Where In Sussex

It’s so funny in this country how all the time people are like “don’t leave packages/bags/whatever unattended”….. they have automated announcements at all stations, even the shitty little country ones which only about five people use each day, as if someone is going to blow up five cows and three pigs!

When I was in London with Jessica yesterday, they searched us for bombs before letting us on the Millennium Wheel, you’d certainly “spread” your message if you let one off up there!

Here in Britain, we are all actually fairly blasé about being blown to kingdom come by some terrorist or other, I guess it comes from years of being chased by the IRA through the 70s, 80s and 90s. We consider it to be more of a nuisance than anything else. The London Tube bombings were obviously a big, tragic event, but I know of only one person who tells me they wouldn’t use the tube now, and they are someone who never goes to London anyway.

London is a spoilt city now anyway, I went there yesterday, Jesus H Christ it was busy! Tourists everywhere, and this was a cold day in November. I’m glad I don’t go there much in the summer. Outside Buckingham Palace was mobbed by people of all nations. I don’t think that Buckingham Palace is a particularly attractive or grand building really, not compared to some in London, but everyone seemed to think that they had to go there. Why? It’s only one of the Queen’s houses. Do the same crowds hang about outside Windsor Castle, Sandringham or Balmoral? They should certainy declare a “closed season” for London, where it’s Brits only and people on business there.

I notice people are more interested in the buildings for “what” they are, rather than what they “look” like. This is a shame. I find the Palace of Westminster, as most people do, an impressive building (that’s, er, the one with the Westminster Clock (”Big Ben”) on it, for the uneducated), but there were lots of people taking pictures of dumb things, like telephone boxes (big deal) and the gates at the end of Downing Street (where Big Gordon lives), when things like the Cenotaph (which I thought looked great, just after Rememberance Sunday) and the beautiful views through St James’s Park were going un-photographed. I guess people just read some dumb guide book and presume that England is The Queen, Gordon Brown (although most probably still think Tony Blair is “President”), “Big Ben”, Trafalgar Square (although how many know who Nelson is/was) and the Millennium Wheel.

I had a nice day anyway, thank you very much.

Mind the Gap and do NOT leave unattended items on the platforms or train. Thank you.