Britain at its best…

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You know that thing about people who live at the seaside never go on the beach? That’s me and The Proms.

I lived for 15 years 10 mins walk from the R.A.H. I went to events there numerous times, from The English Chamber Orchestra, led from the violin by Pinchas Zukermann, doing all 6 Brandenburgs, to Jimi Hendrix inciting a riot - but never to The Proms.

I think I was put off by the prospect of those people who chant in unison something supposedly witty.

I always meant to go but somehow never got round to it.

I took my god daughter to see H.M. Q standing on the balcony overlooking the Albert Mem’l and declaring him ‘open’ after they scraped off all the black paint applied to avoid the light glinting on him in gold, and being a landmark for German bombers. In fresh gold he now looks very splendid.

Thank heavens for YouTube…

I always used to enjoy last night of The Proms on TV in UK… my favourite being the “large-lady” singing towards the end…

That… and the Royal Tournament, which absolutely enthralled me… are probably my most enduring childhood memories of adult TV …

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Parts of that got to me, raised the hair on the back of my neck……!

County Agricultural Shows are the best of Britain.

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People should post their favourites, the bits they actually miss.

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Country cricket matches on a hot summer’s day.
Real, genuine old English pubs
Good Indian restaurants that do great vegetarian dishes - brilliant one in the depth of the Sussex countryside at Turners Hill, another one round the back of Victoria.
Narrow boats.
Beautiful gardens that open to the public
Christmas carol concert at Wakehurst Place on a frosty night
The most amazing selection of prepared salads in M&S and Waitrose
Phenomenal choice of different cuisines in restaurants in London
The National Theatre and the South Bank (not just the paid for events but the free stuff going on in the foyers and sitting on one of the window seats on the top floor, in the dark, looking out over the Thames and all the lights on the opposite bank)
Borough market
Shakespeare in the open at Regents Park on a hot summer’s night, lounging in a deck chair looking up at the stars.
Concerts at Kenwood - the music floating out over the lawns
The Globe
Whole towns / villages into complementary therapy /alternative lifestyles eg Forest Row

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There was so much of UK life, which I thoroughly enjoyed and I’ve been sitting here, having read your words and I’m thinking…
OK… but what do I actually “miss” out of that lot…???

and, there’s nothing leaping out at me… but that’s probably 'cos I’m me.
My family moved so many times during my life that we got used to throwing ourselves into our new schools, new situations…
There was simply no inclination and certainly no time for looking back and “missing” anything…
Just get along and make the best of things… was possibly our unspoken catchphrase… Must admit, I can’t remember any period of my life which wasn’t fun/different/exciting… except for those times which included family deaths and tragedies… but that’s how Life goes!

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Things I think Britain does well (or it did way back when…)
Local Christmas Pantomimes … magical… every time.
SArmy Brass bands on the street corners… playing christmas carols…
These memories warm my heart… and I’m sitting here with a big smile on my face…

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There are many things I miss about the UK and lots of them can be summed up in one word - ‘availability’, if I could change that France would be damn near perfect. From the bizarre opening times to lack of choice, buying stuff here or getting things done requires detailed planning that wouldn’t be necessary in dear old Blighty.

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That strikes me as so funny! It is how I felt about the rest of the UK compared to living in central London :grin:

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I’m used to it now, but when we first moved to Oxfordshire from greater London it felt like we’d stepped back about 50 years.

I’m not sure what we’ll miss if we relocate to Cussy. Probably less complex/familiar admin, bread that’s good for 4+ days and the availability that Tim mentions. Maybe also availability of local bands/musicians with whom I can play.

Pork pies. obviously.

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Availabiliy I think it depends where you live if there is a large availability or not,if you live in the middle of nowhere what do you expect.

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I suspect you will be pleased to find similar minded folk… of all nationalities.
Talk with your French neighbours… make music in your garden/wherever… amd let 'em know of your talents… :wink: :+1:

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You may be surprised. Bread from the supermarke that is solid (not stuff full of air) - eg Lidl’s pain de campagne - lasts perfectly well in the fridge several days and is tasty. Or, there are lots of interesting flours around - Gamm Vert has a good selection - make your own.
I’m surprised about the “availability” thing these days. 15 years ago, maybe, now, not so much.
We are in the boondocks - France Profonde so far as the rest of the world is concerned - and yet our local town (10 minutes away, 10K inhabitants) has a large modern Leclerc / ditto Lidl /elderly Intermarche / good Gamm Vert / Briconautes / Chausson / Comai / Gedimat / amazing garden centre / specialist rose grower / several electrical and plumbing specialists / loads of small boutiques and for anything we can’t get from that lot there is Amazon.fr, zooplus, and assorted specialist websites.
Edit: Oh and several good local musicians of several nationalities who get together in various groups to play across the summer in different locations - night markets / restaurants / chateaux.

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Haircutters!! Our local town has two, and the big town at 40km has over 30 of them. I used to go to the local one as she’s a lovely person, but an awful hair cutter, but we just dealt with it. Unfortunately she foisted her apprentice on my OH without warning (after a 30 minute wait) for the same price and he got the most dreadful cut. So we no longer go to her and have been working our way round other haircutters.

My needs are not complex, but I do not want a spiky helmet cut much favoured by the older women in our area. And I do want each side to be the same length. This seems an impossible ask here.

Apart from the the Best of British to me is the Nyetimber I posted on another thread.

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Ugh horrors so tedious if you need a proper haircut and can’t get one.

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A wonderful fine summer’s day afternoon, in green fields or on a green lawn, bumblebees droning as they hang almost stationary in the air atop the waves of heat gently floating up from the ground… several birds just doing likewise further up… hovering. And the gentlest of summer breezes. England on a summer’s day afternoon.

And it’s only 25-28 degrees C.

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I so agree! I only went once to a local hairdresser recommended by a French friend. The (middle-aged) hairdresser immediately thought “this is an old woman, this is how she wants her hair cut”.
I like the Franck Provost hairdresser alongside Leclerc. And I used to use their design books to show them what I wanted. With Covid that stopped, but I’ve got a photo of myself some years back showing a nice crisp , short layered look which the (young) stylists happily follow. Mind you, it’s not cheap, but I only go about twice a year, when I begin to look like Camilla P-B. It means I get my money’s worth. :slight_smile:
OH goes to the one barber in town who scalps him, but I’ve grown to like the look - he still has hair, so it looks good with a tight crop.
I think we have about 15 hairdressing salons in town and very rarely do I see a decent style. The favourite one being a mullet that has been dyed a particularly intense black or red. :roll_eyes:

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