Happy Europe Day, Everyone!

[Serial_Apologist]

yer never can tell eh ..................... yer might be brothers ....

No way - I'm vegetarious

[Beef Oven]

yer never can tell eh ..................... yer might be brothers ....

I wasn't actually guilty of that. It was getting a bit Lord of the Flies with Mr Pee, so I thought I'd try to even things up a bit and chuck some stuff back their way. They then rushed across the border at me! Luckily, one of 'em's eating right now, so if she tries anything now, she'll get indigestion from her battered pizza.

[ahinton]

I know you're not trying to avoid answering, indeed you've given a most honest answer.

You have also made a very important point; such things do not matter. The trouble is too much gets read into such things. What does it matter if people like me, consider themselves utterly British even though only 25% of the blood coursing through their veins is British?

Belonging to a particular nationality, culture, whatever, is primarily a collection of subjective things. Objective things like passports and place of birth are very important, but not defining.

Well, such things do "matter" up to a point but only up to a point; I think that we probably agree that misunderstandings of them have a tendency to develop whenever their importance becomes disproportionately elevated. You've now clarified what I suspected, to the extent that you consider yourself "British through and through" as a consequence of personal emotional attachment to Britain along the lines that John Skelton outlined so clearly and pointedly; that you do feel this way does indeed "matter" to you (otherwise why would you have mentioned it at all?!) and there's absolutely no reason why it shouldn't. At least you've now made yourself clear on this, which I (and no doubt others here) appreciate.

[Serial_Apologist]

Well, such things do "matter" up to a point but only up to a point; I think that we probably agree that misunderstandings of them have a tendency to develop whenever their importance becomes disproportionately elevated. You've now clarified what I suspected, to the extent that you consider yourself "British through and through" as a consequence of personal emotional attachment to Britain along the lines that John Skelton outlined so clearly and pointedly; that you do feel this way does indeed "matter" to you (otherwise why would you have mentioned it at all?!) and there's absolutely no reason why it shouldn't. At least you've now made yourself clear on this, which I (and no doubt others here) appreciate.

[Flosshilde]

I wasn't actually guilty of that. It was getting a bit Lord of the Flies with Mr Pee, so I thought I'd try to even things up a bit and chuck some stuff back their way. They then rushed across the border at me! Luckily, one of 'em's eating right now, so if she tries anything now, she'll get indigestion from her battered pizza.

I don't know about Lord of the flies, but if Mr Pee makes such nonsensical statements as "As to why I live in Europe, well, I don't. I live in Britain" then he must expect to be corrected. The British Isles are part of the European continental land mass, so he clearly lives in Europe as well as living in Britain (he can't do the latter without doing the former), and as the UK is part of the European Union he also, by vitue of living in the UK, lives in the European Union. He might wish he didn't, but he'll only achieve that by moving to a different country.

Anyway, lunch was very tasty - Welsh Rarebit. After that I went for an energising swim.

[Beef Oven]

I don't know about Lord of the flies, but if Mr Pee makes such nonsensical statements as "As to why I live in Europe, well, I don't. I live in Britain" then he must expect to be corrected. The British Isles are part of the European continental land mass, so he clearly lives in Europe as well as living in Britain (he can't do the latter without doing the former), and as the UK is part of the European Union he also, by vitue of living in the UK, lives in the European Union. He might wish he didn't, but he'll only achieve that by moving to a different country.

Anyway, lunch was very tasty - Welsh Rarebit. After that I went for an energising swim.

Yes, you have a point or maybe not.

If you don't know about Lord Of The Flies, I can tell you that it is a very good book by ATP Hargreaves about a man that becomes very wealthy through manufacturing zips for the jeans industry.

[ahinton]

I don't know about Lord of the flies, but if Mr Pee makes such nonsensical statements as "As to why I live in Europe, well, I don't. I live in Britain" then he must expect to be corrected. The British Isles are part of the European continental land mass, so he clearly lives in Europe as well as living in Britain (he can't do the latter without doing the former), and as the UK is part of the European Union he also, by vitue of living in the UK, lives in the European Union. He might wish he didn't, but he'll only achieve that by moving to a different country.

He'd not have to travel far; the Isle of Man would do!

Anyway, lunch was very tasty - Welsh Rarebit.

Oh, none of this British stuff, then? (! - oops, premature statement there, I fear - I'd better take it back before Anna tells me off, look you!)...

[Beef Oven]

He'd not have to travel far; the Isle of Man would do!


Oh, none of this British stuff, then? (! - oops, premature statement there, I fear - I'd better take it back before Anna tells me off, look you!)...

Welsh Rarebit is very British! Had it myself this morning for breakfast!

[Beef Oven]

I don't know about Lord of the flies, but if Mr Pee makes such nonsensical statements as "As to why I live in Europe, well, I don't. I live in Britain" then he must expect to be corrected. The British Isles are part of the European continental land mass, so he clearly lives in Europe as well as living in Britain (he can't do the latter without doing the former), and as the UK is part of the European Union he also, by vitue of living in the UK, lives in the European Union. He might wish he didn't, but he'll only achieve that by moving to a different country.

Anyway, lunch was very tasty - Welsh Rarebit. After that I went for an energising swim.

Welsh Rarebit Scottish style - no tomato, battered and deep-fried!

[Richard Tarleton]

Welsh Rarebit Scottish style - no tomato, battered and deep-fried!

The late, great Richard Boston in his book "Beer and Skittles" reckoned that Welsh Rarebit was a piece of false etymology, and that it was really Welsh Rabbit - cf another etymological misnomer, Bombay Duck. Rarebit is perhaps a misguided bit of gentrification.

[scottycelt]

I don't know about Lord of the flies, but if Mr Pee makes such nonsensical statements as "As to why I live in Europe, well, I don't. I live in Britain" then he must expect to be corrected. The British Isles are part of the European continental land mass, so he clearly lives in Europe as well as living in Britain (he can't do the latter without doing the former), and as the UK is part of the European Union he also, by vitue of living in the UK, lives in the European Union. He might wish he didn't, but he'll only achieve that by moving to a different country.

Anyway, lunch was very tasty - Welsh Rarebit. After that I went for an energising swim.

Spot on, Floss! Even Iceland now realises it is part of Europe and is desperately banging on the EU door to get a slice of that continental warmth.

But shouldn't you have gone for that swim before tackling the Welsh Rarebit ... ?

Maybe Mr Oven has the answer ...

[Flosshilde]

He'd not have to travel far; the Isle of Man would do!

Isn't the IoM part of the European land mass, lying, as it does, between England & Ireland?

[Flosshilde]

But shouldn't you have gone for that swim before tackling the Welsh Rarebit ... ?

I didn't swim immediately after the Rarebit - there was a long enough gap.

[Beef Oven]

Spot on, Floss! Even Iceland now realises it is part of Europe and is desperately banging on the EU door to get a slice of that continental warmth.

But shouldn't you have gone for that swim before tackling the Welsh Rarebit ... ?

Maybe Mr Oven has the answer ...

Canada's part of Europe too. (Iceland part of Europe..... I ask ya!)

[Beef Oven]

The late, great Richard Boston in his book "Beer and Skittles" reckoned that Welsh Rarebit was a piece of false etymology, and that it was really Welsh Rabbit - cf another etymological misnomer, Bombay Duck. Rarebit is perhaps a misguided bit of gentrification.

Don't get at me mate, I've always called it Welsh Rabbit. I was using the term that was used in the original post - I was afraid, you get killed in here if you get something wrong!