LINDA Combi, the ex-pat American illustrator long settled in York, celebrates the more loveable and quirky customs she has observed since arriving from California, in her 2017 calendar, Strictly British.

"Next year I will have been in the UK for a significant number of years and I wanted to celebrate that. It will be 50 years since I left San Francisco, would you believe!! Long enough to understand 'The Googly' in cricket!" says Linda, introducing her depiction of her depiction of the Combi nation.

"It’s a coincidence that I chose that title BEFORE the EU Referendum, but the British customs and pastimes which I’ve illustrated are still loveable."

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Linda Combi's Strictly British calendar for 2017

Linda's calendar seeks to reflect the multi-cultural 21st century Britain of today, "emphasising those customs which particularly provide comfort, joy, and/or fun".

"In my humble opinion, The Shipping Forecast is best appreciated during the winter months, when the icy storms out there make the warmth indoors even more delightful," she says. "Food fads come and go, but the curry maintains its place at the heart of British culinary life. How many romances have been fuelled over the years by sustenance from these 'Jewels of the High Street'?"

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Strictly January...

Nowhere is dog worship more celebrated than at Crufts, observes Linda. "The TV coverage exudes warmth and affection throughout the competition, showering compliments on all breeds – exotic or home-grown," she says. "Spring heralds the onset of cycling fever with visions of men in Lycra along with the more picturesque lambs and daffodils.

"The British obsession with 'The Lawn' has evaded me, though I’m aware that cricket and lawn tennis couldn’t exist without the green sward. However, I certainly applaud the effort involved, ideally from a deckchair. My first Wimbledon queue was even more delightful than the tennis within, and possibly the most impressive example of organisation and good manners I’ve ever experienced. I sense that it is a custom under threat, and so I urge one and all to get in the queue."

Linda embraces so many British customs. "I'm an ardent cake enthusiast, and after having done tireless research far and wide, I can assert that British cakes excel in variety and quality," she says. "What would we all talk about were in not for the vagaries of British weather? The August Bank Holiday provides the perfect storm for 'The Weather Whinge', when high expectations are not always reflected in the temperatures.

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Strictly March...

"Vintage meets ballroom dance and produces a TV hit, which has inspired the title of this calendar. 'Strictly' ticks all the British boxes: the love of competition, the tears and laughter of soap, and the kitsch glamour of yesteryear."

Linda's "fair city of York is an attractive location for the quaint custom of stag and hen parties. "We are ‘entertained’ by the ‘lively’ processions most weekends. My October image explores the result of such an event for the groom and his bride," she says.

"The 'Cuppa' is my comfort and joy. It’s essential fuel for problem solving and for emergencies. It’s the 'feet up in front of the fire' moment for every building worker who has had to endure the cold drizzle of a November afternoon.

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Strictly May

The Boxing Day walk is the cure for Yuletide excess. I’ve experienced the afterglow, which accompanies the end of the walk, when we can begin the overindulgence all over again, without guilt. And so, into the New Year, full of resolutions which will most likely be augmented by guilty pleasures!"

Linda's 2017 calendar comes after a gap year when her artistic commitments precluded her from creating a 2016 York calendar after her earlier month by month depictions of the city's life had been such humorous hits in 2014 and 2015.

Her Strictly British calendar is available online from LindaCombi.biz and from the Blossom Street Gallery, Blossom Street, and Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York. "Specially for Christmas panic-buyers, I'll also be selling the calendar on a stall at the Shambles Market on Sunday, December 18 from 8am to 5pm, by which time I'll be a pillar of ice!" she says.

The calendar comes in a sturdy envelope and costs £10 (plus £1.50 postage/£4.50 overseas, if bought through the website). "You can use PayPal or else contact me via the website for other payment options," advises Linda. "Please leave details for the postal address."

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