According to the study, two sisters are more likely to play together nicely, help around the home and are less likely to argue.

I must say I'm feeling very smug about this research! But I'm not surprised - I love having a little sister. (Siobhan is actually 23 but will always be 'little' to me!) We meet up at least once a week, gossip together, share clothes and I can't remember the last time we fell out.

Here's a picture of me and Siobhan when we were little and our parents liked to dress us in matching outfits:

So hooray for sister power! But we shouldn't feel too sorry for boys, because the same study suggested that four sisters is the most 'difficult' combination of siblings.

Another interesting question is whether people's personality traits relate to their birth order.

There are the old stereotypes that dictate that the middle child is the 'problem child', the eldest is a bossy boots and the youngest is a tearaway.

In my family, I'm known as a bit of worrier, which could be attributed to my being the eldest sibling. Little sis Siobhan is very fun loving and was a bit more rebellious growing up, which is what you might expect of a younger sister!

Of course she also had to put up with me bossing her around, as well as that great pitfall of being the youngest child - all the hand-me-downs from elder siblings!

A harmonious combination? Me and my sister Siobhan in more recent times.

Do you have any siblings? What was it like growing up with them? Are you a 'bossy boots' eldest son or daughter or a 'tearaway' youngest child? Or do you think these stereotypes are just not true?

I'd love to hear back from you

Michelle (eldest of two)

Siblings - collective term for brothers and sisters.
Offspring - a more formal word for 'children'.
Harmonious - adjective describing things that work well together. A good, pleasing combination.
Stereotypes - a conventional, often oversimplified opinion about things.
Bossy boots - a colloquial, rather childish term referring to someone who is always telling others what to do.
Tearaway - someone who is rebellious or badly behaved. Normally used in reference to teenagers and young people.
Rebellious - resisting control or 'refusing to play by the rules'.
Pitfall - trap, a hidden hazard.
Hand-me-downs - Second hand clothes handed down after having been used (normally by an elder sibling).

I hope everyone enjoyed a lovely festive period. Being back at work can be a bit of a shock, but at least I was lucky enough to have a lovely long break over Christmas, which I spent with my family in Newcastle.

One of my favourite things about going 'back home' for Christmas is getting to see the group of 'sword dancers' who, every year, jig their way around all the pubs in the village where my mum and dad live. It's a popular annual event and brings out all the locals to watch the spectacle.

It's quite an intricate dance and a lot more elegant than it sounds. To the untrained eye, it looks a bit like morris dancing, but with swords instead of bells and sticks.

I wasn't able to get hold of any sword dancing photos, but here's a picture of morris dancers - another type of traditional dancing in England.

 

The Northumbrian rapper sword dance is a tradition that apparently started in the north east of England as a recreational activity in mining villages. Work conditions were very tough for miners so they threw themselves into hobbies such as dancing and singing.

I think it's lovely that there are still some groups today which take sword dancing seriously - even if they do enjoy one or two beers in the pubs they perform in along the way!

Northumberland is quite a rural part of England and that might help the area to keep its folk traditions alive. As well as the sword dance, we've got clog dancing, folk singing, and once when I was younger I even tried to learn the 'folk cello' - although I wasn't very good!

Historic Bamburgh Catle in Northumberland.

I'd love to hear about any interesting folk traditions where you live. Maybe you've tried your hand at folk singing or dancing yourself? Do people in your area make an effort to keep these kinds of traditions 'alive'?

Hoping to hear back from you soon.

Michelle

Glossary
Jig - dancing around in a quick, lively manner
Prancing - jumping around or moving in a lively way
Intricate - detailed
To the untrained eye - to people who don't know a lot about the particular subject
Morris dancing - a form of English folk dancing
Threw themselves into - getting wholeheartedly involved

I'm Michelle - I'm new to BBC Learning English and this is my first blog. I'm very pleased to be joining the site.

I want to tell you about my recent trip home when I embarked on a traditional British day out - a trip to the seaside.

I'm from the city of Newcastle, which is up in the North East of England - quite near Scotland in fact. The seaside village I visited recently is called Alnmouth. It's on the Northumbrian coastline. I went with my boyfriend and parents - and we started the day with a traditional plate of fish and chips, mushy peas and a pot of tea. Delicious!

The North Sea is very cold and often brings in a lot of windy weather, but this particular day was unusually calm. I think the children in this picture were off on an adventure looking for sea creatures in rock pools. They were much braver than me though - I didn't so much as dip my toe in the sea!

Alnmouth is a very picturesque and calm place. It's quite old fashioned - I don't think it's even got a bank! There are lots of little boats moored along the coast. It's really quite idyllic - and so far removed from the chaos and noise of London. I pictured myself living in one of the brightly coloured houses and taking out a little boat to catch fish for my tea!

I took this picture of Alnmouth's famous 'haunted hotel', but I didn't fancy going in - some of these very old buildings give me the creeps!

As I mentioned, there are some more unusual traditions associated with the English seaside, like donkey-riding and the rather peculiar Punch and Judy show. As you can see the Punch and Judy show is a type of puppet performance. It uses regular characters including the anarchic Mr Punch, his wife Judy, a crocodile, and a string of sausages as a prop!

All the characters are played by one puppeteer - called a 'professor'. One of my friends from University actually works as a Punch and Judy 'professor'. It's an unusual way to make a living - but I think he must be very talented to take on all the different characters.

I'd be very interested to know about the sea where you live. Do you live near a beach? Are there any unusual cultural traditions or types of performance associated with your country? Do you have anything similar to Punch and Judy shows?
Looking forward to hearing from you,

Michelle

seaside rock: A stick shaped confectionery - made of boiled sugar

jellied eels: A traditional English dish of eels in jelly

rock pools: Pools of water left between rocks when the sea tide goes out.

moored: When a boat is secured to something to stop it floating away

far removed: very different - as if on other sides of a spectrum

tea: In this case meaning 'dinner'. As far as I'm aware, 'tea' is used more commonly in this way in the North of England

haunted: Somewhere where there is said to be supernatural forces - like ghosts or spirits

give me the creeps: A phrase meaning something is giving you an uneasy feeling - often associated with the supernatural

rather peculiar: quite odd or strange

anarchic: Someone who doesn't conform to rules or social norms

to make a living: To earn enough income to support yourself