Holiday plans

Wheehee! Just booked myself for four days holiday in Malta in May - mainly to attend a friend's wedding. She's Maltese, he's Irish, and it's being held in a very lovely C.12th chapel, going the full Roman Catholic hog. Oddly enough I've only actually been to one Catholic wedding before (my aunt and uncle's), despite being brought up as one, what seems like many many aeons ago (currently I'm of the Spiritually but Non-Denominationally-or-Organised-Religion Inclined Persuasion).

I have 2 1/2 free days there though, so I plan to sit around the Grand Harbour sipping coffee or wine and reading a good book. One of my best friends is coming but he'll probably troll off and do scubadiving and other such energetic outdoors stuff. I'm not terribly keen on the idea myself. Maybe some minor touristy historical stuff, but my goal is mostly lazing around and relaxing. Mmmmm. I can't wait already.

Writers' Brit Crit

Admittedly this is a saying that seems to pop up most often (at least in my experience) in the less well developed *cough* dire Twue Wuve smarm *cough* Harry Potter fiction, but I'd just like to point out that the English don't say;

"I could give a damn."

It's:

"I couldn't give a damn."

Occasionally one might say "Like I could give a damn?", but that's not quite the same.

"I could give a damn." is an Americanism that's completely incorrect in an English-set story, and to be honest, makes us Brits scratch our heads in confusion (or wonder whether irony has finally made it to the general masses on the other side of the Atlantic). ;-)