiet very strange, Bank Holiday event! 

Did you know:

• Under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 (the current act that regulates bank holidays), bank holidays are proclaimed each year by royal proclamation. Royal proclamation is swap the day a holiday is observed in the case that the actual day falls on a weekend.  Thanks, Liz, for taking our bank holidays seriously!  
• The Department of Culture Media and Sport seem to be interested in adding a bit of patriotism to the bank holiday schedule as they have suggested moving the May Day bank holiday to a date in October, and calling it "UK Day" or to "Trafalgar Day" (21st October) or move the holiday to St David's Day (for Wales)  and St George's Day (for England) 
• We will get an extra bank holiday in 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee! The 2012 late May bank holiday will be moved to Monday 4 June 2012 and an additional Jubilee bank holiday will be on Tuesday 5 June 2012 giving us a four day weekend. Yippee!

*Pedantic note: There are different bank and public holidays in different parts of the UK - this Monday is not a holiday in Scotland. 
 
*the one year we went to the Carnival, I had to look at photos on my camera to remember what happened and how I ended up where I awoke in the morning... and still didnt remember... so you will not find me at the Carnival again any time soon.

The Next Big Thing

In honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 (a celebration of 60 years on the throne), a current town in the UK will be crowned a city. This may sound a bit odd to those of who not familiar with the idea of city status in the UK, but to the cities who have applied this is a big deal.

As you may know, historically, a place in the UK could only call itself a city if it had a cathedral, but now there are a variety of factors (including, but not limited to population) that determine whether a town can be called a city and city status isn't handed out willy nilly.  There are actually only 66 cities in all of the UK (A full list can be found here).  The newest additions to the City Club are Brighton and Hove, Inverness and Wolverhampton which were given the status in 2000 to mark the new millennium, and Preston, Stirling and Newport which were awarded city status in 2002 for the Queen's Golden Jubilee  In total, only 14 new cities were created during the 20th century.

Twenty-six towns are in the running for the Diamond Jubilee City Upgrade (it's not really called that, but seriously, what else do you call it?) including Chelmsford, Milton Keynes, Coleraine, Perth, Doncaster, Croydon, Bournemouth and Reading.

My money is on Reading - literally.  They are the odds-on favourite according to Paddy Power at 11/2, followed by Doncaster and then Bournemouth.   Wait... Whats that?  You didn't know you could place bets on this kind of thing?  You're telling me you've never been in one of the millions of betting shops you see in every town and probably pass by multiple times a day?   Well, listen up -  I'm not normally one to advocate potentially addictive activities such as gambling, but you really haven't lived until you've placed a bet on the colour of the Queen's hat at her next public appearance or the nationality of the next Pope.   

But back to this city thing - what will the winner get?  Well... nothing really, except I suppose they could do a "nanny nanny boo boo" dance in front of the lowly towns, and probably more importantly, I think they can then have a city council which gives them a bit more power which apparently can even usurp the power of the county council (surely another reason to do a "nanny nanny boo boo dance"!).

Go Reading!

Mythbusting: Royal Ascot is Posh

I went to Royal Ascot last year and I think if I'm honest, I expected something very high brow, very proper and very British. What I experienced was indeed very British, but to say it was proper or posh would be a lie.  I'm sorry to any of you who think otherwise, but unless you are in the Royal Enclosure, the truth is that Royal Ascot (even in the Grandstand) is a glorified piss up.  It's usually good fun and the best reason to buy a new dress and head piece of your choice, but posh it is not.

I didn't go this year, which is probably for the best because a) it rained heavily the morning of Ladies Day and that would have totally ruined my hair and b) THIS happened:

Royal Ascot Brawl
Photo: Daily Mail

I'll leave it to the Daily Mail to fill you in on all the details, but basically some drunken hooligans got in a huge fight, at least one person was arrested for Class B drug possession and the organizers of the event have introduced a "drug honesty box", asking racegoers to deposit their drugs in said box before entering the gates.  Yes, seriously.

Sure, there's a dress code, so most people are dressed in their best (a highly subjective term), and the Queen is usually there, but contrary to popular belief, it is not an event reserved for the poshest of the posh. 

I think an older gentleman I met at last year's Ladies Day summed it up best when he glanced at the woman next to us with her orange skin and poorly fitting dress, shoving a sausage in her mouth and said "its true what they say - you can't polish a turd". 

Introducing: Prince Philip

So, he's not exactly an obscure pseudo celebrity as the other people featured in my Introducing series, but on this day before his 90th birthday, what do you actually know about Prince Phillip? 

Photo: Daily Mail

Vitals: Official title - Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.  He was born 10 June 1921 in Greece as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, but does not consider himself Greek (he says he's Danish) probably because his family was exiled from Greece following the Greco-Turkish war.  Philip spent his early years in France and attended an American school in Paris before being sent to England at the age of seven.   

Relationships With Other "Celebrities": You may know his wife, The Queen of England.  They've been married for 64(!) years and have four children... You may know them too - Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.   In order to marry Liz, Philip denounced his Greek and Danish titles, converted to Anglicanism and naturalised as a British citizen. He also adopted the surname Mountbatten from his maternal grandparents.  (learn more about royal surnames here)

Best Scandal: He has a bit of a loose tongue, to put it mildly.  I'll let the Daily Mail recap some of his best gaffes.  Don't skip this bit!  Trust me.

That's a Bit Strange: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are actually third cousins through Queen Victoria.

Coming to America?  Somehow I doubt it.

Happy Birthday Old Chap!

The ____-est villages

We spent a bit of time in the Cotswolds recently and came across a village with a strange claim to fame....

Photo: Jon Le-Bon

In true LadyLiberty fashion, I failed to take a photo of this sign, so am left with a watermarked one that clearly belongs to someone else, but as you can see, Brinkworth in Wiltshire is the longest village in England!* Who knew? We took a drive through to see what all the fuss was about and left disappointed - it certainly didn't seem any longer than any other village I've ever been (its supposed to be six miles long), but I'll take their word for it.  

Perhaps more interestingly, this got me thinking - what other ____-est villages are out there? 

Longest Name
The village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in Wales has the longest name of any place in Europe.  Wikipedia can give you a pronunciation and a lot more info if you are interested.

Largest Village
Since there is no official definition of what is a village vs what is a town, there is stiff competition for the title of largest village in England.  It would appear that the two front runners are Kidlington (pop. 15,000) in Oxfordshire and  Ecclesfield (pop 31,000) in South Yorkshire.  Both have never taken on a town charter and are still run by a parish council rather than a town council so technically they can still be called villages, BUT Ecclesfield is actually a suburb of Sheffield, so I am going to disqualify it and give the title of Largest Village in England to Kidlington.  Congratulations Kidlington-ites!

Smallest Village

St John The Baptist Chuch, Ault Hucknall
Photo: Geograph

Again, we've got a bit of competition here and more semantic game play since just as there is no definition of when a village is a town, there is also no definition of when a hamlet becomes a village.   I'm somewhat reluctantly giving the title to Ault Hucknall in Derbyshire which apparently has only four dwellings and a church.  Depending on who you ask, it is because the village has a church that is can be considered a village, although to be totally happy with this distinction, I'd ideally prefer it to have a pub before calling it a village. 

Wettest Village
According to the Met Office, the village of Glenfinnan in the Scottish Higlands is the wettest village in the UK (and the third wettest place).  This village located on the edge of Loch Shiel recieves an average annual rainfall of 118.98 inches.  Oh and if you like that show Highlander, you may be interested to know that Connor and Duncan MacLeod (whoever they are) were both supposedly born in Glenfinnian.

Friendliest Village
In 2008, some researchers from Sheffield University named the village of Bramhall, near Manchester, the friendliest spot in the UK.  According to their report, they "found very little evidence of community division or people feeling isolated".  Conversely, the report named Edinburgh as the place with the weakest communities, followed closely by Headingley in Leeds, the Hyde Park area of London and the university area of Cardiff.

*There is some debate about this as a few other places claim to be the longest village in England

Introducing: Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer

Remember when I introduced you to talk show host extraordinaire Jeremy Kyle?   I surely can't have you thinking that British "celebrities" can only be enjoyed on the sofa during weekday mornings! Once you've either got a job or found things other than daytime television to occupy your time, you will need something to watch in the evenings, right? 

May I suggest Relocation, Relocation. It's kind of like House Hunters which you may have watched in America, but is hosted by the Lord and Lady of Real Estate, Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp.

Vitals:
Kirstie - Born 31 August 1971 in London (Hampstead); skipped University and spent some time in India teaching English before focusing on interior design and ultimately moving on to TV work.  Never married (has long term partner) with two children and two step children. 

Phil - Born 11 December 1969  in Kent; was headboy at the uppity Uppingham school, started home finding company that spawned Relocation, Relocation and it's sister show Location, Location, Location; married once (current); two children

Phil and Kirstie

Relationships With Other "Celebrities": None for either of them, I'm afraid.... unless you, like me, think the two of them are having a lurid affair!

Best Scandal: The word "scandal" is a definite stretch with these goody two-shoes. Unfortunately for our gossip hungry eyes, Phil has been extremely successful at keeping his personal life very private. Kirstie, however, has a big mouth and once said that children shouldn't have homework, apparently has chased someone down for throwing litter out of their car and started a minor Twitter feud with another TV presenter over the length of her skirt ("It’s debatable whether that’s a skirt or not – hard to take her seriously," Kirstie said.)  Oh, and her brother is/was "friendly" with Courtney Love. 

That's a Bit Strange: Kirstie's father is former chairman of Christie's (you know, the auction house?) Charles Henry Allsopp otherwise known as 6th Baron Hindlip, which entitles her to use the title "The Honourable Kirstie Allsopp". Fancy fancy!  Also, Kath Kidston is her cousin.

Coming to America?  It doesnt look like it.  Both would struggle on the property side since their knowledge is focused on UK real estate. Although, Phil has been doing a show in Australia, so never say never.

Watch them in action in an "Embarrassing bits" special.

Surely not Surrey

I've always liked Lonely Planet travel guides until the shock and awe of this week's news that they have branded Surrey a "dull" and "uninspiring" county, whilst Manchester has been deemed "truly special". (??)

Come again? 

Surely, Mr Lonely Planet writer David Else, we can't be talking about the same Surrey!  Judging by your ill-informed conclusions, I bet my bottom dollar that you dont have the privilege to live in this charming, lively, beautiful county.  Let me fill you in on a few things you must have missed during your research trips to leafy Surrey ...


Perhaps you have forgotten that Richmond which is home to the expansive Richmond Park, Kew Gardens and the only view in England to be protected by an Act of Parliament.  Thats right - the view from Richmond Hill is protected by the Richmond, Ham and Petersham Open Spaces Act to preserve the beauty immortalised in paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds and J.M.W. Turner, which was once described by Sir Walter Scott as "an unrivalled landscape".... In Surrey. 

View from Richmond Hill
Photo: Mine

Polesden Lacy
Photo: National Trust 

Did you somehow miss a visit to Hampton Court Palace, Polesden Lacey and Loseley Park when you did your "research?".  You cannot honestly say that these beautiful buildings are "uninspiring"! 


Have you ever heard of the Magna Carta, Mr Else?  Look it up and you may find that the super important document was signed in Runnymede, just outside Egham in Surrey.  The memorials that are there today were even worth a visit from John F Kennedy!  After a visit to Runnymede, you can drive down the A30 toward Egham and look to your left where you'll see Royal Holloway University.  Not even the most hungover student would call this amazing building "dull". Major photo opportunity! 

Royal Holloway University
Photo: Quadnetics

Because I'm a nice lady, I'll give you some insider information - the best part about Surrey are the lovely, charming villages dotted around the county, especially those in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (you know about those special areas, don't you?).  The villages of  Elstead, Seale, Tilford and Shere are reason enough to visit Surrey.  

Need more? Surrey has the most golf courses of any county in England, the lowest crime rate, the most area of densely wooded land and is home to the likes of Pete Townshend, Dame Judi Dench, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and me!   Now, don't be hatin' Mr. E -  I realise that not everyone is lucky enough to live in Surrey, but everyone (other than you, I'm afraid) is welcome to visit. 

The Royal Wedding Drinking Game

I am beginning to regret my rejection of the Royal Wedding after reading the latest edition of Glamour magazine which contains the best article ever in the history of women's trash magazines.  They have come up with a drinking game to play whilst watching the event that sounds so fun, I could cry that I will be on an airplane during the nuptials.  I couldnt resist sharing a few of my favourite rules to the game, but you'll to pick up the mag for the full game (it's the one with Cheryl Cole on the cover, but don't let that put you off - you can draw mustaches on her after purchase).

Glamour reminds us that the Wedding is at 11am, but don't let that stop you from playing along...

Kate looks a bit overwhelmed =  1 dainty sip of Cava

A horse does a whoopsie (that's British for takes a poop) on the pavement = shot of Sambuca

It's Prince Edward! = Yawn and get someone to pass you a strong drink of you choosing 

Celebratory swig for each time Kate is described as "radiant" and DON'T put your foot through the telly. 

Prince Phillip looks as if he might be thinking something racist = 1 shot

Wills' bald spot on TV again = Open the tequilla 

Spy Prince Harry psyching out Wills by pelvic thrusting during this vows = Shotgun a Bacardi Breezer

And my personal favourite - When you see Ben Fogel, last to shout "Fogel alert!" drinks whatever's in their glass.

And the fun doesnt stop there - Glamour has also published a fun game of "Guest List Bingo" as seen below.

This wedding could be a good time after all. Enjoy yourselves! I'll be back when its all over.

Roundabout Idol

Ever driven around a roundabout and thought "ohh this is a lovely roundabout"?  Or maybe you've driven around more times than necessary to bask it its beauty?  No?  Ok, me neither, until I decided to find a worthy nomination for "Roundabout Idol".  That's right - a vehicle leasing company has launched a contest to find Britain's best (and worst) roundabouts and is currently looking for nominations.

So far, someone has nominated BBC Island (the roundabout in Nottingham outside the BBC offices), saying its "looks gorgeous with its colourful flowers and trees. It never struggles to cope [with traffic] even on match days when its proximity to Nottingham's two football clubs and to Trent Bridge cricket ground means it's heaving with cars. The roundabout takes it all in its stride and doesn't miss a beat."

Aldershot's
"Burger King Roundabout"

My nomination for Best Roundabout in the UK goes to the "Burger King roundabout" in Aldershot (the only visually pleasing thing in Aldershot maybe?) with its hanging baskets and ease of access into the only Burger King drive thru in the area. If only the Burger King was a Taco Bell it would win for sure!  




Heart Statue Roundabout
Photo: Ed O'Keeffe

 

But, while we're at it, why limit Roundabout Idol to the UK?  What about the best roundabout in the world?  Surely the "Heart Statue roundabout" in Almeria, Spain would win.  Palm trees, heart statue, coast line - that's even better than Burger King or Taco Bell... or anything in Aldershot for that matter.   

On a related note:  If you fancy finding the Heart Statue or other Spanish roundabouts (and why wouldnt you?), take a peek at Brit Car Hire which hires right hand drive cars to British tourists in Spain.  Just remember to go around the roundabouts the OTHER way! 

Let's get royalized

With the news that Wootton Basset will become the first town in 100 years to be granted the "royal" title, making it known officially as Royal Wootton Basset, it got me thinking what other places have done to deserve their royal titles.

There are only two other towns in England (although there are more elsewhere in the UK) with the "royal" title - Royal Leamington Spa (1838) and Royal Tunbridge Wells (1909).  Both of these recieved their titles "in recognition of their history and royal patronage of their facilities", so basically they are old places that some royals liked the visit.  That's it?  Boor-ing!

So what about the Royal County of Berkshire?  Why does it get to be royal?  It was given the title simply because it is home to Windsor Castle.  But there is a bit (a tiny bit, yes I'm stretching here in a desperate effort to make this a semi-interesting post) of drama surrounding this Royal County: Apparently, the county has been using the "royal" since before the 19th Century, long before it was actually recognized by the Queen in 1958.  How dare you, Berkshire!

There are also a few royal boroughs in England, including what is now knowns as The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London (or RBKC to those in the know), which was granted the right to use the royal title by Queen Victoria who wanted to honour her birthplace.  The newest addtion to the Royal Borough Club will be Greenwich in 2012 in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

And then there are all those random places with the suffix "Regis" after the town's orginal name.  What's this about?  Well, Regis is latin for King and this title is bestowed on towns frequented by royalty mainly as a holiday destination (how this is different from Royal Leamington Spa and Royal Tunbridge Wells is beyond me).  I know I shouldn't judge(its so insulting!), but I'm beginning to question the Royal's choice in holiday spots.  I've only ever been to Bognor Regis, and surely it was entirely different back when it was Regis-ized in 1929, but I really can't see why members of the royal family would have wanted to spend time there (royals don't go to Butlins, do they?)... surely Brighton Regis would have been a better choice?

On the off chance you're actually interested in this, here's a full list of towns/cities/counties/boroughs in the UK with royal patronage.

Tea v. Tea v. High Tea v. Afternoon Tea

Tea (the meal): Some people in England, mostly in the North of the country it seems, refer to their evening meal as 'tea' and tend to eat it earlier than those of us who eat dinner (or supper or whatever you want to call it). I don't get it and will probably say something insulting about it, so I'll stop there. 

Tea (the drink):  I've shared my feeling for this drink here and we all know I don't like it, don't drink it, and certainly dont put milk in it (ew!) so if anyone else wants to write a guest post about why the tea is great or what kind of tea is best, do let me know.  We'll revisit tea (the drink) then...

High Tea: Here's where the confusion begins... When most non-British people think of high tea, they probably imagine a gathering of fancy victorian people drinking out of their best china tea cups eating dainty sandwiches. Maybe you're picturing something like this...

Get that image out of your head!  High tea is actually mostly the same as tea (the meal) listed above - a substantial early evening meal sometimes followed by a later lighter meal.  The word high refers to the height of the table, distinguising it from low tea or afternoon tea (see below) which is often served in a sitting room at a lower table such as a coffee table.

Afternoon Tea:  Not exactly as pictured above, but similar. Afternoon Tea is generally held around 3- 4pm and includes the stereotypical finger sandwiches, scones and pastries served on those fancy tiered cake stands.  Rumour has it that back in the day, (mid 1800s) the Duchess of Bedford started having a tray of tea with bread and butter served to her in the afternoon to stave of hunger until the tradtional dinner time of 8 or 9pm.  The hungry Duchess then began to invite her other high-society friends to join her and soon  Afternoon Tea became the 'in-thing' for the upper-class women (and was served in a sitting room on a low table, like a coffee table, setting it apart from high tea. Get it now?)

In modern times, Afternoon Tea is generally served at hotels, restaurants or tea rooms rather than in someone home and is really not as pretentious as it sounds (or maybe I am just more pretentious than I think...).  You don't have to dress in victorian garb, you dont have a fake a plummy accent, you don't have to hold your tea cup with your pinkie out and you don't even need to drink tea (I drink coffee when I do afternoon tea). 

My advice? Skip the drink and the meals and get thee to Afternoon Tea.  Excellent places include The Ritz London, Pennyhill Park Hotel, and The Langham (the winner of Tea Guild's ‘Top London Afternoon Tea' award in 2010).

By Appointment to Her Majesty, The Queen...

Anyone with a observant eye who has spent even a short amount of time in the UK has no doubt seen the royal Coat of Arms displayed on shops and products ranging from broomsticks to champagne and maybe you've felt a bit smug that you've chosen the same place to shop or the same thing to buy as the Queen herself.. or maybe you didnt even know that you've just done exactly that! 

Coat of Arms with text underneath

The Coat of Arms is displayed on letterhead, shop fronts and the packaging of products themselves when a Royal Warrant of Appointment has been issued to the supplier of the product or service. Basically, its a way bragging that the Queen (or Prince Philip or Prince Charles depending on the coat of arms displayed) likes your stuff and you supply goods to the royal family. The next time you spot one, take a closer look at it... you will see the fancy coat of arms, then underneath it will usually say "By Appointment to..." followed by the name of the royal issuing the appointment and what goods are provided.  For instance, at John Lewis, the it will read "By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen as suppliers of haberdashery and household goods"

Approximately 800 individuals and companies hold more than 1,100 warrants to the Royal Family. Suppliers must have had a trading relationship with an individual in the family for at least five years before they can be considered for a warrant. They are awarded for renewable terms of five years, though they can be revoked at any time; some warrants have been held for more than 100 years. 

I suppose its important to mention that just because the Queen issued a Warrant of Appointment for some gin, for example, doesnt mean she actually drinks it - goods can be purchased by the issuer (or the grantor as they are called)  for use by guests as well as personal use. 

So what can you buy to be like Liz?  Here's a few of the more interesting Warrants of Apppointment:  (a full list can be found here or you can search the directory here)

Bacardi-Martini Ltd - Suppliers of martini vermouth

Robinsons Soft Drinks - Manufacturers of fruit squashes and barley waters

Bulmers - Manufacturers of cider (although I am sad to say that Strongbow also has a Warrant. What a shame)
Carphone Warehouse - Supplier of mobile phone communications
Corgi Hosiery Ltd - Manufacturers of hosiery
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare - Manufacturers of toothpaste for Prince Charles and Lucozade for the Queen.
Pots and Pithoi - Supplier of terracotta pots to Prince Charles. (who knew he was such a fan?)

Oh and do you shop at Boots?  So does Her Maj.   They hold a Warrant for being both her chemist and her dispensing optician (i.e she buys her way trendy glasses there) Who knew you and Liz had so much in common?

Oh The Places You'll Go: Blenheim Palace

When I first moved, my husband would whisk me away to various places most weekends, showing me the most beautiful stately homes, well manicured parks and gardens, quaint pubs and historical places.  I am convinced that he did this "sell" England to me and convince me I'd made the right choice by moving here.  Kind of like "yes, I know there is no garbage disposal, but there are stately homes on every corner. Does that count for anything?"

Luckily, he hasnt given up on these field trips and with the Spring and Summer months approaching, I thought I'd begin a new series - "Oh The Places You'll Go"  (do kids read Dr. Suess in the UK?) and show you some of the gems (some hidden, some not) in England.

Last weekend, we went on an impromtu day trip to Oxford and our friendly sat-nav informed us that Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill was not far and could be added to our route.  Why thank you; dont mind if we do...

Blenheim Palace

More of the Palace

The Palace from the Formal Gardens

..and again 

One of many disturbing statues... 

...and another

What We Discovered:

• You can get married there (yes, please!)
• The Palace is an example of English Baroque style architecture.  I've never had a favourite architectural style before, so now this is it.  Absolutely beautiful!
•  The Palace was created to celebrate victory over the French during the Wars of the Spanish Succession and was a gift to the First Duke of Marlborough.
• Blenheim Natural Mineral Water is bottled on the estate, and is the only water you can buy there, of course.  Tastes just like Aquafina to me.
• Duke John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill lives in the palace part of the year. In addition to being in the Churchill family, he is also a distant relative of Princess Diana.
• Scenes from Harry Potter and Gulliver's Travels were filmed here.

The Many Excuses of National Rail

If you live in England, you most likely have heard jokes about "the wrong type of snow" which was a phrase coined by the Evening Standard after British Rail (now known as National Rail) said "we are having particular problems with the type of snow" when asked for the cause of major service disruptions following heavy snowfall.  The phrase is now humorously used to refer to any lame excuse, implying that one doesn't believe it.

It will therefore come as no surprise that National Rail has received a bit of flack after issuing another hard-to-stomach weather related excuse following disruption in the South East yesterday - get ready for it - dew on the tracks.

Dew?  Yes, like morning dew.  Oy Vey.

Other unlikely weather-related excuses include:

Leaves on the line - It happens every Autumn without fail and National Rail says (and I'm not saying I don't believe them) that "leaves, compressed by passing trains create a thin, black ‘Teflon’ like layer on the rail, which compromises train braking and acceleration. The best way to describe the effect is to compare it to black ice on the road".

Sun - In September 2010, the Office of Rail Regulation and National Rail blamed the balmy temperatures that summer for delays and disruptions saying that a rise in temperature means that some equipment – including cabling, signalling systems and electrical items are subject to overheating when temperatures rise above 30C (86F).  Apparently, overhead power lines can sag and rails buckle, meaning that speed restrictions have to be imposed to prevent a train coming off the track.

Happy Commuting!

Long Live the Pint

I love beer.

I miss Old Chicago Beer Tours; drinking beer after beer with my best friend surrounded by other beer lovers.

I remember first moving to the UK and suddenly feeling self concious about drinking beer in pubs - all the other girls were drinking wine and beer seemed like such a "boy" drink.   I quickly got over this silliness and appreciate at every opportunity that drinking a pint in a pub is (to me) such a wonderful "British" thing... which is why today's news that you can now buy beer and cider in a size other than a pint or half pint is some how distressing.

You see, before today there were very strict rules which said a publican (a pub owner) could only sell beer and cider in a pint or a half pint (although apparently a third of a pint was also ok, but very rare, so I'm ignoring it).  The rules were put in place to protect pub-goers to ensure they were served the same amount of beverage in every pub they visited, allowing them to accurately compare prices.  Sounds good, right?  Well, today the UK government has decided to toss tradition aside and and bring in the "schooner", which is 2/3 of a pint and a typically Australian measurement.  Why do our pubs need a schooner!?  Where is the respect for tradition?

Government will tell you they are waging war against binge drinking, but I say they need to keep their turned up noses out of my pub.  Don't they have more important things they should be sorting out, anyway?

Long Live the Pint!

Tea Time

I realize I talk a lot of smack about tea.   I apologize if you really enjoy "tea culture" and are sick of me complaining about it and in the same breath let me apologize if you are annoyed by it even more than I and are pushed over the edge by my ramblings.

But... I couldnt help but share this little bit of "research":

According to the manufactures of the new T6 water dispenser thingie, the average Briton spends 24 minutes a day making hot drinks at work (yes, yes, I admit some of this may be coffee, but I like to blame it on tea).   Added up over a working lifetime, this is equal to 188 days and 21 hours waiting for the kettle to boil, immersing one's tea bag and mixing to one's preferred recipe. 

Perhaps more interesting - based on an average UK salary of £26,000, it means each worker costs £416 a year in lost productivity performing the tea making ritual. 

Therefore, I suggest that those who do not drink tea throughout the day should be awarded a £416* bonus each year on their birthday!  Got that Mr Cameron?  I demand a change in policy immediately or I will riot in the streets!


*In the interest of full disclosure, I am willing to take about a £359 bonus because I do make one cup of coffee most mornings.