England oh England a country so great April 23, 2008

Happy St.Georges Day. Winston Churchill Day. Bobby Moore Day. Benjamin Britten Day. In 2005 on the release of my book “England The Light”, I qualified what I thought distinguished England & Englishness. 3 years on I think the list holds true :

1. Our football
2. Our variety of peoples
3. Landscape / coastline
4. Language
5. Humour
6. Determination
7. Music
8. Industry
9. Justice
10. Our love of home as the ultimate freedom
11. Drinking water from every tap
12. The national health service
13. Decent bogs
14. Free admission to museums (!)

I might just add, expanding on the fabulous coastline and landscape virtue – and following on a recent ridiculous ‘survey’ by The Daily Mail or such like giving the best places to live in England (and putting Buckinghamshire as Number One!!!), here are mine own best Counties in which to live and breathe and die – having travelled more than most :
1. Cumbria
2. Northumbria
3. Somerset
4. Wiltshire
5. Derbyshire
6. Shropshire
7. West Sussex
8. Herefordshire
9. Devon
10. London – whatever county that constitutes!