I enjoyed a weekend in London recently and decided to take a trip to Brick Lane in East London. I’d seen a television programme that week that was all about the history of the East End. I wanted to see it for myself – so went along to explore.
There was street art everywhere I looked. I went snap-happy with my camera and loved every moment. Here are some of the amazing doors I found!
Britain and Europe.
You thought that they were linked? Clearly the Brits disagree…
It’s all very mixed up.
The UK (or is it Great Britain? Or Scotland? Or Wales?…. England even?)…. They don’t really feel like Europe. Quite often you hear the UK media refer to ‘over in Europe’ as though the UK itself is not part of it.
Well it makes sense. We (Brits) are ever so glad to have the ‘English’ Channel to keep us and them far enough apart.
Here’s what the Brits really think of the rest of Europe.
I’ve just got home from a wonderful evening watching fireworks. I love firework displays.
The school that I work for held an annual event to commemorate Guy Fawkes Night. Ah yes - “Remember, remember the 5th of November”.
Okay – some of you are probably wondering why I’ve been watching fireworks tonight – it’s not New Year’s Eve – it’s not Chinese New Year – it’s not my birthday… Well it’s all about something which happened in 1605. The King of England didn’t get blown up – phew – how lucky he was.
The evening tonight didn’t actually mention Guy Fawkes (the guy who was caught as part of the plot to kill King James I of England). That would be too politically ‘provoking‘. However, the fireworks were brilliant – the children and parents were thoroughly entertained – and I had a great time.
History Part – If you actually want to know more about the whole Guy Fawkes story, you can check here.
Other drivers never cease to amaze me. How did half the drivers on the road ever pass their test?
I passed my driving test at 17 years of age. I was given driving lessons as a present. “Wonderful, a passage to adulthood and freedom”. 14 years on, I think I’m a pretty decent driver. I’ve had a couple of accidents bumps…. Not all my own fault (but everybody probably says that).
In a recent poll online a massive 90% of drivers said that they were ‘good/very good’ drivers. Astounding – they can’t all be so good. I’ve been out on the roads around Europe and I beg to differ.
So, I’ve decided to compile the 10 Commandments of Driving.
Why do people think that the drivers around them have psychic abilities enabling them to predict the manoeuvres of the driver in front. Use those indicators guys….. Oh, and when I say use them, I mean use them before you start turning. It’s a bit late to flick the lights on when you’re halfway around the corner.
Why, oh why? This is the most annoying habit. The United Kingdom is the place to visit if you want to see the commandment being broken. British drivers are awful when it comes to motorway driving. It’s not uncommon to see the inside and outside lanes empty as drivers queue behind each other in the middle. Why?
Texting and phoning whilst driving really gets to me. How many times do we have to sit and wait at traffic lights for the driver in front who is so self-absorbed in what they’re doing with the mobile rather than driving. Ban them! Ban them!
Please see previous post about this subject.
Some people think that their car is clearly a lot bigger than it actually is.
Fluffy dice are out! Dangly bunnies, kittens and dream catchers were never in. Nodding dogs on the back shelf – say no more……. (* chav = see full description here).
By this I think I have re-captured your attention. Let’s just say, you should not be doing anything you wouldn’t want your mother to know about whilst the vehicle is in motion.
Driving is not a skill connected with tapestry work, but some drivers think that by zooming across all lanes, in and out and side to side that they are saving time. It rarely works.
These signs (and they’re everywhere) don’t make logical or meaningful sense to me. What are the possible reasons? To make drivers drive better around you? Shouldn’t we all be doing that anyway? Then there is the argument that when they are in a crash the first on the scene can attend to the baby. This idea is flawed considering half the cars I see don’t have a child or baby in them. So instead of only using the sign when they need too, they leave it up constantly to cause un-due concern in cases of an emergency.
This happens all the time in The Netherlands. I cannot bear it. Some drivers stop their car so close that I’m convinced that they’re trying to read something on the back of my car. Keep back!
Feel free to pass this on to any drivers that you can think of that could do with a little reminder.
Happy driving people!
Known as the Shard London Bridge, Shard of Glass, 32 London Bridge or simply The Shard – no matter what the name it is known by, the building will stay in the memory of everyone!
It has been designed with various triangular shapes connected and will be covered in glass from the base to the very tip. For the brave visitors out there, there will be an open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor (right at the top).
I know where I’ll be visiting next year! What a vision.
Image via Wikipedia
Tea – there’s nothing like a nice cup of tea. The mere mention of the word will have made all the English readers sit bolt upright. Perhaps some of you saw the title, dashed to the kitchen, popped the kettle on and returned with a freshly made ‘brew’ ready to read on…. I hope so. This should be good.
"Oh, that's just made everything in the world seem better".
A nice cup of tea is a powerful thing. It is the solution to all problems – or so the English believe. In the book ‘Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour’ Kate Fox paints the perfect picture of typically English families in their typical English households with their insane belief that tea can do mighty things. Being English myself, I have to admit that tea-drinking plays a major part in social occasions – yes, even more so than wine or dare I say it –beer.
Fox explains ‘the universal rule (certainly for the English is…): when in doubt, put the kettle on. Visitors arrive; the English have the usual difficulties with greetings and say ‘I’ll just put the kettle on’. When the conversation runs dry and there’s nothing more to say about the weather, the English say ‘Now, who’d like more tea? I’ll just put the kettle on’. After a bad accident – people are injured and in shock: tea is needed. ‘I’ll put the kettle on’. World War Three breaks out – a nuclear attack is imminent. ‘I’ll put the kettle on’.
You see – tea has wonderful magic powers that can cure people, revive people, calm them down and give them the well-needed ‘get up and go’. It is so very true of life in England that we (the English) do say many of the things above. My mum loves a nice cup of tea. The ritual must be followed – milk in first then the tea (after it has been prepared in the teapot). Apologies to the readers who are shocked by the ‘milk in first’ comment – you are probably thinking ‘no, but it is surely milk in last’. I have heard an debate on this matter (honest – some people care that much about it.
So, who’s up for a lovely cup of tea then? I’m just putting the kettle on now…
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Oh, so true! – The British really know how to show their rage.
Don’t ever push a Brit to the edge – They’ll end up having two cups (of tea).
Now, if you came to this blog post wanting far more intellectual material regarding anarchy then you might like to find out more about becoming an anarchist. Oh yes – I have all the answers.
I did a little random googling research and found the perfect site for all you wanna-be anarchists.
How To Be An Anarchist has all the answers. The 13 steps will help anyone. Although I am sceptical about the fact that the ‘Things you’ll need’ list includes Intelligence…… Is that really necessary on the list?
The 2010 film, The King’s Speech looks back at the British Royal Family back in the 1920s and 1930s. The story focusses on ‘Bertie’ (Prince Albert), who then became King George VI, and his struggle against his stammer.
Image from Wikipedia
There are moments in the film where the audience is taken back in time and can almost share the discomfort that crowds of people must have felt. The scene where Bertie is speaking at the close of the 1925 British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium shows just how difficult his public life must have been. His duty to speak to the public cannot be avoided and as history shows, it would only increase with time.
Image from Wikipedia
It is amazing to watch how the film progresses. The techniques used by Lionel Logue are extremely unorthodox, and for anyone who knows anything of the British Royal Family, completely unthinkable. I sat open-mouthed at the ways in which Logue spoke to the prince. I was astounded to think that elements of the film had historical truth.
It is not surprising that the film has been nominated for BAFTAs and Academy Awards (Oscars). A truly deserving film!
| “As the actor of the year in the film of the year, I can’t think of enough adjectives to praise Firth properly. The King’s Speech has left me speechless.” |
| — Rex Reed, New York Observer |
This film is yet another example of the popularity of films regarding British Royals. ‘The Queen’, ‘Elizabeth’ and ‘Young Victoria’ have all be great successes.
| “Not a great deal was written about His Majesty’s speech therapist, Lionel Logue, certainly not in the official biographies. Nor was much published about the Royal stutter; it appeared to be a source of profound embarrassment.” |
| — David Seidler |
It is not surprising that official biographies failed to mention Lionel Logue. His personality and work ethic tend not disagree with royal protocol.
King George VI
Films such as this always make me want to find out more about the historical facts. I wanted to read more about the abdication of King Edward VII.
I was surprised and shocked to discover that he had met Adolf Hitler against the advice of the British Government in 1937. I was also shocked that it has been suggested that Hitler planned to reinstate Edward as the British monarch had history turned out differently.
The amazing support of King George’s wife, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother), really came across well in the film. It is amazing to think that she outlived her husband by almost 50 years. She had not planned for a life in the public eye, yet she went on to be such a figure of resistence in the Second World War and then in recent times helped to stabilise the popularity of the monarchy as a whole.
The film also depicts the shift from Edward to George which ultimately resulted in Queen Elizabeth II being one of the greatest British monarchs of all time.
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Below are key words from some of the most famous speeches of all time. The text from the speeches has been muddled up using ‘Wordle’. How well do you know the big speeches in history? It may be easy to identify who said the speech, but can you also work out which speech it was (and in reference to what)?
Feel free to comment on them and let me know which ones you think they are.
Have fun!
Speech #1
Speech #2
Speech #3
Speech #4
Speech #5
If you’re really puzzled by them, don’t worry. I will put up the answers some time in the near future. Keep yourself updated to find out who said what.
"Anyone for tea?"
If I start this topic I feel that I could be opening a huge can of worms on my blog. To all of the American readers out there this post is just a small taste of my view on the English and ‘Englishness‘. I have to admit that ‘Englishness’ seems even more English when compared with Americans. By that I do not mean any offence to Americans (just before you log off or start typing in a frenzy at me).
I am currently reading a great book at the moment called ‘Watching The English: The hidden rules of English behaviour‘ by Kate Fox. The book makes observations of the way the English talk, dress, eat, drink, work, play, shop, drive, flirt, fight, queue – and moan about it all – and it exposes the hidden rules that the English (including myself) all unconsciously obey. It is frighteningly true! Frightfully true! Goodness me….I’ve come over all English. I need a cup of tea, at once!
It is refreshing to read a book about the English (perhaps as I am English). OK, normally I would say that I am British, but as Kate Fox states in her book she is looking at the English side of British culture and life. Those from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have slight variations in culture, etc etc…..But, I’m not getting into that discussion today.
Working outside of England (I live and work in The Netherlands), and being a reasonably well-travelled person, I am always curious about people’s perceptions of the English. Quite often I feel that the English are misunderstood and too often taken at face value. The same could be said for other nationalities too, but that’s another debate. People in mainland Europe often think that the British are ‘reserved’, ‘polite’ and ‘well-mannered’ whereas others complain that the English are ‘rowdy’, ‘uncontrolled’ and ‘raucous’. We can’t be all of those extremes, surely? It seems that the English take criticism for almost everything they do. The book I am reading does have some contrasting examples of how the English and Americans are often poles apart when it comes to behaviour and attitude, yet both ‘get it in the neck’.
I remember back in 1998, the UK hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. (For those of you who don’t know, this is ‘allegedly’ a singing contest where countries of Europe compete against each other. The long-running TV competition is broadcast live around the world). During the opening minutes of the show in 1998, the host, Terry Wogan says to the loud and excited live studio audience (including myself) to “Hold it down to a dull roar……… The rest of Europe thinks the British are reserved”.
Film and TV portray an ‘Englishness’ which fits into such a cliché. The accent is always ‘BBC English‘ or RP. It frustrates me that the English person (in American films) tends to have the ‘stiff upper lip’ or ‘clumsy and simple’ character. Hugh Grant – you have a lot to answer for. We English are not all like that. We don’t live in pretty little cottages and drink tea with our scones at 16:00 sharpish. We don’t all know that one person that you may have met once upon a time in London.
I saw this video on YouTube which made me laugh at some of the more lighthearted differences between the English and Americans. Words. It is entitled ‘How to speak English’. I challenge you (American’s especially) to guess the meanings of the words. There are so many words which we do not share. OK, we share the majority of the language. However, over time there have been so many new words. Have fun watching the American guy trying to work out what these ‘typically English’ words mean. The YouTube blog http://www.youtube.com/user/charlieissocoollike is great fun!
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