Observations on life in the UK
Some of the things I liked (in random order):
how green it is everywhere
flowers in all sorts of places
Edinburgh bus services
flying in a propellor plane low enough to see things
the immense variety of packaged fresh foods
wine in 2-glass bottles
incentives for on-time trains
clean buses and bus stops
free wi-fi in unexpected places (like some trains, and pub carparks)
fabulous smells from “chippies”
very specific recycling bins everywhere
smoking bans in all pubs and restaurants
comprehensive free tourist info available everywhere
the accents
efforts of farmers to preserve some of their hedges
huge variety of cheese
warning speed lights in villages (they light up if you are going over the limit)
roadside markers warning of the number of road casualties in that area
free, helpful maps everywhere
being chased by young calves on the other side of a fence
a grouse rising up from the heather at my feet
the names of plants like Rosebay Willowherb (surely the heroine of a romantic novel?)
the names of towns like Quedgely Hardwicke (surely the villainous suitor of Rosebay?)
clean, orderly and well-staffed charity shops in every town
surprisingly clean air and water
Lurpak Spreadable
Some of the things I didn’t like (also in random order):
unhelpful people in the tourist industry
the immensely tempting variety of unhealthy food
getting wet glasses of tepid tap water, even in restaurants and pubs
frequent lack of a top sheet on beds (I often removed the duvet and used the cover instead)
universally complicated and ineffectual showers
stairs everywhere
non-Edinburgh bus services
the only “vegetarian” menu item always having a gloopy cheese sauce (no I’m not, but I sometimes like to pretend I eat healthily)
toilets (everywhere) that don’t flush without about 20 attempts
not having any vegetables or salad with a main course unless ordered separately
