The grass is always greener, in January

God, I feel just awful, I still have not shaken this cold, every morning I wake up feeling like I need to use a plunger on my face, although I am not sure if this is my dust allergy playing up or just cold aftermath, coupled with that I still have cabin fever (Still, have not managed to go skiing, but hopefully will ski on Sunday)  I am also feeling the need to travel somewhere, anywhere, I just fancy a change of scene, but this is all due to the fact that it is January and I believe last Tuesday was officially the most depressing day of the year.

I have also been feeling nostalgic for Blighty, I am sure this has something to do with the fact that I have recently been watching an unhealthy amount of British TV and have become hooked on programs like Escape to the country, Bargain hunt, and various others which are too embarrassing to mention......sad.

In my nostalgic mood I have been thinking about the things I miss most about Britain, this is a question I am frequently asked by visiting friends and family, so here is a list of the top five:



 1.  Country Pubs.  I love to go for a slap up meal in a lovely country pub, followed by a long walk in the British countryside, returning to the pub for coffee and a sundowner.

Photograph's from The Blue Lion at East Witton Website (A particular favourite).

2.   Food.  Yep, fish and chips, a really good curry, Thai and Chinese. They do have Indian, Chinese and Thai food in France but sadly not in our region. Indian and Thai don't have the same flavours, as most French palettes cannot take hot, spicy food.

3.  The British Sense of Humour and Public Spirit.  I think most British ex pats living in France will know what I mean.

4.  Less Bureaucracy.  Everything is so much easier in the UK from setting up a business to registering your car.

5.  Boots the Chemist.  Strange I know, but I really miss going to Boots for a tube of toothpaste and emerging with twenty things that I had not intended to buy and fifty quid lighter.

Please don't get me wrong there are lots of things I love about France, but I am saving that for another post, in the meantime if there are any ex pats from anywhere,  living anywhere, reading this post, please tell me about the things you miss from your country of origin.