Leaving England – 20 Things I’ll Miss

Lords Crciket Ground

Just 2 more working days in the office, followed by 2 days packing up the flat and a whirlwind visit to NYC, and then I’m off to start a new life in Seattle.

People have asked what I’m looking forward to about Seattle, but in this post I’ll say what I’m going to miss about Blighty:

1) English Cricket – there’s nothing like a beery day out at Lords (see above) and The Oval.

2) Real Ale – I know Seattle has some great micro-breweries but there’s few beers better than Sharp’s from Cornwall or Harvey’s from Sussex.

3) Richmond Park – so many memories of sunny (and snowy) walks among the deer and training for the London Marathon.

4) BBC Breakfast – just the best news and current affairs program to get you slowly eased into the day. Not sure I’m ready for CNN on a regular AM basis!

5) English Country Pubs – we had such a great weekend recently saying goodbye to family and friends in Sussex. Who’d not want to spend every night in The Brewer’s Arms?

seaford head

6) Seaford Head – breath-taking views in the south of England of Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters. If we’re there, it usually means we’re recovering from an evening with my brother Paul and his delightful family, or we’re about to hit his cheap red wine!

7) Fish and Chips – in paper of course!

8) Tony Swaitland – local butcher in East Sheen who always, always asks you how you’re going to cook his meat. His free range, organic turkey at Thanksgiving 2009, converted Ashley’s entire family.

9) London Cabbies – seriously not sure how I’ll cope in Seattle without being able to flag down, after a big night out, a black cab who’ll take me anywhere and know exactly where anywhere is!

10) Cornish Pasties

haytor-devon

11) The West Country – Devon, Cornwall and Somerset – where my family live and have lived. I’ll never forget Ashley’s reaction to moorland, like Haytor above where we got engaged, which is beautiful geography that simply doesn’t exist in the US.

12) Rugby – a bit like American Football but for fearless, real men! [runs for cover….]

13) British Drama – we were gripped by Waking The Dead last night, plus all the costume stuff like Downton Abbey.

14) British Comedy – need I say more? MORE! Hahahahah…….ha…….

15) Trains – I won’t miss the London Underground, but I do love the train. Always so easy to hop aboard, snooze, read the paper, sip a can of lager and arrive the other end in tact, rested and raring to go!

nice-cote-dazur

16) Europe – being able to hop on a plane for £50 and in 90 minutes be in Nice (above) or Tuscany or Vienna or Paris or Dublin or Munich or or or or or…..

17) Proper chocolate – nothing beats Cadbury’s or some of the stuff out of Bruges or Switzerland. Kraft better not screw it up!

18) Sarcasm and irony – wondering if I’ll have to temper my gravity towards wit and candour to get a point across. Hope not!

english-breakfast

19) The great British fry up – this morning Ashley said she was looking forward to American breakfasts again! And what is wrong with the above exactly???

20) All my fabulous friends and family that can’t wait to see the back of me, [wipes a tear from keyboard], all my colleagues in the London office and the incredible breadth and depth of talent that is the digital advertising industry in the UK.

I’ll miss more, as my cricket batting average last summer demonstrates particularly well, but later this week I’ll joy down what I’m looking forward to about the Rainy City!

7 Comments

  • Sarah Carling

    I can honestly say that after 5 months in Vancouver, the only things I’m missing on that list are 2, 5, & 18. Cadburys you can certainly get over this side of the border, so if you want a monthly order posting I’d be happy to (seriously life without cadburys would be one of my worst nightmares) I also managed to find a real fish and chip shop (Score!) and have been introducing the locals to proper pies! The TV I haven’t been missing so much, but then Netflix has a surprising amount of it available.

    Reply Posted 13 years ago
  • Lorna Harris

    Oh, you just made me so homesick!

    Hope the move goes well and safe journey.

    Reply Posted 13 years ago
  • Johnny Gedye

    Have a fab time – best of luck!

    Reply Posted 13 years ago
  • Adrian Bold

    What a lovely review. You should work for UK tourism board!

    I hope your move goes well and that you settle back in to US life in Seattle soon enough.

    Reply Posted 13 years ago
  • brad

    Mel,

    I completely missed the fact you were moving (and missed you at SES London).

    Good luck on the move and the life in Seattle.

    We’ll have to catch up one of these days,
    brad

    Reply Posted 13 years ago
  • frequent flyer

    I miss the nightlife in Cardiff. I’ve only been once but I loved it. I think the excitement right before my flight to Cardiff was so nerve racking that once I arrived I was numb! Gotta back, soon!

    Reply Posted 13 years ago
  • Lindy

    Hi, My husband is from England and he lives in America with me now and there are places here you can order Cornish Pasties that are made by people from England (that live here now) online and have them sent via post ( Refrigerated).

    Reply Posted 13 years ago

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