102 English things to do

Last Christmas Adam’s brother John and his partner Sally gave me the book ‘102 English Things To Do’ by Alex Quick.  I had a lovely scan through it in the days after Christmas, but never really got stuck into reading it properly.

I’ve now had the opportunity to look it more thoroughly and have started making a list of some of the ‘things’ I’d like to do, particularly over the next few months.

My first ever trip to the England was in 2010 as part of a month long holiday through England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and France. I ticked off quite a few things on the ‘England to do’ list during that holiday including: 84) Visit Parliament, 87) Visit Anne Hathaway’s cottage, 88) Visit Hadrian’s Wall, 90) Visit Stonehenge, 94) Eat a Full English, 95) Eat fish and chips and 97) Eat a real Cornish pasty made in Cornwall.

Other things are a fairly routine part of life, like 92) Have a nice cup of tea.  Adam and I are both partial to a cuppa, often several times a day. On a recent work trip to London Adam surprised me a present – a bag of  Australia brand, T2’s, Melbourne Breakfast teabags. We discovered very early on in our relationship that we both loved that particular tea (I thought it was a good sign!) and were sad when we had to leave our supply of Melbourne Breakfast loose leaf tea leaves with my parents in Mackay before we flew to England. We save our special teabags for Sundays or days off, when we can linger over our mugs, so I think that counts as a ‘nice cup of tea’.

I’ve also knocked over a few things, since moving to England. Number 68) Celebrate Guy Fawkes’ Night, which I did back in November and 86) Visit an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) – which Malvern itself and its hills sit right in!

A few of the ‘things’ I think are quite achievable over the spring and summer like – 25) Go to sleep in a deck chair on the beach wearing lots of clothes, because of the cold, 37) See a Punch and Judy show, 58) Send a naughty postcard, 64) Go punting at Oxford or Cambridge, 99) Drink traditional cider and 101) Visit a beer festival.

There are probably activities on the list that even the most English of English people haven’t done… so I doubt I’ll get through all 102 things. However the list has provided Adam and I with dozens of ideas for day trips, mini breaks and days out and we’re looking forward to ticking a few more numbers off.

What are some of the typical (or stereotypical!) things to do in your country?!

Finally, for those who celebrate, have a happy Easter! Adam and I are spending Easter camping in the Cotswolds with some friends. More on that next week!