April Fool's Day and other United Kingdom Local Custom Tips

April 1st is April Fool's Day, when you can play tricks and jokes until midday. There are usually joke articles in newspapers, and sometimes on television too. Probably on websites as well! If you catch someone out with a trick, they are an 'April Fool'.

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......in several different ways. 'Thank you' and 'thank you very much' are quite formal, and are often replaced with just 'thanks'. 'Cheers' is increasingly popular (not just when you drink alcohol), and sometimes the( very informal) 'ta'. 'Much obliged' still exists, though it's a bit old-fashioned. English is a very confusing language!

In Wales, of course, you may be thanked in Welsh ...diolch yn fawr (' dee-olk un vowr') which is often shortened to 'diolch'.

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'Good morning', 'good afternoon' and 'good evening' are all formal, and mainly used for sevices (e.g. in hotels) and if you don't know the person very well. To be less formal (for example, when greeting a stranger on a country walk) we often miss out the 'good' part' and just say 'morning', 'afternoon', evening'.

'Hello' is often used on the phone, and is also suitable for meeting people in a less formal situation.

'Hi' is very informal, is not often used by elderly people and is best kept for friends or for meeting new people in a relaxed situation.

When we leave formally, we say 'goodbye', but often shorten this to 'bye' in less formal situations. There are also many informal ways to take your leave ....'see ya (you)'. 'tara', 'cheerio' etc.

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Our public telephone boxes used to be red, enclosed and much-loved (although frequently abused). British Telecom decided to do away with them in the 90's, but some still remain. You are most likely to find them in small villages, where local people felt strongly enough to fight to keep the traditional box, which fits in so much better than the ugly modern glass ones.

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.........on prickly bushes that you find all over wilder parts of the UK are called gorse (the non-prickly stuff is broom). The bushes can grow quite tall (around 2m in some places).

Anyway, the point of this tip is to tell you that, according to our folk tradition, 'when the gorse is not in bloom then kissing's out of fashion'. The point being that one can find gorse in bloom somewhere all through the year, if one looks hard enough.

The photo shows gorse blooming merrily in Berkshire on New Year's Day. So that's all right then!

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Traditionally the English (in particular) are supposed to be very fond of gardening.

Somehow (and I suspect this began in late Victorian times) this fondness has become incorporated into what is considered 'civic pride'.

So when you visit a town or a city, you can expect to see formal flowerbeds, planters and even hanging baskets around the city centre (and particularly around the local council offices, in my experience). This is, of course, in addition to the formals gardens and flower beds which are a feature of most town/city parks. Even roundabouts have floral displays, sometimes sponsored by local firms.

I'm not fond of regimented displays of plants, personally, nor of our annual 'bedding plants' which are set out in May/June and then uprooted and disposed of in September. But there is no doubt that such displays do add colour to what (in many cases) is a concrete desert under a grey duvet, and they do lighten the gloom of the early months (the photo is a bed of winter pansies in January).

It's taken so seriously that there is an annual competition for towns/cities : 'Britain in Bloom' is organised by the Royal Hortcultural Society.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/britaininbloom/index.asp

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English (and Welsh, and Scots) pubs are special places with their own way of doing things.

You can buy and drink alcohol a the age of 18. You can drink beer or cider with a meal at 16 (as long as it is purchased by an adult).

Children are sometimes tolerated in pubs, as long as they have 'family rooms'or 'restaurant'rooms. Otherwise, it is expected that children will not be in the bar area. The law states that a child must be 14 to enter a pub, but this does not apply if there are special rooms as previously mentioned.

The landlord or landlady has absolute power in a pub, and can decide who he or she will serve. They can refuse to serve you if they don'tlike the look of you, if your behaviour is inappropriate or if they think you have already had too much to drink. It is important that they keep their pubs orderly, for their licences have to be renewed every year. A poor reputation means they may lose their licence (and their livelihood).

If you want a drink, you can either find a table/seat first or go straight to the bar.

You buy drinks at the bar, pay then carry them to your seat.

All pubs serve non-alcoholic drinks.....lemonade, bottled juices etc .......and it is perfectly ok just to have non-alcoholic drinks (which are more expensive than in shops/supermarkets, as pubs make their profit on these). Many pubs also serve coffee and tea, and will certainly do so if they serve food.

If there are lots of people at the bar it is polite to wait your turn, but you can also catch the barperson's eye by having a note (5 or 10GBP) very obviously in your hand. This makes it clear that you want to be served.

Many pubs serve food. Most will have menus on the tables,and many also have a blackboar or notice with 'daily specials' displayed on it. Somepubs only serve sandwiches,some only serve crisps and nuts, but serving 'bar snacks'and meals is more common than not nowadays.since the drink/driving laws were introduced it is the only way to make a pub a viable financial proposition.

If you want to eat, find your table first then go to the bar to order. Tables often have a number somewhere on them (though not always), so check before you go to the bar. You will be expected to pay for your food. It will be brought to your table.

Some pubs will give you a number when you order, and you will have to listen for the bar staff shouting out your number when they appear with your food.

If you want anything else (drinks, dessert etc) then you will have to go to the bar again.

It is not usual to sit at a table which is already occupied, even if seats are free. No-one will say anything if you do, but in the UK people generally prefer not to share tables. It's one of our foibles.

One does not tip in pubs, although you can offer the bar person a drink if you wish...'And have one for yourself' is the usual expression. Many bar staff are not allowed to drink on duty, so they may say 'Thank you, I'll have one later' and keep the appropriate amount. That's perfectly ok.

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