Things British....

J

Jamala

Senior Member
Location
Butterfly from Herts/UK
I love reading about other countries and have been lucky to visit many over the years. Many of the people I’ve met, ask me questions about Britain. For example, its food, music, history, where to visit, the royals and so on. Of course I can’t cover the lot but it’s nice to have a light hearted chinwag about my homeland.

In this thread, I present a bit o' this & a bit o’ that …main thing is to make it a positive and fun thread…no negatives or bad news…enough of that in the British tabloids!
 

To start the ball rolling…the flavour of 2023 is most certainly the Coronation of King Charles…so much is going on in London at the moment for this event. I am excited because I was not born when our late Queen Elizabeth was crowned. I shall be returning home for this grand event…more on that later.

I am thrilled to learn Charles chose the music for the Coronation himself and what a feast for the ears! Twelve newly commissioned pieces of music will play at the coronation at Westminster Abbey this May, including Greek Orthodox music, Buckingham Palace said, with the 18th century "Zadok the Priest" also to be featured.

Six orchestral commissions, five choral commissions and one organ commission have been composed for the occasion, including a new Coronation Anthem by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Charles requested Greek Orthodox music, which can be traced back to the Byzantine period, to be featured in the service in tribute to his father, Prince Philip, who was born on the Greek island of Corfu..
Music by classical composers including George Frederic Handel, Edward Elgar, Hubert Parry and Ralph Vaughan Williams, some of which has historically featured in the service for 400 years, will be included in the programme, along with the music of living Welsh composer Karl Jenkins.

To say I am in musical heaven at this news is putting it mildly:

 
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Today I was asked what the national dish of the UK is and normally I would say Roast Beef, Yorkshire pudding, selection of vegetables and gravy. However, on my last visit back home, I learned most Brits (especially Londoners) favour Chicken Tikka Masala as the top dish. Apparently, it was also the late Queen’s favourite and made frequently at the palace.

While many people assume that this dish originated in India, the most popular origin story places its roots in Britain when a Bengali chef had to improvise in a jiffy to accommodate his clientele. Today, many consider it to be the national dish of the UK.

Fancy having a go at making it?

.

Now that’s the real McCoy…or you can buy a jar of the ready made stuff if in a hurry and just add the chicken, cream and fresh herbs!
 

Brits have been described as polite, pernickety and annoyingly apologetic, we apologise for everything! Goodness knows why! However, most of us have a good chuckle at ourselves!
British people are famous all over the world for having a stiff upper lip and a ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ mantra. Although this is not absolutely true these days, I have to say no where in the world are there better queuers than in Britain!

 
King Charles and Queen Camilla are to have their own new unique thrones during the Coronation ceremony. During the crowning and anointing section of the ceremony, King Charles will sit in the historic Coronation Chair.

The Coronation Chair in St George’s Chapel is one of the most precious and famous pieces of furniture in the world. It has been the centre piece of coronations for over 700 years and is placed in the centre of the Abbey, in front of the High Altar.

The Coronation Chair was made by order of King Edward I to enclose the famous Stone of Scone, which he brought from Scotland to the Abbey in 1296, where he placed it in the care of the Abbot of Westminster.

 
We all know he cost-of-living crisis is making it ever more difficult to make ends meet. But if you’ve currently got little ’uns in primary school, here’s something that might ease the load a little. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced a new scheme to provide free school meals to every primary school kid in the capital for a year. That’s right: every child, for an entire year.

Costing £130 million, the scheme will ensure that all of London’s 270,000 children in state primary schools (ie those between the ages of four and 11) get a free meal every day. It’s estimated that around 100,000 of those currently live in poverty. According to City Hall, the idea behind all primary schoolchildren getting free meals is to reduce any potential stigma attached to them.

https://www.timeout.com/london/news...-will-get-free-school-meals-for-a-year-022023

My comment: Mr Mayor…please continue this wonderful initiative after the year is up!
 
Jamala mentions the 'Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London' and this should not be confused with the "Lord Mayor of the city of London".
Elected annually, the Lord Mayor of the City of London is an international ambassador for the UK's financial and professional services sector. The current Lord Mayor is Nicholas Lyons.

Talking about "Things British" is difficult. The United Kingdom has four quite distinct nations. These are mainly located within the island of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However there are many hundreds of islands which have varying relationships with the UK.
 
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Capt Lightning said:
Jamala mentions the 'Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London' and this should not be confused with the "Lord Mayor of the city of London".
Elected annually, the Lord Mayor of the City of London is an international ambassador for the UK's financial and professional services sector. The current Lord Mayor is Nicholas Lyons.

Talking about "Things British" is difficult. The United Kingdom has four quite distinct nations. These are mainly located within the island of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However there are many hundreds of islands which have varying relationships with the UK.
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If you read my post carefully you will see I did not say Lord Mayor ...no confusion.
With regard to your final paragraph....it is my call, not yours. It is up to me what I include in my thread.
You are quite entitled to start your own thread and discuss the other hundred islands!
Thanks for your input.
 
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Jamala said:
If you read my post carefully you will see I did not say Lord Mayor ...no confusion.
With regard to your final paragraph....it is my call, not yours. It is up to me what I include in my thread.
You are quite entitled to start your own thread and discuss the other hundred islands!
Thanks for your input.
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Firstly, I only included the bit about Mayor as a matter of interest for those who may not have known it. I was unaware that on this forum, you could not add or comment to another's post. Don't worry, I will not respond to any further to your post .
 
Capt Lightning said:
Jamala mentions the 'Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London' and this should not be confused with the "Lord Mayor of the city of London".
Elected annually, the Lord Mayor of the City of London is an international ambassador for the UK's financial and professional services sector. The current Lord Mayor is Nicholas Lyons.

Talking about "Things British" is difficult. The United Kingdom has four quite distinct nations. These are mainly located within the island of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However there are many hundreds of islands which have varying relationships with the UK.
Click to expand...
Now hold on. You confused. E. So you mention “Sadie Khan, Mayor of London.” Then you mention “Lord Mayor”. To me, that’s 2 different titles. Can a person be a Lord and a Mayor? And while we’re at it, what is a Lord? Is that like an Earl? What would be the difference? Dumb questions probably.
 
I visited London in 1999. The Brits knew we were Yanks, because we looked the "wrong" way for road traffic, and more than several kept us from getting run over. But what got me was when we walked into a pub, they all knew we were Amerkins. We were nicely dressed, and to me, looked "normal". But we hadn't even opened our mouths and they had us pegged. I always wondered how they figured it out?
 


Why am I not surprised at the turn of events on this thread! Negativity reigns supreme… I know English is a difficult language to understand and I know people do not take the time to read opening posts before commenting.

Anyway, just to clarify for those who are in total confusion about the title “Things British” …. all it means is stuff relating to Britain as opposed to any other country. Hope that clears the fog.
I run a business and have a busy social life and have no time for snarkiness.

I am no longer interested in this thread due to the negativity, so, the combatants who wish to proceed can take over and do as they wish.

Toodle-oo!

 
Moon Rat said:
Ok, I get it. The Mayor is the person who raises revenue as needed and the Lord Mayor is the PR guy. The fact that the Mayor is elected each year seems like it’s a kind of a waste. I would think at least a 2 year term would be better. But what do I know? I would imagine there’s some reasoning behind it.
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well tbh... it all needs to be overhauled...
 
What do you think of the King? Quite a change for your country. Coronation is next month, isn't it? I will watch out of interest
 

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