How the rich get richer

WhenI was endurance riding my pony was the hairy type and however hard I tried he never looked smart and frequently dripped mud. I reckoned then that my place in life was to make other people feel better about themselves. It never bothered me as I often had the last laugh.

Maybe that is the case with your in-laws NanKate

Some years ago DH and I were staying with friends in the South of France and intending to go to the Monaco Grand Prix. They had a pair of friends who had just sailed their yacht over from Cornwall to Cannes and who spent the evening telling us about the yacht and showing off the wife's jewellery. When we said we were getting a lift to Monte Carlo to see the race they said "Oh don't do that! It's such a rip off! Everything's so expensive, the price of food is daylight robbery!" We went any way, paid 20euros each to watch the race and found you could get perfectly good filled baguettes from a van for a couple of euros - and it was fun! Fun didn't seem to feature in this couple's life.

Very 'nouveau riche' attitude, that boasting about money. People who have been born into old money tend not to flash it about.

We used to do opera evenings in country houses, with a buffet. One house was a wonderful old place, dating back to the eleventh century, and the family had lived there almost as long. When the concert was over the lady of the house rolled up her sleeves and got straight into the washing up (A great rarity among the houses we went to) She helped us with all the clearing up and packing all our stuff up and was very keen to see that no extra work was left for the house keeper. And, of course, the house was full of worn old furniture and dog blankets, with the obligatory battered old Volvo estate in the garage.

The Shugborough estate is only an hour from Leicester, and it's massive.
Djen I used to live near there; DN got married there. His Lordship was in residence at the time and some of the guests got told off for walking in front of his windows and spoiling the view for his guests!!
Sudbury is lovely as well, visited there earlier this year.

Twice DH and I have set out to visit a NT property and found either when we arrived or en route when I checked the handbook that these properties were closed on certain days.
Always best to check first