Mike's Brilliant List

As our time in Europe draws to a close, we're starting to look back on our time here and all that we've experienced. Here are some of my favourite things about England ...

• Electric kettles. Fancy a cuppa? Fill it, switch it on, wait a few minutes. Also good for cooking pasta - a faster and more economical way to boil water. We'll definitely get one when we resettle.
• Switched mains. Why doesn't every country do this?
• Flash furnaces. I love that our hot water, as well as our heating, all comes from a little white box in the shed that only turns on when we need it.
• The BBC. Sure, it's taxpayer funded, but it's a source of excellence. Great shows like Doctor Who and Extras. Amazing cinematography of wildlife, sports, pretty much anything in front of the lens. Excellent news and weather forecasting. Outstanding children's programming. And much of it completely free of adverts.
  
• Top Gear. Yes, its main host is a mouthy conservative, and the show can be quite laddish. But when it's on I cannot turn away, and even Margo wants to watch it.
• Newspapers. Half are as embarrassing as any in the States with their scare-mongering ALL CAPITAL HEADLINES and fourth-year reading levels, but the other half are the best researched, most informative and entertaining papers in the English-speaking world.
• Education. Everyone I work with could give a fine presentation on a moment's notice. They all speak and write with articulation and intelligence. It's a bit intimidating; at first I felt at a bit of a disadvantage. Even athletes and rock stars give articulate interviews.
• Cheese
• Butter
• Sausages
• The NHS. It's not perfect, but. Children's prescriptions are free, by law. Most everything is free but for a modest visit charge. There's excellent medical information online. And they fund brilliant, graphic and informative adverts about smoking, auto safety, and drinking that are as eye-catching as any others.
  
• Pay As You Earn. This year Margo and I spent fifteen hours finding and completing a myriad of forms in a complex way of telling the IRS, "here's what we earned even though we know and you know we don't need to pay taxes on it but we have to prove it to you anyway". UK taxes? Handled - we do nothing. Council taxes? It's debited from our account, with no filing.
  
• London's Congestion Charge. It's brilliant to walk quiet streets and see empty parking spaces. Of course, if I had to drive in London I might feel differently ...
  
• English Breakfast