Being English

I do love being English. Oh I don't have your Oxford vowels or speak the Queen's English (whatever that might be) but to be instantly recognisable as an Englishwoman makes me proud.

I love the Royal family, all of them in their own way, and it grieves me when foreign newspapers start dredging up smut and sensationalism around them.

Sometimes it's that Prince Charles is a grumpy old man. So? He had an unhappy first marriage (doesn't matter whose fault it was, he was not happy). He has 2 kids who have been a trial to him sometimes, just like anyone else's. Sometimes they are a source of great pride - just like anyone else's. His wife is called everything from a dog to a horse, she's "ugly" her hair is "70's" she's "gauche". I think the Duchess of Cornwall is beautiful but not in a Diana way. She is calm, respectful and clearly adores him. She wears her hair like that because she likes it. Through all the years she has remained discreet and dignified (never mind whether or not there was a torrid affair going on. Their's wasn't the only one.). And she makes him happy. We should be glad about that. He is the man today that he should have been 30 years ago. But he can be grumpy if he wants. He has the right - just like everyone else.

Trooping the Colour? State Opening of Parliament? Lead me to it. Festival of Remembrance? Edinburgh Tattoo? You touch-a ma telly, I smack-a your hands! Oh, and the Last Night of the Proms. There I'll be, in spirit if not in person, waving my little flag and singing along.

I just wish we as a nation were a little less reticent about day-to-day patriotism. I wish office buildings and - at the very least - local government offices flew the flag like they do elsewhere in the world.

I wish we would make something of St. George's day. After all we muscle in on St Andrew's, St. Davids and St Patrick's. What did George do wrong?

I wish it were not so unfashionable to be English. Foreigners think of us as an umbrella-weilding, bowler-wearing troop of hooray Henry's.

Mind you, we always stereotype the French as always riding bicycles and having strings of onions around their necks, berets on their heads and stripey sweaters! Oh and pointy little moustaches.

Germans wear nothing but tiny little leather short pants and they are arrogant! I wonder if they care? I've never met an arrogant German.

We apparently rush out to wash our cars and cut the grass (un coup de grace - see, I know French) the second the sun comes out and we are the only nation on earth, it seems, who never pays a tradesman to come and do our jobs around the house. We wash our own windows, do our own decorating, clean out our own guttering.

Except me, and I get Keith to do it while I watch a Royal wedding! C'est la vie!

.....I made this myself ages ago but can I remember how I dd it?