What makes the British British ?

Today I realised what was the ultimate thing that makes the British. British.

Picture the scene: August Bank Holiday. Local village show, but on a large scale with 2 arenas with motorbike agility displays, dog show, helicopter rides and a flypast. Tents full of craft stalls and food stalls.

Outside, about 30 or 40 different displays.

Think the weather today: rain rain RAIN. It tipped down, but we and many others did not let this spoil our enjoyment. Off we went dressed in wellies and waterproofs and walked round all the stalls, bought lots of pies from the pie stall to freeze and only after two hours when hypothermia set in did, we decide to call it a day and go home to change our clothes, we were soaked through despite our rain gear, so we changed, lit the fire and made some mulled wine and are about to settle down to a tea of cheese scones and sticky ginger cake bought from the WI stall.

Well done Monica
I am sure your support was welcomed by all the hard working folk who put the event on (come rain or shine).

My DH loves a WI stall
We have our fingers crossed for tomorrow.

The local cricket club has organised a BQ and fun afternoon.
Our 2 DGS who will hopefully be joining us have inherited their grandfather's love of cake.
So we will don our wellies and get there early.

Eating of cake and pies
not forgetting a scone and jam is a very enjoyable British tradition.
As is wiping the
rain from ones specs
☔

M0nica the same here with the local show a couple of weeks back, although it didn't rain until the afternoon and there were a couple of marquees to retreat to where a huge number of people spent a lot of time admiring the vegetables and crafts!

Years ago I took the kids on holiday to Broadstairs and it rained all week. My lasting memory is of us sitting on the beach, along with quite a few other families, all wearing thick jumpers, shivering and eating ice creams. There was loud speaker announcements on the whereabouts of lost children (I wonder if they were ever found). Everyone determined to get their moneysworth and have a good time. Best holiday of my life. Can't see it happening in any other country.

All this nonsense about whether or not individual countries in Britain can fly the flag or not, try telling the French not to fly their flag, when we went every year whilst our children were young the tricolour was everywhere. Same when we went to America, many a house has a flag pole with the stars and stripes on the front lawn. Why should anyone be offended by a country's flag.What did baffle me occasionally seeing the confederate flag in the deep south on a pick up truck or the like, it appears that over 150 years later some still don't realise they lost Good ol' boys being provocative!

I quite often spot the Union Jack flag when out and about,
It is often pointed out to me by little DGSs
who also sport Union Jacks on some of their
T-shirts.

Our County Flag can quite often be seen fluttering around the towns and villages.

boheminan We used to live in Devon and I have photos of us sitting on the beach, under a kind of shelter erected from windbreaks and blankets!

Stiff upper lip and all that, what ho!

Our neighbours fly a Cornish flag.

My main childhood memory of family picnics is of us all sitting in the car with my DM passing filled rolls and chocolate biscuits from the front to us children in the back while DF dispensing steaming mugs of Heinz tomato soup from a large ex-military flask, because the weather was too bad to sit outside as planned.

I think this capacity to continue with lifes frivolities regardless of weather is possible more quintessentially British than anything else. In fact in our family we have a holiday tradition formally described as A Rainy Day in Penrith. As we left the village show today I formally declared the day to be A Rainy Day in Penrith and on the way home we bought magazines and sweets and spent the afternoon in front of the fire relaxing with said magazines and sweets and frequent cups of tea. The only thing missing was the Fray Bentos steak pie. We made do with spaghetti Bolognaise.

I can't think why anyone would wanyt to fly a flag except for a specific occassion! There is a house locally that flies the flag of St George all the time. Not sure what statement is being made.

I passed a house the other day that was flying a very large pirate flag from their flagpole. A bit unnerving to see the skull and crossbones, perhaps the children were having a themed birthday party.
I do not think of that as being a British trait.
Ability to queue and politeness in all circumstances although lately the politeness seems to be disappearing.