Travel Etiquette – for your Scottish-cation While travelling in my homeland of Scotland I decided to put together my top 10 rules for travel etiquette which I like to call a Scottish-cation. Follow these rules and you will never go wrong. 1. Planning ahead When planning your holiday, make sure you have investigated the area, so you know the local activities, the places to dine and if the pets are traveling with you, the dog friendly venues. As inspector Clouseau would say, “there is no harm doing a little investigating, what harm could it cause”, and you will be thankful of it when you are th ..read more

With most of the world in lockdown, we are using video calling technology more than ever before, therefore, the time has come to create rules to ensure we are still upholding the same values we would if the guests, friends and colleagues were in our home. Here are my top 10 Video Etiquette rules. The video that accompanies these rules are part of my online youtube series - "QuarantinEtiquette with The Royal Butler and The Royal Dachshunds. Rule 1 - Backgrounds Ensure your background is suitable. For example, leave nothing in eye view you would not want anyone to see such as undergarments or wo ..read more

It’s that time of year again when everyone is getting ready for Christmas – but unlike in the days of our grandparents, nowadays the Christmas build-up begins in July. In fact, a recent campaign from retailer Next found that nearly 400 of us Googled “is October too early to decorate for Christmas” between October 2018 and December 2018. And did you know that at least 10 of us ask the Internet “will I get a white Christmas” every single month of the year? The study (which looked into funny things people Google during the festive period) proved that us Brits are an impatient nation. Whether it’s ..read more

The world certainly became a smaller place when in1876, Scottish Inventor Alexander Graham Bell patented his new device which produced a clearly intelligible replication of the human voice, in other words, the birth of the Telephone. This device for the first time in history allowed people to converse over many, many miles and before too long, even continents! The telephone quickly became part of any reputable household and you would not be seen without one if you were ‘someone of note’, but they have come a long way since 1876, and today there is hardly a home or business that does not have ..read more

Arguably one of the most romantic days of the year falls on the 14 February. We are constantly reminded in the shops, online and from your loved ones that you must remember to buy a card, present or flowers for that special person in your life. As I have said before I feel it has become very commercialised, however as I have always said it is important to tell people how much they mean to you and how much you love them. This should take place every day though, not just on Valentine's Day! For those of you that may not know, Valentine's Day as we know it is actually called Saint Valentine's Da ..read more

As the ‘Big Day’ approaches, I have compiled my top 24 Etiquette Tips for Christmas. Some of them are old traditional tips, while others have a modern twist, but used as a combination they will hopefully help enhance your Christmas experience. 1. Christmas Social Media: Dress in something that will not haunt you later on other people’s Facebook pages or social media profiles! Your chum might be sliding down the bannisters in their underpants thinking they are riding Rudolph through a winter wonderland, but please don’t post photographs unless you have their blessing! Avoid Jingle Bells ringto ..read more

It is that time of year again when everyone is getting ready for Christmas. Unlike in the days of our grandparents, these days the Christmas build-up begins in July. However, when it comes to the famous office party, this is only first mentioned around October/November time. The normal discussion occurs from when to host the event, to do we invite staff and the partners etc. The idea of inviting partners is something I encourage as it avoids any frolics between the temp secretaries and the married accountant. On that note make sure the broom cupboards are locked before guests arriving. Here a ..read more

When you mention the word vapour or vaping, you may be forgiven for thinking we are referring to some exotic snake or reptile. This is not the case! It is of course a way to describe these modern devices which many people are using as a replacement to cigarettes. To be precise they are called e-cigarettes and again, don’t think this is some kind of email you send, print off and smoke. The electronic cigarettes are electronic devices that try to re-create the feeling of tobacco smoking. This device works by heating a liquid to create an aerosol more commonly known as vapour, hence why it’s oft ..read more

Cars only came into global use during the 20th century. However, the year 1886 is regarded as the birth year of the modern car, when German inventor Karl Benz built his Benz Patent-Motorwagen. Cars did not become widely available until the early 20th century. One of the first cars that were accessible was the 1908 Model T, an American car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced animal-drawn carriages and carts, but took much longer to be accepted in Western Europe and other parts of the world. In the UK only the rich and famous were see ..read more

The Season refers to the The London Social Season which evolved in the 17th and 18th centuries. In was at its height in the 19th century. The aristocratic families in the United Kingdom who owned a country home as their main residence, would then spend parts of the year in London in order to socialize and to engage in politics. The high profile exclusive events were held in the city mansions of leading members of the aristocracy. The Season coincided with the sitting of Parliament which began some time after Christmas and would run until midsummer, so round about late June. These days the Sea ..read more