5 Things I Didn't Miss About Living In The UK And 5 Things I Did! - Hand Luggage Only

After several months in Asia (and a brief stint in Australia), I must say it’s nice to be back home. 🙂 After experiencing a vaste amount of new and different things almost on a daily basis, there’s a really nice and feeling about settling back into the familiar. That being said though, there are also other aspects that I’m not as pleased with. All in all, the UK in general is my ‘great love’ when it comes to countries in the world so take this list with a pinch of sale because, in the words of Clean Bandit (and indeed sung by Jess Glynne)”there’s no place I’d rather be”….

First off, I’ll start off with the things I didn’t miss…

1.) Bees: These little critters turn me into a right uncouth mess whenever they’re spotted. I generally try to avoid wearing cologne on summer afternoon as they just come swooping in an seconds later, there I am running into the distance and flailing like crazy! Bees, you were not missed!

2.) Wasps: Same as above really! I think they’re even worse actually. At least bees give you honey and (in Honey Boo Boo voice) “eerrrrr-one loves a bit of honeeey”.

3.) Hay fever: I never used to have hay fever till about 7 years ago and when it started it just refused to go away. Every summer without fail for the last few years my hay fever has been crazy so I pretty much take antihistamines, anti-itch eye drops, nasal sprays and tissues everywhere I go. I was all prepared when I left for Asia but didn’t get hayfever at all in the past few months. It was #GLORIOUS!

4.) Always packing a jumper… you know, just in case. You can never guarantee what the weather will be like and while it is a great source of fun sometimes, it can kinda be a downer when initially the skies are all nice blue and by evening you’re kinda freezing.

5.) Free WiFi: The UK needs to really step up it’s game on this one! Not only are download speeds higher in places like Singapore but there appears to be free (and fast) WiFi pretty much everywhere! Though to be fair, mobile internet is stepping up it’s game seriously in the UK with 4G services and free tethering on networks like Three.

And to finish things off on a positive note, here are the things I did miss…

1.) People: Friends and family foremost of course but generally, Brits are renowned for being polite and courteous, a quality I generally took for granted until I moved out of the UK for a few months.

2.) Transport Network: It’s so nice to be able to think of visiting Aberdeen (North of the UK) and asides from the price, not have to worry about how I’m going to get there from anywhere in Cornwall (South of the UK).

3.) Pies: Oh. Soooo. Many. Pies! Steak and Ale. Chicken and Leek. Apple Pie. Banoffee Pie. Cottage Pie. Rhubarb Pie. Okay, this is just turning into a list of pies now. You get the point anyway. I missed ‘dem pies!

4.) Long daylight hours: With the summer solstice providing almost 17 hours of daylight in the UK, summertime makes for some really cracking days of fun! 🙂 You start the party while the sun’s still out and when you’re done it’s still light – brilliant!

5.) Fantastic British TV: Friday Night Dinner, Downton Abbey, Mrs Brown’s Boy, The Great British Bake Off, The Graham Norton Show… The list goes on and on! (There are of course equally crappy TV shows in the UK but that’s what your remote control is for #ChangeTheChannel)

I meant to stop at 4 but I just couldn’t! Here are a few more…

6.) Cheese! (Cheese was sooooo expensive in Singapore!)

7.) Cooking! I always made my own meals in the UK (well almost always) but since I’d been travelling pretty much every meal was from a restaurant for the last few months. When I say restaurants, I mean food courts (which are sooooo much cheaper than sit down restaurants).

8.) The juxtaposition of really new buildings with old historic ones. Perhaps even more so after living in Cambridge where some of the buildings are almost 1,000 years old and still as impressive as they must have been when they were first built!