Fire and Ice

When I first moved to the UK (almost 13 years ago) I had to learn a lot of things all over again. One of the most useful was to ‘learn’ to drive UK-style. As you probably already know, the UK driving is on the left – and of course I learned to drive on the right. It’s not just a case of sitting on the other side of the car and going though, think about it: all the controls are in the ‘wrong’ place and the mirrors too! Thankfully the foot pedals are the same but things are different enough that I really did have to take lessons and stuff. I had been driving for more than 10 years when I had to do all of this. The actual mechanics of driving were the easiest part – the challenge was learning the new rules and driving decently, at least during the test. (Those that know me will agree that I drive like a lunatic with lots of bad habits. I drive pretty decently now, until I get back home and then all those bad habits and lunacies make an appearance!) Anyway, one thing that was different wa...

This is a beach near Bournemouth (UK) in August: Note the grey skies (remember, this is August!), it was actually chilly enough that day for me to be sitting on the beach with a sweater on. It was very crowded as this was the last weekend of summer holidays so people were determined to get out regardless of the grim weather. Also notice those brightly colored windbreaker things: such a weird thing! My thoughts are, if you need those things you shouldn’t be sitting outside… It didn't deter people though - some children were even swimming in the ice-cold seas and of course you can see all these people sitting out in what is pretty ugly weather. This part of Dorset has some of the few beaches in the UK that actually have sand so at least it was soft to sit on, and not on pebbles which is more common. But the beach is pretty small and everyone is crowded on a very tiny space: imagine what it's like on a NICE day! But anyway, compare this to a photo of Miami Bea...

I was one of the lucky ones – I grew up in a place where it was warm and sunny most of the time, sometimes very hot and rarely uncomfortably cold. During the summer the sun would actually be out all the time, we could count on dry days and the weather was basically never an issue. As you know I moved to the UK a few years ago and basically this is a country that has never really embraced me. From the dismal weather to the uninspired food to the cultural shock, it hasn’t been very easy to love the place. The biggest issue for me is the weather – as I see it it’s 11 months of waiting for summer and one month of huge disappointment, with a few rare sunny days overall. It’s very frustrating. What’s the worst part? When the sun DOES come out and the weather is pleasant I just want to run outside and spend as much time as possible enjoying the sun, the warmth, the lovely feeling of not being cold… but I can’t. The final insult in this sorry saga is that in the UK I have also develo...

I’ve now been living in the UK for over 11 years so although I’m not by any definition English, I do claim to have more than a passing acquaintance with the culture. There are an awful lot of things that baffle me, surprise me or just annoy me about this country but there are also an awful lot of things that I really, really like. I’m feeling generous and happy so here is a list of things I like about England and the UK, in no particular order. The charming regional accents. Sure, sometimes I barely understand what some people are saying (particularly if they are from ‘up North’ or Scottish) but doesn’t it sound lovely? I still can’t tell them apart either – someone could sound Irish to me but they’re actually from Liverpool or whatever – but I do still like listening to all those accents. Indian food. Oh yes, I have grown to love this cuisine, which to me is probably more British than a Sunday roast. It is available pretty much everywhere, in lots...

I’ve finished my Florida album and I think it looks great – it has lots of wonderful memories in it, as well as mementoes and lovely photos. I am well pleased with it and look forward to showing it off – I will even endeavour to take some pictures of it to post here and show it off! I am waiting for the rain to stop, you see, so that I can use nice natural light to take the photos. What’s the big deal with all this rain, by the way? I thought this summer was supposedly going to be the warmest ever, blah, blah, blah but so far nothing. It’s not even been that warm – just soggy, cloudy and miserable. It’s nearly July and so far I have barely used my summer clothes. If it wasn’t for our trip to Florida, I wouldn’t have seen the sun at all this year! People always ask me if I’m getting used to the UK weather and the answer is never simple. I am used to the fact that it will nearly always be unpleasant but that doesn’t mean I don’t suffer. I don’t mind the cold in the winter (after al...

Yesterday was such a beautiful day – and it was my day off so what good timing, hey! Even though it’s mid-October and the weather is certainly cooler now, the sun shone, the sky was blue and the colors of everything were just amazing. I went for a long walk along some of our local linear parks and was just struck by how pretty everything looked. But I didn’t take my camera! To be honest, I did think about it before I left the house but I just wanted to walk and enjoy being outside, rather than concentrating on taking photos. I felt that my walk would become almost a chore, having to compose photos and then print them out to place on a layout. I did have a lovely walk, it was certainly memorable and deserved a special place in my scrapbook but I just thought that somehow recording it would make it less special... does this make any sense? In any case, I do think I should take some photos of Milton Keynes soon. It is such an unusual place here in the UK – a planned city that is successfu...

Something that really, really irritates me is the way clerks here in the UK throw all your change, receipt, cards and anything else back to you in one disorganized pile which they place in one of your hands. I then have to spend a few seconds checking the change myself (because they never ever count it back!!), placing the receipt in the bag with the shopping, the plastic card in its place in my wallet and the change in a separate place. It’s particularly irritating when they hang on to the card even when they don’t need it anymore, just to make sure that it all is returned to you in one huge, messy pile. ARGH! I love the way Americans do it: count the change back, place the receipt in the bag for you and give you back the plastic cards separately, making sure you have enough time to put it all back away. This means that I actually spend less time at their desk because I have time to sort it all out before I walk away. Is it THAT difficult for UK businesses to implement this? It is SO ...

Most kids here in the UK went back to school this week, the trees are turning orange and I need the heating on in the house: must be the fall. While I really do like those fall days when the sky is blue and the air is brisk, there is always a part of me that knows that I won’t really be feeling any warmth for the next 9 or 10 months and it makes me sad. I am a heat-loving, sun freak and have found it hard to cope with these never-ending UK winters. I guess the main reason is that I’m not used to this: back in Monterrey we have 4 seasons: the warm one, the hot one, the changeable one and the cool one. Sure, it does get cold in the winter (and can even get snow in the higher areas) but this only lasts a couple of months, max. By march at the latest we’re all back in t-shirts. I really, really miss the hot days, those endless days when the sun shines all the time, when you really feel like you’re melting in the 40-plus degree heat and when I can just sit and soak it all in. It goes withou...