When we were in Stratford upon Avon, my husband Jon and I stopped in at the Garrick, the oldest pub in town, for a hot toddy to warm us up.
Jon bantered with several Irishmen at the pub who were talking about horse racing. We discovered they were in town for the Cheltenham racing festival which pits Irish horses against the Brits. It’s a tradition for the Irish to come to England for the race and a very big deal. The Irishmen were friendly and liked Jon because he joked with them. Also he wore a flat cap just like theirs. This encounter gave me the idea of having Emily’s fiancé Jack Flynn meet his Irish cousin Brendan and go to the races in A Killing in the Cotswolds: An Emily Swift Travel Mystery.