hoverfly

Hi Drake, I liked your 'pompous jackass' comment about Ramsey, that one gave me a great laugh.

But I guess you are right. He is marketing himself and it seems to work quite well, at least in the USA now that his popularity seems to be waning a little in the UK, at least that is my perception but again, I may be mistaken there.

The same pretty much applies to shows like 'The Apprentice' where some smartass punk with tons of money treats people like s..t. Boy, I am a very laid back person but you talk to me like that and I'd swear blind, you would regret that.

Well, moving to the UK, my wife and I did just that some 4 years ago to retire, not all is gold that glitters and the grass is always greener on the other side, just bear that in mind.

Of course I love Britain and Britons but I also have a lot of issues with the country and its population, as I have had with any country that I have ever lived in and that's a few.

Britons have little or no concept of environmental issues. Now that really gets my bloodpressure up. You walk down our High Street and you'd swear blind you are on a landfill site, it is that filthy. People leave a tobacconist shop with a litter bin outside the front door, yet still, they will almost inevitably throw the wrapper in the street. Why? The flower beds, lovingly arranged by the council gardeners literally flaunt every sweet wrapper there is to be found in Britain. Again, why?

This is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever lived in, the diversity of landscapes, the incredible multicultural population, walking through our town you fee like you are visiting the UN headquarters, that many different languages spoken. Wonderful in my opinion.

Also, Britain lying pretty much in a due north-south direction, it means that the southern tip has a climate like the south of France, almost mediterranean, while the islands in the far north are all but touching the polar circle. I just love this diversity and more so because we have the time and leisure to go out long distance walking in summer and autumn which gives us a true appreciation of all the different landscapes' beauty.

Last year we embarked on the first leg of our attempt to circumwalk Britain. If I remember right, we walked for about 11 weeks in one go. From the Thames Estuary to The Wash at the Norfolk and Lincolnshire border. Probably only about 200 miles as the crow flies but since we tend to stick close to the coast, veering off inland as and when tempted or in search of some place we really want to visit, we more likely clocked up some 5-600 miles or thereabouts. And the natives are truly friendly, that's for sure. The number of times we were asked to stay at a house or on a farm by what were basically complete strangers was wonderful. Britons do like people with an appreciation for their country and of that we have a lot.

Only our cats don't like us doing this. After all, 11 weeks is a long time and it is a huge effort to find someone willing to live-in for such a lengthy periods of time. Still, it is worth it.

Hopefully, sometime in July we'll catch a train up to Kings Lynn, located at The Wash and continue from there. Not sure how far we are going to make it this years, it all depends but we don't feel pressured into achieving anything, apart from having a great time again.

Also a great way to strike up long lasting friendships.

Yep, deeply in love I guess. LOL

Yes, you could say I love my chosen home, well, we both do.

If you ever decide to visit the UK, hit me up but make sure you bring some good sturdy walking boots. I've exchanged my Merc for three pairs of those and two bycicles, so wherever I need to go... it's walking or cycling and the occassional use of public transport, which, allthough never on time, is pretty good, there are few places you can't get a train or bus to.

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