The Norfolk Club in Norwich hosted a dinner to celebrate Sarah Leicester s successful year as High Sheriff of Norfolk, which I attended last week.  The history and tradition of this office goes back hundreds of years.  It is an honorary position, yet entails a huge commitment from the High Sheriff, in terms of public service as well as traditional roles .  Lady Leicester gave a wonderful speech, she is a very good looking woman who  oozes real charm and intelligence from every pore.  I imagine that she really enjoyed her year, and will be followed by another able woman Lady Dannat.  I sat for part of the evening next to a splendid cleric, he was not called Friar Tuck but he did enjoy the very good dinner and looking magnificent in his scarlet robes ( which means the Queen has made him a member of the Royal collection of priests ).  On my other side was my father s 91 year old cousin, so a very happy evening.

Just out, my newsletter for March 2014.

If you would like to be added to my list for the monthly newsletters, please email me at veronica@morethangoodmanners.com

March 2014 Newsletter

Spring is fast approaching and the weather here in the UK is definitely turning warmer, and with it the beginning of the English Social Season. Wonderful Stately Homes and grand country houses are shown off their full potential, the English social sporting calendar is about to get underway, and Society events are very much at the fore.

The first one we will turn our thoughts to is the Cheltenham Festival, happening next week.

Cheltenham Festival

Starting on March 11th, this entails 3 days of exciting horse racing and socialising amongst the elite of the racing world.  200,000 people are expected to turn up to take part in this event, and the best horses and riders are turned out for this very special spectacle.  Cheltenham is swiftly followed by the next social occasion in the racing calendar, the Grand National in April, and then Royal Ascot (attended by HM The Queen), The Derby (also attended by HM The Queen) and finally Glorious Goodwood.  For more information on any of these events and ways that you can be a part of them, please click here.

Unveiling Our New Course

We are delighted to announce our new course in London.  Called “The London Lady and English Gentleman”, this is a day packed with excellent information on the correct use of good Manners and Etiquette as well as the exciting prospect of putting all you’ve learned on the day into practice in some of the smartest shops in town. We have two dates, 9th July and 25th September 2014, and these are being held at the prestigious Lansdowne Club in London.  Places are limited and filling up fast.  Click here to book your place.

Garden Tours

This is prime time for gardens to flourish in the UK, and England has some beautiful gardens, many set within a backdrop of a glorious stately home or large country house.  We love to share our inside knowledge of some of these houses and gardens around Norfolk and Suffolk, and where possible, you will also have the opportunity to meet the owners, many personally known to us.  For more information on our garden tours, please click here.

Stately Accommodation

Are you looking for slightly different accommodation other than a hotel.  We can find the right accommodation for you.  Simply select the region you want to visit, and we’ll tailor make a bespoke package to fit your every need.  See more accommodation ideas here

I do hope we will see you very soon, and don’t forget about our new course!

Best,

Veronica

The Monday of Ascot week  (16 June 2014)  is the day HM The Queen attends the service of the Order of the Garter held at St George s Chapel Windsor.

The Knights of the Order of the Garter process though Windsor Castle up the hill to the Chapel, dressed in their long velvet robes, with berets with ostrich plumes, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh lead this band of Knights, into the Chapel of St George for the annual service.

The Order was founded by Edward III, and descendents of the Knights of the Order of the Garter can attend the service or have a seat on the stand outside which gives you a wonderful view of the procession.

So I was hoping that my great grandfather Bishop Fisher who was Chancellor of the Order would enable me to join as a descendent.  But I have found out that clergymen cannot be Knights.  So my brother Charles dug out the family tree and pointed out that we are descended from 3 sons of Edward 111, namely John of Gaunt, Lionel of Antwerp and Thomas Woodstock.  So it was agreed that I could be a confirmed descendent of Lionel of Antwerp who was KG No 35 !  The first “fixed ” stall that had  a plate name in my family lineage is the stall plate for Henry 4th Earl of Northumberland KG No 213 .  Bishop Fisher is buried in the South Nave Aisle !  So when I go in June I will have a good look for the Bishop and the Earl.

We are very excited to offer you a Manners And Etiquette Course in London at a very special private members club, the Landsowne Club in central London.

The course is specifically designed to suit both ladies and gentlemen, and is being held on the 9 July and the 25 Septmber 2014.

We aim to show you exactly how to meet and greet people in all types of situations, how to address people and how to use your body language effectively when communicating with people.

We will also give you tips and techniques about the correct way to dress, accessorise and groom yourself.  And you’ll learn the important art of replying to invitations, the use of correct language and titles, as well as how to get a grip on social media.

More than that, we’ll also offer you a special afternoon of practical advice by interacting with real life situations, such as with hotel staff, retail staff and others.

A morning of tuition, followed by a 3 course lunch at the club, an afternoon to put what you have learnt into practice , followed by “afternoon tea” at either Brown’s Hotel or Fortnum and Mason, and then a well deserved glass of wine back at the club at the end of the day.

For more information please look at http://www.morethangoodmanners.com/whats-new.  Or call me on +44 (0)7769 687 599+44 (0)7769 687 599

We received an impromptu request for information from BBC Radio  Gloucestershire this morning and  as a result Veronica has just given a live interview  sharing fascniating insights into Manners and Etiquette and different nationalities’ approach to the subject.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radiogloucestershire/on-air

Of course I am talking about my new horse lorry.  I had a couple of lessons from a friend, and then off I went on our first outing to Newmarket, for the first “teach in” for Area 4 Side-Saddle Association, of the season.  Another lady had a new lorry as well, hers was white and very clean, and she had made new curtains for it.  I can see that I need raise my standards. Ben the pony seemed happy, with only blinds, and wonder what he will think of the loo and separate shower !

Spring is so very nearly with us now, and in anticipation of a wonderful fummer season we are pleased to announce the launch of some specially themed ‘ Coronation’ Tours which take in some of the sites associated with this momentous event. It is incredible  to believe that HM The Queen has devoted over 60 years’ service to our country!

We hope many of you will join us this summer to help celebrate.

I spent Saturday on a horse going very fast through a lot of puddles, and thick mud.  Most of it ended up on my face.  When I tried to eat my jelly babies,  I had a packet in my pocket, everyone else moved off, and so did my horse.  Have you ever tried to eat jelly babies whilst cantering along with 30 other horses around you.  Its not so easy especially when you have cold fingers.  It was of course all part of an old country pastime, now conducted within the “new” hunting laws, but I don’t think Parliament thought about how to get jelly babies out of your pocket and eat them without dropping them in the mud.

I think the problem was because I wore trainers to play hockey on a grass pitch.  I fell over twice last year and slipped once this year.  This was of course in the mother and daughter s school hockey match.  So this was the second match that I had played since I left school, and  I was pretty stiff today.  It started raining just as play started and kept on raining for the rest of the day, and night, and was particularly ” wet” rain.  I did not score a goal against my daughter who was the goalie, much to her delight, but we all had fun and came in soaking wet ( after 15 minutes each way, the mothers  could not have managed much more ) to a delicious match tea.  Hanging wet coats and scarfs by the log fire in the hall.

Its that time of year again.  Over450 people sat down to a very good 3 course dinner in a very big tent.  And after dinner 80 “young ” came on from various dinner parties to enjoy the dancing, till the early hours of the next morning.  These evenings are part of the social fabric of country life, bringing together a diverse mix of people, spanning several generations.  Many of the guests had spent the day in the wind and rain on horses, and others have never sat on a horse in their life.  Lovely ladies in their ballgowns, and gentlemen in their red evening tail coats or  black tie, ( the men seem to like dressing up as much as the ladies) .  A great sight, and let me know if you would like to attend next year.