darlings – we draw your attention to William’s blog – william godwin: get mummy’s purse this evening – do visit him.
we returned from a second Day Job three-line-whip event (and we’re Not ashamed to say we had to Use the Scar to slip out early) – and despite a Very full day and evening, we are not yet Tired #sigh
so we were Very Glad that william wrote here as we had something excellent to read and giggle and muse and be thoughtful about.
and we liked it so much we wanted to recommend it to you – with footnotes (read in the manner of Nancy Mitford doing a precis of an Evelyn Waugh short story)
Have you read it yet?
Ok – now you’re back……
So – for our Foreign friends (non-Brits or People-who-don’t-watch-Downton, that is), we feel that some vocab might be helpful.
so here goes:
1. Halifax cash card advert – the lovely humans at You Tube have posted that here
(Note the very accurate way William points out the easy-like-a-sunday-morning chambray shirt and simple pleasures of life aspects of the narrative)
2. Polytechnics = community colleges
3. Docklands = SoHo loft-dweller area
4. Jermyn Street = Brooks Bros, but older
5. Jam = jelly (Bonne Maman jam is from France and very fruit-intensive and the gingham lids are good for catching wasps in summer months)
6. Cocaine, cooked = crack
7. Two minute silence = on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – honoring/honouring the dead at the end of WW11
8. Yorkshire Gold = very good (black) tea
9. National Trust = when WW11 was over, many titled aristocrats could not maintain their big houses due to no heirs or spares (eldest or second sons) or due to death duties and taxes. So, in return for living in a bit of the once grand property, they signed it over to the National Trust. There’s a Lovely catalogue of houses to visit and both William and teamgloria have (alas, not together, as yet) have been members and visited many of their properties.
10. Pont De La Tour = Terence Conran – the gifted designer and bon vivant – opened this yuppie hangout restaurant at the height of the rich boys from the City (Wall St types, but English)
11. Rising Damp = seventies down-at-heel boarding house with a collection of colourful/colorful characters, including the Radiant Frances de la Tour (hence William’s clever pun)
12. The image is Danny La Rue = Britain’s very own Liberace crossed with Marilyn (and William met Her).
But that’s his story.
Here endeth the seminar on Get Mummy’s Purse.
(darling W – we would have left a Nice Note on your blog itself but bloody wordpress and blogger are Not compatible when we’re on our bbry :( and we are Tickled Pink you are getting sly and luscious looks due to your newly returned slim physique, love.)
Your foot notes are the best – my greratest review ever.
How Gloriaous, and who’d have thought there was so much to explain.
Thank you darling. You are wonderful.
xxx
darling – that’s what surprised us Too!
we forgot – after a decade in the USA that England really is a Very Special case that requires explaining.
Your Danny pix was excellent btw – genius