Love Britain
They say a picture can paint a thousand words, and it’s true.
It’s also true that a few hundred words can paint a picture of a man and his likes and loves throughout his life. Here are a few rambling words describing the people and things I have loved about growing up British.
Oxford, Big Ben, Brighton, Butlins holiday camps, The National Portrait Gallery, Pease Pottage Services, Stonehenge, Pubs, Trafalgar Square, Waxy’s Little Sister (pub), The Italian Job, Alfie, Michael Caine, George Formby films, Ealing comedies, Quadrophenia, Will Hay films, The Life of Brian, Carry On films, Kitchen sink dramas, Gregory’s Girl, Brighton Rock, Trainspotting, Shaun of the Dead, The Cure, The Clash, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, The Smiths, Pop Will Eat Itself, PJ Harvey, The Wonderstuff, The Sex Pistols, The Specials, The Selecter, Bad Manners, The Bodysnatchers, King Kurt, Madness, The Undertones, Paul Weller, Brewhouse best bitter, Penny Farthings, Union Jack Flag, Dr Martens, Ben Sherman Originals, Red Pillar Boxes, Police Boxes, Scooters, Tea, Cider, This is your life, Opportunity knocks, It’s a knockout, Take Hart, Routemaster Buses, Cornish Pasties, Fish And Chips, Knotted Hankie Headwear, Old-school TVs (no remote, three channels but four buttons(?)), The scary TV test card of a blonde girl and a clown doll, Scones With Cream And Jam (cream first … controversial), Liquorice Allsorts, Outer Spacers, Fizz Bombs, Jammie Dodgers (the original ones, not the rubbish jam rings), Reliant Robins, Canal Boats, Potholes, kebab Kid (Friday night treat), Mini Roundabouts, Traffic Lights, Deep Fried Mars Bars, Seaside Rock, Chips And Gravy, Ploughmans Lunches, Cherry Bakewells, Mr Kipling and his exceedingly good cakes, Bacon Sandwishes, Daddy’s Brown Sauce, Real ale, Buttered Crumpets, Ice Cream Vans, Bulldogs, Mike Reid’s Runaround, Cheggers Plays Pop, Top of the Pops, Tiswas, Football Failures, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Wimbledon, Cricket, Luton Town FC, Mildred Roper, *Mum, Dad, Siblings*, Dangermouse, Penfold, Marathons (not Snickers), John Cleese, Alec Guinness, Geoff Boycott, Neville Staples, Geoff Hurst, George Best, Lou Macari, Ryan Giggs, Gareth Edwards, Alan Wells, Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, Morecambe And Wise, Terry Hall, Johnny Marr, Joe Strummer, Lee Mack, James Bond, Norman Wisdom, Jerry Dammers, Morrissey, David Bowie, Matt Beaumont, Sean Connery, *Joanna & Jessica*, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish, Jim Royle (My Arse!), JRR Tolkien, William Shakespeare, Stephen Fry, Neil, Simon, Will, and Jay (The Inbetweeners), Neil, Rick, Vivian, Mike (The Young Ones), Tommy Cooper, Jocky Wilson, Phil Daniels, Ray Winstone, Kevin Turvey, Paul Calf (Bag of Shite), James Nesbitt, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Isaac Newton, Charlie Chaplin, John Logie Baird, The Ashmolean Museum, University Parks, The Pitt Rivers Museum, 99 Icecream (With Flake And Strawberry Sauce), Apple scrumping, Clipper Breakfast Tea, Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Williams, Spike Milligan, The Goodies, Wayne Rooney, Oxford United FC, The Weather, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Pete Townsend, Roger Daltrey, Mick and Keef, Andy Murray, Sue Barker, Hackney Carriages, Seaside holidays in a caravan in the rain, The Grand National, The FA Cup, Pantomime Dames, Guinness, Spitfire Ale, Spitfires, Blackwells, Bonfire Night, Punting, Keith Lemon, Penguin Books, Wuthering Heights, Kate Bush, Diana Dors, Woolworths (Pic-n-mix), Captain Mainwaring, Pike (Stupid Boy), Radio Rentals, Blockbuster Video, The Oxford versus Cambridge boat race, Bad Air Conditioning, Stationery, Mr Motivator, Sausage Sandwiches, Welsh Rarebit, Argyle Socks, Dr Who, Wurzel Gummidge and Aunt Sally, The English Language (Not The Microsoft Version), Brogues, Bowler Hats, Moaning About Anything & Everything, Queueing (There’s A Reason For It, people), Hovis, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Eccles Cakes, Basil and Sybil Fawlty, Zebra Crossings, Porridge (TV Show), Porridge Oats, Are You Being Served, Mrs Slocombe, Fried Breakfasts, Yorkshire Puddings, Morris Dancers (Mental), Red Phone Box, Driving On The Left, Crunchies, Michael Palin, Late 70s School Discos, Wagon Wheels (chocolate, marshmallow and biscuit), Charlie Magri, Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Grange Hill, Blue Peter, Magpie, Captain Pugwash, Trumpton, The Clangers, Rainbow, Rentaghost, Floella Benjamin, Lenny Henry, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Toyah Wilcox, The Wombles, Jules Holland, Blakey, Butler, Jack, and Olive (On the Buses), Wilfrid Brambell, Harry H. Corbett (Steptoe and Son), The Generation Game, Mr Benn, Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse, Some Mothers do ‘ave ‘em, Yes Minister, Victoria Wood, Citizen Smith, May Morning celebrations, Blackadder and Baldrick, Phil Harding (from Time Team), Curly Wurlys, Nelson, Gavin and Stacie (and the rest of the cast), The Guana Batz, CUD, The IT Crowd, Only Fools and Horses, Victor Meldrew, Sir Humphrey Appleby, Jumpers for goal posts, School sports days, Greg Davies, Alex Horne, Jumble sales, Fred Dibnah, Vic Reeves, and Bob Mortimer to name a few. I could go on, but I won’t.
What or who would paint your world?
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