Saturday, July 09, 2005

Forgive my language but..

.. or, Good Things from Britain #5. Andrew Stuttaford of NRO sent me to this hilarious and touching site with these words: "Here’s one American’s gesture in the wake of the horror in London. It’s oddly moving, very nostalgic, rather nice, and a terrific read, but, not for people troubled by the f word".

You've got that right. But it is a fascinating digest of all that is English, high and low. Warning: in adition to the F word, it has over 900 comments, and is irresistible.

My additions:

Captain Sir Richard Francis and Isabel Burton FUCK YEAH!
Flashman FUCK YEAH!
The Two Fat Ladies, ESPECIALLY Clarissa who defends such unpopular traditional British liberties as fox hunting and coursing-- may they rise again! FUCK YEAH!
Coursing FUCK YEAH!
T H White and The Sword in the Stone FUCK YEAH!
John Buchan FUCK YEAH!
Best London shotguns-- Purdey, Boss, Holland and Holland, Evans-- FUCK YEAH!
The Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford FUCK YEAH!
The Sladmore Galley FUCK YEAH!
Ted Hughes, Philip Larkin (I know they have been done) and Roy Campbell who hasn't FUCK YEAH!
The Mitfords FUCK YEAH!
Evelyn Waugh FUCK YEAH!
Mallory and Irvine FUCK YEAH!
Shipton and Tilman FUCK YEAH!
English lurchers, especially ones bred by David Hancock FUCK YEAH
D. Brian Plummer FUCK YEAH!
Jack Russell terriers FUCK YEAH!
Twitchers FUCK YEAH!
Darwin's heirs: Matt Ridley, Richard Dawkins, William Hamilton, Jonathan Kingdon FUCK YEAH!
Reginald Farrer and all the other plant explorers FUCK YEAH!
Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen FUCK YEAH!
Shackleton FUCK YEAH!
Bruce Chatwin and Redmond O'Hanlon FUCK YEAH!

That'll do until I think of more...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Steve

Thanks for your thoughts for us across the pond .

However, you missed two of the qintissential "English things", namely;

The Full English Breakfast

Hand pumped "Real Ale"

Anonymous said...

Hi Steve

And how could I forget Her Majesty the Queen ! - better than any President, and so many countries would give their eye teeth for her
wisdom, grace and presence

JohnnyUK