Dear Friends, BritBoxers and Anglophiles alike! This BritBlog is all about what is ‘normal’ to us Brits. Everyday items which we see in the UK and items, I am sure you are with me in saying, we very much miss!!!! Basic and not very fanciful things, yet items that are guaranteed to bring back a story or fantastic memory or two!! Trying to explain playing conkers and the need for clear nail polish at the same time to my very American man was a hilarious story in itself!
Please enjoy and PLEASE do share in the comments below your own much missed and memorable day-to-day sights from the UK. I am sure there are many, many more!
COW CROSSING
The bridges that cross the motorway leading from one famers field to another. I have NEVER seen such a thing here in the US. Nor do I see cow and sheep fields either side of the motorways (freeways). Being my usual OCD self, I do wonder who or how the bridges get cleaned after, well, you know…..!?!?!?
GREGGS
The picture is all you need folks. What I would give for a pasty or a sausage roll right now though…… Cue slight mouth drooling!
STONE BUILDINGS
Not sure how many of you know, but I am from a little village in Lancashire called Ramsbottom. You can stop laughing now!! 😉 All I ever saw growing up was that everything around me was built in stone. Ramsbottom has one main road running through it and EVERYTHING is stone; Houses, shops, banks, the old police station, pubs, even my old school. You name it, if it was a building, it was built using stone! I dearly miss those characteristic buildings.
CONKERS
Oh the admiration that would come if you had a winner!!! Did you ever cheat and harden yours??? According to Wikipedia: “Hardening conkers is often done by keeping them for a year (aged conkers are called laggies in many areas or seasoners in Ireland and Liverpool), baking them briefly, soaking or boiling in vinegar, or painting with clear nail varnish. Such hardening is, however, usually regarded as cheating”
I was a nail varnish person myself 😉
RED POST BOX
As any good Brit knows, the letters on a postbox indicate when the postbox was erected. Here are the facts as to the exact dates for next time you do happen to see one, so that you can impress away with your amazingly new found in-depth knowledge! (I was a History nerd in school!)
***FUN FACT*** The same letters do not apply to the famous red telephone boxes, they instead use Crowns which represent the British Government and therefore distinguish which period they are from. The designs throughout history were labeled K1, K2, K3 etc… K standing for Kiosk!!
Anyway, back to post boxes….
- VR post box – Queen Victoria (postbox put up between 1853-1901)
- ER VII post box– Edward VII (postbox put up between 1901-1910)
- GR post box– George V (postbox put up between 1910-1936)
- ER VIII post box– Edward VIII (postbox put up between 20 January 1936 – 11 December 1936 before he abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson)
- GR VI post box– George VI (aka Bertie from the King’s Speech: postbox put up between 1936-1952)
- ER II post box– Elizabeth II (postbox put up between 1952-recently)
EDDIE STOBART LORRIES
Before iPads, iPhones, headphones, the Internet and playlists, there was the Eddie Stobart Game whenever you were on a car trip. The game everybody loved to play looking out for those great, green lorries!
Did you know that they actually had a documentary series all about Eddie Stobart in 2010?? Yes, entire shows were dedicated to those infamous green lorries! They also have the LEGIT rules for the Eddie Stobart game on their very own Facebook page!
There are SO many more things us Brits miss seeing day to day: People walking around in wellies, the red buses, Black cabs, zebra crossings, the lollypop lady/man. I am sure you have something! Put yours in the comments section below and please share!
Much Love,
Tammy xoxo
