"They walk into a restaurant as though they are leaving it"
I think that is description remains so very true. Watching the previous clip ( that sort of organised and artificially thrown together holiday) , reminds me just how shy and reserved the Brits in general ( and me in particular) can be.......
Oh I do absolutely HATE an organised activity.......the thought of donning a large rubber ring and "enjoying myself" by publicly sliding down a 60 foot slide actually turns my stomach into knots and even the prospect of standing in line for a buffet fills me with that kind of dread my grandparents possessed when walking into a nice guest house for the very first time.
I wonder where this public shyness actually comes from?
I wish I could be more like Chris .....he couldn't give a stuff....and reflecting on it, I think that this British reserve stems from the Childhood teachings of that much hissed phrase of "don't make a fuss!"
Fussing in public is synonymous with embarrassment.....and embarrassment to the Brits is worse than having a serial killer in the family....... believe me I know! I am an expert in public humiliation!
For instance:
I have been recently caught by a bereaved couple who were visiting a loved ones grave swearing loudly at a group of starlings
I broke wind rather loudly in front of a lady in a wheelchair at the supermarket
I once fell face first at the feet of troupe of young women after tying to show Chris how well I could skip
and I am always going to the cinema with forgotten and smelly bags of poo in my pocket( the dogs not mine) causing the people around me to pull faces and whisper to each other....
perhaps I just have a kind of humiliation death wish.......humm food for thought me thinks.....
Anyhow I am typing this in bed with a post dog walk coffee.
It was 6.55am when I started and its too early for outside jobs as there is a fox around (one of the farmer's lambs was taken).....The dogs will join me on the field all day as vegetable beds need turning over.....there is a lot to do............
I admit to being raised with that same British-reserved mentality, it was just plain uncouth to act flamboyant and head strong in public.
ReplyDeleteI shall never forget my first American bowling adventure, out there on show for all the world to see, what a complete inexperienced bowler I was. I turned to the audience and asked what they were all looking at, and now thinking back, nobody cared how badly I bowled, they were there for a good time, but I was convinced their eyes were all upon me.
I'm now the outgoing one in a crowd, my, how time's change.
I confess to having dog muck on my boots whilst at the cinema, I know those whispers.
~Jo
Oh! Dear!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cWz9MrHskk
Hmm, I@m afraid I got stuck at the mention of smelly bags of poo in your pockets! ;)
ReplyDeleteOr, maybe,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DheCL5y2xtU&feature=related
With a list like that, I am amazed that you wonder where your public shyness comes from! I though you were about to admit that you have a serial killer in your family for a minute.
ReplyDeletetom...
ReplyDeletemy mother was a dead ringer for Aileen Wuornos
Shamelessness is so liberating !
ReplyDeleteLike Tom I thought you were going to say you had a serial killer in your family!
ReplyDeleteFancy putting the bag of poo in your pocket; I'd keep it at arms length!
I have a bank robber in my family...honestly
ReplyDeleteOh, that made me laugh!
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely certain that the more one is willing to make a fool of oneself, the less one actually does. So let go a little, but for God's sake sort out the pockets!
Think I'll call you 'Skipper'! Amazing how many gay guys are good skippers.
ReplyDeleteI gave up caring many years ago. A childhood of being constantly told I was damned to hell seemingly made me adopt a 'may as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb' attitude.
ReplyDeleteTry accepting eternal damnation; then having shit in your pocket at the flicks seems less significant!
Swearing loudly at a group of starlings? I hope my little friends left "messages" on your bonce as instructed. Solidarity With Welsh Starlings! Smash The Nazis!
ReplyDeleteI did have a good chuckle though, John. ;)
ReplyDeleteI am the same in crowds. Don't like them at all.
I hope your day is going well for you all!
What you can't or don't want to do in public (being reserved and all), you seem to change, when you get behind the keyboard in the privacy of your own four walls! LOL! I get such a kick out of your writing, John!
ReplyDeleteHave a good one!
XX
Just stopping by to wish you a beautiful week and Chris too!
ReplyDelete~:>
Mal
Okay, how on earth do you forget a bag of poo in your pocket?! HAHAHAHAHA!!
ReplyDelete"after trying to show Chris how well I can skip" -- that is going to have me laughing all day.
ReplyDeleteTell me this, if you would, and please forgive my ignorance, but what is the difference between saying someone is English and saying they are British?
As far as public humiliation . . . I once stormed back into a restaurant, one fall day, after discovering they'd not packed my complete order. No one would take me seriously and I even asked to speak to the manager. Imagine my fury when, as soon as I turned to leave, they all erupted into boisterous laughter. I turned my fury on myself when I finally felt that there was a leaf sitting squarely atop my head the entire time. No wonder they could not hold a straight face!
I (fortunately!) have never found a bag of poo in my pocket but it is not the least unlikely for me to reach in and draw out an egg. This always makes the clerk at the grocery store look at me suspiciously.
ReplyDeleteThe picture in my mind's eye, of you skipping is worth the trip over to read your post this morning...
;-)
Renee,
ReplyDeleteYou should only call someone ENGLISH if they come from ENGLAND..... I am Welsh, so I dont mind being described as being WELSH or BRITISH but NOT English
British is the general term from originating from the BRITISH ISLES (ie England, Wales, Scotland and Northwern Ireland)
hope that helps
xxx
John - Long ago I came to the conclusion that some people are just destined to have the weird/embarassing stuff ALWAYS happen to them. I cannot tell you how many times I've relayed a (really embarssing) odd story, and the first comment is, "That could only happen to you, Katie!" And, it seems to be so true. You can either laugh about it, or cry. Laughing is much better for the soul! Hugs! Kate xx
ReplyDeleteOh, and to answer your other question, quails will happily lay eggs without a male around... maybe they are just waiting for more daylight? :)
ReplyDeleteOne doesn't have to be British to be embarassed by the actions you've described, I think anyone would be! I'm sorry to say that I laughed very very hard at the anecdote of breaking wind in front of the lady in the wheelchair.
ReplyDeleteI'm so used to embarassing myself. I must do it once a day. Clumsiness, saying the wrong thing in front of someone, etc. Just because I'm used it though, doesn't mean I like it :P