Today Istanbul, tomorrow Constantinople

I love the Brits. I say this so often that I may have crossed the annoyance line with my husband over it, but I can’t help it. I love the Brits. Where else but on a British program would you have a character say, "I may be gone some time. Carry on as though I weren't here."

An article on the British newspaper, the Telegraph’s, online site reported Britain’s first October snowfall in 74 years a few weeks ago and went on to recall newsworthy snows of the past, most notably, and this is a direct quote “In 1881, the Great Victorian Blizzard brought five-metre drifts to London, while in 1836, journalists were able to use for the first – and last – time the unlikely newspaper headline: "AVALANCHE KILLS EIGHT IN SUSSEX".”

Ah, bless ‘em.

The Telegraph’s website has become my news source of choice. I liked the way they reported the American Presidential election. I like the full articles speculating on who will replace David Tennant as the next Doctor Who. I like occasional use of the word “arcane” in their articles. But, most especially, I like their obituaries.

Here in the Colonies, our obits tend to be a boring list of data from birth to death, including the number and list of siblings as well as off-spring and off-spring of off-spring. Graduated from here or there, served in such and such, etc. We’re so focused on accomplishments that we celebrate a life by listing them. The list of what one did doesn’t tell me much if anything about the person the world just lost, but read the obituary of Johnny Hesketh at www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/3393349/Johnny-Hesketh.html and I dare you not to feel that the world was lucky to have enjoyed the company of this person. Almost every obituary is like this one, filled with anecdotes and some sense of the personality. I have Johnny to thank for the title of this post.

And don’t even get me started on how much better and flat out interesting the writing is in the Telegraph.

Ah, bless ‘em.