The Wednesday Hodgepodge #62

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. What do you love most about your country?

There is so much to love about England, I could think I could write a whole blog post about everything that I love.

I think one of my favourite things about England is how close everything is. From where I live I can be in a big city, at the beach or deep in the countryside in under an hour and that is by just using public transport. I could be in London in just over 2 hours and in a whole different country soon after that. Wales and Scotland are about five hours away and France is about six.

Then there’s the history. It’s everywhere. You don’t even have to go looking for it, you’ll just be walking along and suddenly there’s a church that has been standing longer than most countries have existed. There are the castles, Roman walls, cobbled streets and it is all just part of everyday life.

I also have to mention the food. Sunday roasts, all-day breakfasts, fish and chips by the seaside, mince pies at Christmas, hot cross buns at Easter, Afternoon Teas for when you want to feel fancy and of course, baked beans on toast!

2. Your favorite patriotic song?

My first thought was Land of Hope and Glory but while I was searching for a video on YouTube Jerusalem kept popping up too. How could I forget that? It's one of my dad's favourite songs of all time. Both are linked to Edward Elgar and can often be heard at big sporting events. Both also show up in the Last Night of the Proms which is one of those British traditions that doesn't really make sense until you watch it. If you’ve never seen it, it’s not your usual quiet classical concert where everyone sits politely. It’s more like a big musical celebration where people sing along, wave flags and get properly involved. The Proms itself runs across the summer, ending with that final night in September. When it comes on TV it always feels like the end of summer.

3. Red, white, or blue? Stars or stripes? Something you own besides a US flag with some combination of those colors or decorations as part of its design?

I had to laugh at this one because I realised I don’t actually own anything that combines all three colours in a single design. I have lots of red, white or blue clothes but none all together. My wardrobe does have a lot of stripes though. Tops, jumpers and the odd dress. I don’t think I own a single star patterned item.

4. What's one thing you want more of this summer: fun, rest, adventure, connection, quiet, or confidence? Elaborate.

I think I want a bit more adventure but nothing too big and exciting. I want to change our routine a little and say yes to things we normally talk about but never actually do. Things like going on a day trip somewhere that we've been talking about for years but never actually go on, trying a new cafe instead of our usual one, walking a different route and ending up somewhere I didn’t plan to be.

5. What was your ultimate, go-to summer activity when you were a kid? Do you still do any version of that today? If you answered yes, does participating in this activity as an adult make you feel like a kid?

Camping out with friends. I lived on a farm, so there were plenty of fields where we could pop a tent up and my brother and I even renovated a half-built shed to make it somewhere we could camp out. My friends and my brother and his friends had great fun! I think the most we ever had were about six of us all crammed in with sleeping bags and talking and laughing all night until the sun came up. The best part came in the morning where we would build a little fire and cook our own breakfast. We would cook bacon, sausages, eggs, fried bread and baked beans. Everything tasted better cooked outdoors.

As an adult, I have camped a couple of times and hated it. Once was at a beach where everything was covered in sand and it was too windy and another time was at a proper campsite but it was just too cold. I think the older I have got, the more I like my home comforts and own bed. We have a fantastic tent in the garage, so there is no reason why we can't go camping again but camping as an adult makes me feel grumpy. It was definitely more fun when I was a kid!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This week is a strange one. My eldest took Monday, Tuesday and Saturday off work, which means she is off for the whole week because of the way her shifts work. My fella has Friday and Saturday off work, which seems odd and my youngest is just coming and going as she pleases, since she has now left college. I am someone who thrives on routine and this week has no routine at all! I've lost track of what day it is and have no idea who I am feeding on what evening.