A story on war pianos sent me on a hunt for more information. They were upright, but smaller than the usual version, sat flat on the floor, and were made sturdy enough so they could be transported by jeep, or dropped by parachute out of a helicopter. They were made by Steinway. I found more information in one of the Images of America books, Steinway & Sons. This is a history of both the family and the pianos, it was fascinating! At the very end is chapter of many of the famous folks who played on a Steinway. You'd expect most of them ... Van Cliburn, Rachmaninoff, and Michael Feinstein ... but there is also a delightful picture of a young Elizabeth (the future Queen) and her sister Margaret who learned piano on an upright Steinway! I had to look that up ... seems they both continued to play throughout their lives.

British Culture 101, by Jeff Watson was mostly a fun read. You'll learn about things like money, government, conversation, the royal family, weather and more. Plan on doing a fair amount of chuckling! On the other had, I was surprised that there was no mention of the iconic red phone booths. Granted, few are in use as phone booths any more, but they are still visible! Many hold defibrillators and other first aid items, some are free libraries, some are mini tea shops, but they ARE still there! And, there were several requests that you scan those square codes for more, something I didn't do (but you might)!

Reading Hermit With Dog