Hyacynth Bucket is a obviously a comic character, but  ladies like her do exist in the UK. They are the kind of women who will clean their house from top to bottom BEFORE the cleaner comes in, raise their pinkies when drinking tea, and would be horrified if they couldn't buy cube sugar.

My maternal grandmother was one of these - I say this affectionately - I once heard her complain bitterly about the gossip mongers in her street just hours before spending the afternoon gossiping with her neighbour over tea.

And if you liked 'Keeping Up Appearences', try watching 'The Good Life' (from the BBC). Margot (Penelope Keith) is in much the same vein.

As for my reference to Essex girls, I was thinking of cringe-worthy ladies of questionable intelligence, the kind of girl who thinks that breast feeding is '..so unnatural..', and meant no offense to the southern ladies you refer to.

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All the Woes of a World by Jonathan Icknield aka The Bryster

And in my final hours - I would cling rather to the tattooed hand of kindness - than the unblemished hand of hate...