We have been in England for a week, and we are happy to say that we have already played five shows, two of which were sold out! We also have done three radio interviews, two of which were for BBC Radio. At last, the jet lag has worn off, thanks to our friend—espresso.
We have already learned some fun phrases from the Brits. If someone is off in la-la land or seems spaced-out, you would say they are “away with the fairies”. “Beyond the pale” is another phrase which means you are out of bounds, or have done something out of line.
The pints are actually pint-sized over here, but the overall alcohol content is lower than a lot of our Asheville brews, so we think it all balances out at the end of the night :). We have learned that most towns and villages were once centered around a market. Once a week, the local farmers would bring their goods (vegetables, livestock, etc.) to market, and afterwards many would then go to the pub. To this day, when you drive through a village, there is a central pub (or more than one) in the heart of the village. When you walk into a pub, there is typically a lot of wood paneling, the smell of beer, and there are people of all ages. It is very welcoming and inviting, and the fish and chips are fried to perfection.
It has been steadily raining here, with breaks in the clouds for the sun to pass through. We even drove through hail and snow on the way to our show in Stoke-on-Trent yesterday. But we didn’t come here for the weather! Besides, the kindness of the people has made up for it tenfold.
Overall, we have had an inspiring trip thus far. Here is a poem written by Eleanor:
Driving to Winchester
We scan for pheasants in the barren fields
Two spotted in the woods among the Bluebells
Cottages tucked neatly along two-lane roads
Lined with wooden fences and tightly pruned hedges
A field of Suffolk sheep
A field of Dorsets with lambs in tow
Sprinkles of white cherry and yellow Gorse splatter the hillsides
A sprinkle of rain from a blotchy ivory-grey sky
The spring flower beds and espalier shrubs
Reveal the ancient interlacing of humans and nature
We have been received well here, and we are looking forward to rounding out our time in the Queen’s country with a show in Oxford tonight at The Harcourt Arms, tomorrow at The Green Note in London (hopefully with a live stream on our Facebook page), and The Stables in Milton Keynes on Sunday. Then we trek north through Scotland before dipping down to Belfast, Northern Ireland.