So what did we get from the Brits?

Substantively sized well-behaved dogs abound.  And we see adults willingly and enthusiastically walking the dogs at all times of day.  Sometimes 2 or 3 people are talking together as they walk their dogs.  Sometimes one person is walking a couple of dogs.  The dogs are often walking at heel, and always on leash and quiet.  We did see one dog with a waterproof coat on a drizzly day, but otherwise the dogs have not been accessorized.

English cottage gardens and English formal gardens clearly form the foundation for so much of the gardening that we do in the US.  We have arrived here in early spring, and flowers are everywhere.  Daffodils (the Wales national flower) are gone by, and just the late tulips are in bloom.  Lilac in several shades of light and dark lavender are in bloom, and sometimes adjacent to what I would call “bridal veil”.  It was a very mild winter, and fuchsia wintered over.  Viola and pansies were probably planted in the fall and are in their glory now.  Bluebells (also in white) are in gardens and along paths.

Charity shops seem to come from Britain.  We have Goodwill.  They have Oxfam as well as a ton of other charity shops.  These use volunteers to sell used things – often quite nicely arranged items sold on main streets.  One shop had a poster encouraging volunteering as a way to build confidence. I got Nick some Dr. Who paraphernalia at one of these shops – this one benefiting the Red Cross. 

Volunteering seems to be a strong British tradition.  Train stations have great plantings – at one we saw an elderly couple working in those flower gardens – I had the impression that they were volunteers.  There was a volunteer sweeping out the old church at Broadwell.  And we have had excellent walking tours in two locations lead by very informed volunteers.