Springtime on the Hazienda

It’s finally spring – I know this because the rain is not as sleety as it used to be and because my friend Joanne from Ourganic Gardens has started posting pictures of her endeavours. Joanne is gardening in Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. To give you an idea of the climatic conditions there I suggest you…

Meet the British: Politeness for Beginners

What is deemed acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in a conversation varies from country to country, and if I had travelled more I would be able to add some weight to my conclusion, namely, that the British and the Germans represent opposite ends of the spectrum. To put it bluntly: Germans are rude, and the British lie. Germans don’t mince…

Diary of an Expat

Technically I am more of an ‘inpat’, as I am a German citizen who lives in the UK, rather than a British citizen living abroad. The struggles are roughly identical: just like the Brits in Spain who seem to be forever complaining about the low quality of the fish and chips, I feel similarly disheartened when…