News, humour and information for Brits worldwide!

British Expat Newsletter: May 2015

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In this issue

This month

Have you ever thought about what defines the expat character—or indeed whether there is a distinctive expat character at all? Lincoln Allison married into a family of expats and certainly believes there is. Read his thought-provoking article and find out whether you agree!

Murray Watson, on the other hand, is far more interested in the phenomenon of permanent emigration. While researching his latest book about the English in Canada, he and co-author Marilyn Barber were privileged to hear many personal accounts from post-war immigrants—including one bizarre but true story of a newly-landed couple being asked to spy on some Soviet acquaintances…

We know there are several expats who are interested in setting up UK-based companies for their businesses, but aren’t sure how to go about it or even whether, as expats, they’re legally able to. The good news is that you can, but there are a few things you’ll need to bear in mind—as Chris Ball of YourTax explains.

Of course, some expats do return to the UK—only to find that it’s not the same country they left. The experience can be quite unsettling. Olly Sampson of Brighton-based removals firm Bee Moved has some useful advice on how to overcome those feelings of disorientation.

One way in which the UK appears to have improved, on the surface at least, is the convenience of Internet shopping. Britons do more of it than almost anyone else on Earth. But while some delivery services are excellent, one in particular is falling down on the job. Which is it? Read “The joy of Internet delivery” and find out!

All this Web malarkey has left Ray Evans in something of a daze. A visit to a jeweller’s to change his wife’s watch battery left him musing on the days when “wireless” meant a radio powered by a heavy, bulky lead-acid battery which he had to take to the chandler’s to have it charged.

If bygone ages are your thing, you’ll love this month’s Quick Quiz! It’s all about Edwardian farming, inspired by the BBC TV series of (nearly) the same name. Would you know what to use neat’s-foot oil for?

And going back into history a further century, our latest Pic of the Week is of another London landmark—brought up to date by a character from Aardman Animations. Yes, it’s, er, Nelson the Sheep!

Meanwhile on the BE forum, we’ve discovered that the world’s favourite colour is blue. But not everyone agrees. Are over-50s really required by law to like beige? Several of our older members suggest not, and are planning a BE Fashion Show to flout the convention. Join in the fun here!

The forum also provides information on a wide range of expat issues, as well as the opportunity to socialise with like-minded people all around the world.

Write for British Expat

Would you like to write for British Expat? Sorry, we don’t pay for articles but if you have a website we’ll link to it in the author’s blurb below any of your articles we publish. We use all sorts of content as long as it’s useful and/or interesting to our readership.

Besides articles, we also publish quick trivia quizzes—five questions about any subject. So, if you’d like to write for us but don’t feel like producing a literary masterpiece, then why not try writing a quickie quiz about your city, country, or even your hobby? Please use our contact form to get in touch.

British Expat Amazon Shopping

Amazon don’t just do books, you know. We’ve teamed up with them to bring you the ultimate in online shopping—from a micro SD card to a garden shed! A great way to do your shopping online, especially if the shops aren’t up to much in your part of the world.
BE Amazon Shop: UK & EU | BE Amazon Shop: non-EU

So there’s a round-up of all that’s been going on. Come on over and see for yourself! Don’t forget…
Visit the BE website and join in with our lively community!

Till next time…

Happy surfing!

Kay
Editor
British Expat—the definitive home for British expats

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