THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

As some of you know, I love to travel. I’ve visited lots of interesting places over the years but it’s always good to get home to England or “Blighty” as it’s affectionately known by some of us Brits. As soon as you hear Big Ben’s chimes and see the red buses and black cabs, you know you’re home! It’s always nice to get back after a trip and sit down with a cup of English tea. It never tastes the same abroad. Also favourite things like HP sauce, Bisto gravy granules, Marmite and Cadburys chocolate are virtually unheard of in some parts of the world. One of the things I particularly like about England is the fact we have a Royal family and a Monarch to rule over us. Despite having just celebrated her 80th birthday, the Queen shows no signs of slowing down and is still one of the hardest working members of the Royal family. We badly need a change of government but you can’t have everything in this life! England is also the land that gave us Shakespeare and many other famous writers including Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Barbara Taylor Bradford and Harry Potter’s creator J K Rowling. Screen icons Elizabeth Taylor and Bob Hope were both born here. Lots of great bands have also originated here including The Beatles, The Rowling Stones, Queen and Oasis.

England has a special place in a lot of people’s hearts including mine. Singer Tom Jones missed the “green green grass of home” so much that he had a red telephone box shipped over to his American home which now takes pride of place in his back garden, a nostalgic reminder of his English roots. Sadly the famous red telephone boxes have now been replaced by newer more modern looking boxes. With the invention of mobiles, phone boxes are now a rare site in England. Thankfully some red postboxes still remain. There's no place like home!