Thursday 23 April 2015

23 Wonderful Things about England and the English


Today is St George's Day and to mark it here are 23 things that are wonderful about England and all those who live within her.


  1. English breakfast: the best kind of breakfast there is. Sausages. Bacon. Fried bread. Eggs. Tomatoes. Mushrooms. Yum.
  2. Queuing: the English know how to form a good solid queue, and stick to it. None of this free for all nonsense they employ in the rest of Europe.
  3. The sights of London: all the usual tourist traps landmarks make London what it is. Think Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guard, Big Ben and Tower Bridge. There's nothing like it.
  4. Fish and chips.
  5. Gorgeous beaches: whether it's sand, rocks or pebbles you like on a beach or cliffs and coves, England has it along her shores. 
  6. And whilst we are on the topic of beaches the English know how to make a real day out of a trip to the beach
  7. Marmite: England is the birthplace of Marmite, Burton upon Trent to be precise. Love it or hate it? 
  8. Bonfire Night
  9. Quaint: England is the queen of quaintness, littered with little (and big) places that can only be described as quaint. Like Haworth, Grassington, Clovelly and Stratford upon Avon.
  10. Passion for the beautiful game: the English love football. Many people live and breathe the national game, despite there being very little international success on the football pitch since 1966. That's dedication and passion for you.
  11. Pubs: English pubs are like no other. In every nation there are attempts to replicate the Englishness of a good English pub but most attempts can be written off as outright failures. 
  12.  The royal family: what is there not to love about a real life, albeit involuntary, English soap opera?
  13. Regional differences: there are amazing variations in accents, food and customs from county to county across the length and breadth of England. Compare a Cornish accent to the dulcet tones of a Geordie to appreciate what I mean.
  14. English people are bonkers.
  15. Christmas: The English know how to do Christmas in style.
  16. Life is never dull around an Englishman: The English keep you guessing and it keeps you on your toes.
  17. Green, rolling hills: oh how I miss green rolling hills.
  18. Top Gear: I'll stop right there shall I?
  19. Sense of humor: what isn't there to love about sarcasm and self depreciation?
  20. A sense of history: you can bathe in history in England - quite literally in Roman Bath, more literary in Jane Austen's Hampshire and deep down in the abandoned mines of Cornwall.
  21. Downton Abbey: any country that Downton Abbey is filmed in has to be wonderful, right?
  22. Roast dinners.
  23. Benedict Cumberbatch.
So there you have it - what would you add?

Happy St George's Day to all you English out there.

4 comments:

  1. Well, I'm not sure about 7 and 18, but love all the others! I still don't get why people don't really celebrate St. George's day here though. They hardly mention it in the schools and my husband has never once talked about it and has no memories of celebrating it as a child growing up in England. Same with St. Patrick's day. Never gets a mention and yet in the US, it's huge.

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    1. Ah not a Jeremy Clarkson fan then..... and Marmite is definitely an acquired taste - love it or hate it! 😋 You need to go to Ireland if you want a St Pats's party - is nothing for the English of course! And St George's? There's been calls to make it a holiday and a proper celebration for as long as I can remember - without success. I don't know why it's like it is.

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  2. I'm with meg on 7 and 18 but with you for most of the list. England a wonderful place to live.

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