I Think It Bespeaks A Generous Nature,

But Really I'm Not Terribly Interested In What I Eat.

The Aristocrat, When He Wants To, Has Very Good Manners. The Scottish Upper Classes, In Particular, Have That Shell-shocked Look That Probably Comes From Banging Their Heads On Low Beams Leaping To Their Feet Whenever A Woman Comes Into The Room. Aristocrats Are Also Deeply Male Chauvinist, And ... On The Whole They Tend To Be Reactionary.

It's A Good Idea To Wait A Few Months Before Joining Anything When You Arrive At A Village. A Bookseller Friend Who Retired To Nearby Oxfordshire, And Was Worried He Might Be Bored, Got Himself On To Every Village Committee In The First Six Months, And Spent The Next Ten Years Extricating Himself.

In A Village You Can't Sack Or Fight With Someone, As You'll Find Yourself Stuck Beside Them In The Hairdresser's Next Morning.

Hurting Other People Is Not Excusable Because You've Been Hurt Yourself.