Breakfast

Not my idea of breakfast...

The Oklahoma Spring Collection

Robert (2), from Yorkshire, UK, is modelling a stylish yet practical OU 'Sooners' anorak - perfect for those Oklahoma ice storms and chilly British spring mornings alike. His sister Daisy (7) is not modelling her 'Wholesome Oklahoma girl' t-shirt.

Wildfires

As if the tornados weren't enough...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7993435.stm

(Midwest City is just to the east of Oklahoma City, about 20 miles from where we are. We bought our car from a dealership there).

I'm good, thanks

Oklahoma-speak - or at least American-speak - is clearly seeping into the discourse of British teenagers more quickly than I'd imagined (see 'How to speak Oklahoman', 6 March). I noticed during the last two weeks, when I was examining in the UK, that most of the candidates answered my greeting of 'how are you today?' with 'I'm good, thanks' or some similar construction. I would always have said - and still would say - 'fine' or 'very well'.

It's like the other thing I've noticed for some time now, but haven't heard anyone comment on - the disappearance of what I think, from recalling my school French lessons, is called the imperfect tense. As in 'X just got better!', which surely should be 'X has just got better'. Or 'did you try the salsa dip?' as opposed to 'have you tried the salsa dip?' Surely the first of these suggests a meal which occured some time ago, while the second suggests a meal which is ongoing - yet in America, and increasingly in the UK, only the first construction is ever used.

The Famous Cock

Just for a change, instead of something amusing about Oklahoma which British people can laugh at, here's something amusing about Britain which Oklahomans can laugh at. I visited this pub in North London last week. For obvious reasons, its name could never be replicated here...