Training wheels
We got my son his first big kids’ bike this weekend at a “proper” bike shop. 
I had an internal debate with myself for awhile now over whether to get a balance bike or just a bike with training wheels. But when one of the balance bike handlebars actually fell off mid-test ride, it seemed a rousing endorsement for a strong, dependable old-school bike with training wheels. Or, as any Brit would say, stabilizers. So we went with it and it’s been a lot of fun so far.
I’m looking forward to many good bike journeys ahead.
Why Judy Dench loves her tea …
Hot, soothing, warming, nice … Tea is all of these things and no one understands that better than the Brits. Around 11 a.m. and then again at 3 p.m., I find that tea is the perfect companion. (By the way, I love this Tuffy tea steeper and steeping mug – perfect gifts for the tea lover on the go).
Watch Judy Dench as she reveals why she thinks Brits love their tea in a recent interview with Anderson Cooper.
When it rains, it pours …
This London skyline brolly (translation: umbrella) becomes colorful when it’s wet. Photo courtesy of Squid London.
This comes after the wettest April the country has seen since 1910!
Let’s all send some sunshine and warm weather their way – puleeze!
Field for the British Isles
I’m overwhelmed by Antony Gormley’s clay figures. Three rooms of Barrington Court will house this awe-inspiring work now through Aug. 27.
“I wanted to work with people and to make a work about our collective future and our responsibility for it. I wanted the art to look back at us, its makers (and later viewers), as if we were responsible – responsible for the world that it [FIELD] and we were in,” said Gormley.
Stunning.
Thanks to Layla for sending!
Britain is …
Tate Britain has launched a new promo video, which begs the question … what is Britain?
When your fanny is not your bottom…
Take it from Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx.
You don’t want to be live on-air in Britain and make that rookie mistake of calling your fanny your bottom. Even if you think “fanny” sounds like a Britishism – beware. It’s not. They don’t call fanny packs “fanny packs.” You’ll be hard-pressed to find any British natives named Fanny, not even in elderly care facilities. They don’t even use the grammar rule “Please excuse my dear Aunt Fanny.”
Read the story in all of its hilarious glory!
Wizards use the London Tube, too
I kind of love this.
For the uninitiated, oyster cards are travel cards for the London Tube and there is a little chip in them so you can just tap them over the card reader instead of sliding your card through. Or indeed, attach them to a wand and tap away!
Thanks, Lise, for posting this!
Three British restaurants included in World’s 50 best list
I’m not sure if you’ve read the news but the 2012 World’s 50 Best Restaurants, as judged by Restaurant Magazine, has been revealed.
Behold! There are three restaurants in England that have received this illustrious honor:
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
was #9 on the list, and was the highest new entry of 2012.
Another Heston Blumenthal restaurant, The Fat Duck, which offers a sequence of tastings, has been on the list for nine years and this year hit #13.
Lastly, The Ledbury in Notting Hill made it to #14 and was the highest climber on the list, moving up from #34 last year.
Congrats to these three. View the full list.
HBO’s Girls
Despite our best intentions of unbundling our lives from the evils of Comcast, we have signed up for HBO.
I’m not proud of it. But I will say that the HBO programming is amazing.
Have you seen “Girls”? I was reluctant – after all of the hype. How great could it really be? Well, totes amaze. Last week’s episode entitled “Vagina Panic” had me LOL-ing and cringing at the same time.
I should add that while I love the characters of Hannah and Marnie most of all, I think it’s great that they’ve included a Brit in the mix in the form of Jessa – beautiful, distant and way too cool for her own good. Every show needs one of those.
And even if you have boycotted Comcast, you can watch the full first episode of “Girls,” thanks to the good people at YouTube.
BRITRISH.COM 