It's a small world.

Yesterday's post reminded me of a story told by a friend of mine who is a doctor.  On holiday in the wilds of Turkey many years ago, one of the guests where they were staying was taken ill, and my friend was called upon to help.  He decided that she needed certain medication, and they went in search of the local pharmacist who it turned out had no English and my friend had no Turkish, but they discovered that they both had a smattering of schoolboy French so as the pharmacist was making up the prescription, they were able to carry out a very basic conversation.  On being asked where he came from, my friend said "Angleterre - Birmingham" and, as my friend puts it, there we were, miles from civilisation, and the pharmacist's face broke into smiles "Ah" he said "Connaissez- vous Sparkbrook?"  The joke, for those not from round here is that Sparkbrook is an area of Birmingham populated almost entirely by immigrants.