There’s too much bad news out there and I don’t think we realise how good we actually have it here. So I thought I’d start this thread so we can talk about what we are thankful for in the UK rather than what we dislike.
I think I’ll start: A number of weeks ago I had a bad chest infection. I called my GP, got a ringback, and by the end of the day I had medication (had a family member pick it up for me from the pharmacy which the GP sent the prescription to). Same day treatment, and not a single penny left my pocket. People complain about the NHS, and it has a lot of room for improvement, but they don’t really complain when it does actually work. So I thought I’d shout it out here :)
Also holy shit how did I not mention comedy before?
It’s our national treasure, and no one does it quite the same.
James Acaster <3
I don’t drive, but rarely feel restricted by this. I’m able to get anywhere important to me, just with walking, cycling, buses and trains. I live in London, I know it’s not the same everywhere, but I’m happy that I don’t have to drive.
Town on the south coast and same here, though for me I just cycle, we don’t even have a train station and its often faster to cycle than take the bus.
I have heard people ask how can I afford getting around without a car. Meanwhile their monthly car payments cost more than my bike.
The vast majority of trips are under 5 miles and driven by car. Over £2 for diesel? Couldn’t give a fuck.
I used to be a regular visitor but it’s been a few years, here is what I miss:
- Afternoon Tea
- Theatre, the barbican, westend
- A pint in a pub that hasn’t changed since '97 for some reason (Belfast)
- Full Brekkie
- Greggs sausage rolls
- Chippy tea with minty peas
- Salt and vinegar anything (I can get nice kettle crisps at the shop though)
At least I still get to watch Taskmaster, hope to make it back for a visit soon.
Ulster Fries are the best breakfast 😎
Never been, but thanks for Punk music
Scotland
Wales! It’s absolutely beautiful, the language, the valleys, the mountains, the lakes and beaches. There is a lot of beauty to be found here and not enough people know about it.
Standing on top of a mountain, with a sea view, watching the clouds roll in, swathing the coast. Driving through a temperate rainforest so green and vivid you can -somehow- feel at one with nature while gearshifting. The most rewarding hikes I’ve ever been on. Rain on slate. Warm, welcoming pubs. Enough land to get lost in your solitude and yet enough people to make new friends with later, all in the same 10-mile radius. Wales is fucking amazing.
(No, I don’t work for the Wales tourist board, I just live nearby.)
There’s a huge number of polite and open minded people in the UK who don’t share the racist and bigoted views that seem to consume most of the air time on the telly and on social media these days.
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People are generally friendly and helpful to strangers. It’s worse down south, but still good compared to many other countries, it’s a lot easier to just strike up a conversation.
I always take the worse down south to mean basically London. Because I couldn’t live further south without standing in the sea all the time and to be honest, it’s all pretty friendly and chatty wherever I go, except heading towards London.
Eh, not just about chattiness, but also sort of, treating each other well? Being helpful even if it’s an inconvenience, that sort of thing.
Kent was horrible, Brumland as well. And aye London and all of it’s wider reaches, Surrey and the lot etc., which is basically half of the south.
Still better than many other countries, but it’s just different up north.
We are allowed to spell all our words correctly, and we have some of the best accents in the world :)
Have yourself some Ascii kettles: ⸃▇⦆ ⸃▇⦆ ⸃▇⦆ ⸃▇⦆ ⸃▇⦆
