On 10/2/05 11:51, in article , "Janet Tweedy"
wrote:

In article , Sacha
writes

A lot of people do
that to their own detriment, IMO, especially when meeting or mixing with
people posher than themselves.


But what exactly is posher? I know some very 'old money' people who
are really down to earth and sensible and hands-on, I also know some
very 'new money' dollops who are condescending, rude and full of their
own importance and aspire to a certain style of living.

But that's the point, really - it's a matter of perception as to what is
posh. Really, *truly* posh people just do not (on the whole) behave like
snobs because why should they? They have nothing to prove. At one time in
its history, being a 'snob' meant being a social climber. I think it does
still. And while our author may not intend that for his hero's wife, it
seems that most of us have taken the view that she's going to be the social
climbing type. He's going to disappoint a lot of people if she isn't!!! ;-)

The peers I know have beautiful manners and do not attempt to make others
feel inferior or insignificant in any way. I'm sure there are some that do
but just like all other areas of life, there's nice and nasty, good and bad.

We have people who come here who are at the top of the social tree and make
absolutely no fuss, no bother, ask for no special attention (but like a
discount!) and are genuinely nice, charming people. OTOH, we get the
occasional prat who thinks that a mock-Tudor house in some stockbroker belt
makes them 'posh'. In fact a top of the trees peer I'm thinking of heard one
of these condescend to another in those awful neighing tones, "Oh, you're
from Surrey - we're from the Surrey Hampshire border". The peer and my
husband the nurseryman, looked at each other, didn't say a word but did a
lot with their eyebrows!


I know two or three 'ordinary'? people who have more 'class' in their
little finger than most 'New Labour VIPs' could ever club together to
obtain.

I agree with that. Having class isn't a class issue. ;-)

Classy isn't 'posh', it isn't rich or important, is it?

Not in my opinion.

Class in a garden to me, is being able to combine both design and
planstmen qualities and no 'good grief' factor but more 'wow, what a
wonderful garden' factor. It's more atmosphere and feeling than money
spent on hard landscaping and rareness of plants, or growing the 'in
thing' (usually grasses).

Couldn't agree more and it doesn't take acres to do it, either.


Yes I know . Janet B will now demolish my summary and come up with
something far more pithy, funny and to the point

I love Janet's mordant wit but I think you have summed things up extremely
well.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)