- you hide behind the sofa when you hear the 'Dr Who' theme tune;
- you form an orderly queue, even if it's to ask what the queue is for;
- you apologise to lampposts when you walk into them;
- your guilty pleasure on a Sunday is 'The Archers Omnibus' on the BBC iPlayer;
- your spend your ride home from work thinking about the cuppa you'll brew when you get in;
- you know how to make a 'proper' cup of tea;
- by early September, you're nostalgic for the sound of rain;
- you finish a frappe (Greek iced coffee) is less time than it takes your Greek friends to smoke a cigarette;
- your suitcase is packed and standing by the front door two weeks before you travel anywhere;
- you miss picking blackberries from the hedgerows in September;
- you crave custard;
- you're hooked on sarcasm and irony, even though no-one 'gets it' here;
- you refuse to believe that going barefoot will bring about the end of the world;
- you have no "meso" (connections with folk to pull strings) and frankly don't care;
- you have just one watch, but you're never late;
- you lament the quality of Greek children's TV compared to 'Blue Peter' circa 1976;
- you forget Name Days but remember everyone's birthdays (even when THEY forget);
- you feel uncomfortable with patriotic displays of flag waving;
- you can't take the Eurovision Song Contest seriously - Terry Wogan's commentary still haunts you;
- you say "actually" far too much;
- your ancestors were banging rocks together when Socrates was downing his cup of hemlock;
- you do "British stroppy" oh-so-VERY-well;
- no-one else in your family has the same name as you;
- you enjoy 'cheap & cheerful';
- you're not embarrassed to invite friends for a meal and not have the table collapse under the weight of the dishes;
- you miss autumn mists;
- you like Marmite!
Some folk say I'm virtually Greek by now, but they're wrong.
For all the reasons listed above - and plenty more besides - there is a part of me that is Forever England, like it or not.
The Wonderman bought a new kettle over the weekend after an argument... "A cup of tea aids diplomacy and reconciliation" he said. Bless him. :)
ReplyDeleteA great list, having read it. I am a true Brit! I love the one about the queue!
ReplyDeleteMich x
That's a fab list, and so, so true.
ReplyDeleteI read such a list about people born in the 80s, felt so true and I felt like being watched :)
ReplyDeleteI am not English, obviously, but had so much fun reading your list. I would love to be English, even if just for some of the reasons you wrote up there.
The 80s? I was all done with most of my growing up by then! Child of the mid-60s, that's me.
ReplyDeleteBut I guess some things are timeless, eh?
I lived in the Canaries for a while and was amazed by how quickly I craved rain. Now I rarely moan about it. That, the Archers and the NHS - wonderful, wonderful things
ReplyDeleteLuckily for me, I never really had enormous need of the good old NHS - but it was certainly comforting knowing it was if I ever did.
ReplyDeleteI have to add that it gives me enormous joy that, despite himself, my Greek-born & bred son knows The Archers music and can sometimes be heard singing it to himself when he thinks no-one can hear him.
There's a little bit of England inplanted there too!
Hi! Just visiting having spotted you on Fran's 'Being Me' blog.
ReplyDeleteCustard! How true. I lived in Israel for a while and yearned for it, but also developed a very odd craving... for carpet! These hot Med countries just don't do wall to wall.
Word verification: anicepu ... I'm being careful how I say it!