AND FINALLY

Much to see or do ... and hassle free!

‘OH, to be in England...’ any time, because there’s so much to see and do. We packed a lot into six days: first London for the Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery and a visit to my favourite small gallery, Sam Fogg, which specialises in medieval art.

Then two nights in Canterbury; one night in Margate; visit Broadstairs for the Dickens House followed by the inspiring Hurricane and Spitfire memorial Museum near Ramsgate; on to Dungeness and Old Rye, en route to two nights in Hastings; then (on the way home westwards) the lovely little church at Tudeley for the Marc Chagall windows, followed by fascinating Tudor Penshurst Place, where you’re reminded what a monster was Henry VIII.

We admired vintage motor cycles at Cosmo Classics in Hastings and dined with friends. All through we relished history and art, breathed sea air, imagined World War II dogfights over Kent (hooray for the RAF!), and agreed how lucky we are to have such beauty and interest without the tedium of airport security and queues.

Neither of us is good at doing nothing. We share each other’s interests — so the husband gladly accompanies me to uplifting choral evensong in Canterbury Cathedral and I delight in old bikes and planes with him. We have a list of places we haven’t seen together: York, Durham, Newcastle, Lindisfarne, Hadrian’s Wall, Orkney . . . the list is long and life is short.

Do I want to travel abroad? Yes, of course. I’ve journeyed all over the U.S., marvelled at the glories of culture in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany and Portugal, travelled in justpost-Communist Romania, celebrated freedom with Czechs in Prague, had my heart warmed in Ugandan, Kenyan and Ethiopian villages, seen the Niagara Falls frozen and the Taj Mahal in baking sun — and much more. And all those experiences enriched me.

But, as Sir Walter Scott wrote, ‘This is my own, my native land’ — and truly, I love it.

Bel answers readers’ questions on emotional and relationship problems each week. Write to Bel Mooney, Scottish Daily Mail, 20 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6DB, or email bel.mooney@dailymail.co.uk. Names are changed to protect identities. Bel reads all letters but regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence.