Observations from UK Trip September 2014

• Our train broke down, and we ended up on a crowded substitute train with no seats available. One lady put her suitcase in an adjacent seat and pretended not to notice the crowding. I saw a British man approach to sit in that seat and then notice it was occupied by the suitcase. Then he kept looking at the suit case and away, scrunching his face as he decided whether to be British polite and not say anything to avoid confrontation or to say something. This went on for ten minutes, and in the end he said nothing.

• Really bland steamed salmon and asparagus wrapped in roast beef with no knives for cutting it.

• Shortening of words. awks -> awkward, jell -> jealous

• Some fear about the impending Scottish independence vote. Will it signal the start of the UK pulling out of the EU and then the disintegration of the EU?