I am so proud to be English!!!

Reasons why:

- Today was declared a National Bank Holiday!!

- British music is utterly glorious

- Everything was so elegant and polite and British

- We still love our Monarchy!

- Kate and William seem a lovely couple and seem to have modernised the Royal family which is lovely

- I love Huw Edwards' accent (Welsh BBC presenter, covering the Royal Wedding)

- Kate and Wills have been named the HRH Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!!!!

- I LOVE the Union Jack

- We ate way too much today: Trifle and cream and chocolate cake and brambley and apples sausages and a fry up including eggs, bacon, and beans! Mmmmm.

- The village church bells were ringing practically non-stop all day

What a wonderful day!

As much as I absolutely loved my two years in the States, I am so glad that I married an Englishman and came back to live in England. East West Home's Best!

Annoyed with Politics

This week I watched George Osbourne read the new budget. I really enjoyed it- brilliant changes and ideas, hard but necessary cuts and so on. What got me, though, was how everyone else in the House reacted. The jeering, personal attacks, and other rude behaviour was frankly disgusting, and was a complete contradiction to policies of big society, or the new hope that citizens will give more money to charity etc. I know that this has been going on for years, but good politics should surely involve some courtesy? I was under the impression that we elect for MPs people we trust and respect, and who we can look to as role models.

Where on earth can Britain expect to go if even their leaders constantly belittle and pull down each other?? I am Pro-Coalition, but much more strongly anti-rudeness!

I wrote to my local MP to complain!! :)

I swear it's impossible to buy a house

With Ben starting a new job this year we've been talking a lot about money things recently. Ben drew up some preliminary calculations (he does enjoy that!) and it was SCARY... we worked out that after bills and rent and food we'd have about £150 left each month- and we hadn't accounted for anything fun or a holiday or saving anything!!!!

How on earth does anyone manage to buy a house?????!!!! 

Everything seems so stacked against first time buyers!! Last night Ben did a search on the rightmove website for houses and flats in a 5-mile radius of Aberdeen. There was NOTHING for less than £170,000!!! Thank goodness Ben has a good job lined up- at least it won't be impossible. I suppose this is what being newly married is all about- it's going to be fun! I think we'll be renting for a couple more years... :)