Life in Oxfordshire

Britain, the land of tea, gardening, and people queuing politely has definitely been a good change for us. My father taught me to drink tea with milk. My mom loves my obsession with our tiny garden. And I'm still working to say "sorry" instead of "excuse me," but I'm progressing.

My favorite surprise has been in some of the language use. Instead of "proper" meaning correct or posh, it means all manner of doing things with thoughtfulness and to the universal advantage of the community. It's a big word, acting as a kind of a modern concept of chivilry. Having lived in Texas, I think it's a word they should import. The cowboy is a icon of honor and independence that's been embodying a similar, albeit more Byronic anti-hero, idea for decades.

Then there's "sorted" and "crack on". Sorted is similar to the US word for "fixed", but again it's bigger. Something that's sorted has been dealt with in the best possible way. Whereas "crack on" is kind of a brave "let's do this difficult thing immediately" concept. It's often coupled with "best" as in "best crack on". I sometimes think the British might not realize the enthusiasm with which I would join any project, if I was merely included in a "we had best crack on" comment.