Blog
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‘Cold, isn’t it’ – The British weather chat explained
The weather. Topic of much smalltalk here in Britain. I suspect that’s because it changes frequently, and usually not how you expect it to. As I sit here on a rainy day in early June (!), I’m just starting to see the first rays of sunshine again after a long and rather autumnal downpour earlier.…
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Back to the EU?
This week, the UK and EU have agreed a Reset Deal to improve the current post-Brexit trade and corporation agreement between the two. But has anything been agreed that will make it easier for Brits to live and work in the EU again? The new deal includes agreements on agriculture, trade, defence, fishing and energy,…
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Eurovision Fever Strikes
The Eurovision Song Contest, the Europe-wide (plus Australia and a couple of other countries that aren’t geographically in Europe) musical spectacle is upon us again. It’s a big deal in our house: We tend to have friends over for a party with all kinds of savoury and sweet European nibbles and drinks that I can…
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The Unpredictability of Bank Holidays
My German parents never came to terms with the dates of the non-religious British bank holidays and were surprised every year that the first and last Mondays in May are bank/public holidays, plus the last Monday in August. But no Whitsun or saints days! Also, why are they called ‘bank’ holidays? So I’ve decided to…
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To vote or not to vote
Would you have voting rights in another country? There are local elections in some parts of the UK on 1 May but can foreigners who live in the UK vote in them? Democracy is an important part of public life and expats may want to be part of deciding who makes the laws they will…
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10 German-British cultural differences you may not know about yet
I’m fascinated by cultural differences and this is one of the things I particularly love about other countries: how do things work there? Many of them are not obvious to tourists, however. Here are 10 differences between the UK and Germany that you won’t know about unless you’ve lived in both: 1) While it’s common…
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A Guide to fun Easter traditions from around the world
In our house, we blend German and British Easter traditions: I decorate some forsythia branches with beautifully painted wooden Easter eggs (see photo – this is a small-scale version of German Easter egg trees) and decorate the house with various Easter decorations (mostly colourful wooden rabbits of different sizes, some of which are playing in…
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A fish out of water
Since April is #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth and I’m likely autistic, I want to shine a light on this as something close to my heart. I used ‘A fish out of water’ in my strapline because being autistic can feel like being in a foreign country: you’re always trying to figure out the rules you have to play…
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The best place to live
Last week the Sunday Times newspaper1 published its annual list of ‘Best Places to Live’ (in the UK) and the market town of Saffron Walden in Essex won.2 Its attractive setting and green spaces, vibrant market, bustling high street with numerous food places, great schools and transport links, and the strong sense of community with…
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Mother’s Day – Around the world, throughout the year
Mother’s Day in the UK is coming up. Rather later than usual, it will be celebrated on 30 March this year. In the UK, the day moves as it falls on the 4th Sunday in Lent, being originally a church holiday: servants were given the day off to visit their home (‘mothering’) church where they…
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