Hello dear friends,
So sorry we have been so quiet, it's just that we have had so many wonderful things to do and experience, and with both of us working there is little time to record it all! It is an absolute joy to record our experiences here, so we will keep on doing so and hope that all of you are patient enough to come back and check from time to time to see how things are going. And of course I always say I promise to keep it up and we will, just maybe a little slower than intended.
So where do we start? Well, Sunday evenings are about the slowest moments we have at the moment. Sammy is working hard at the Borough of Poole and my work is keeping me very busy and also giving me the opportunity to see a real mix of English countryside and towns. Autumn has finally arrived in full swing and the colours of autumn are fantastic to see as I drive up and down the nations highways. The rich tapestry of browns and oranges make Mud Island a very pretty place to be at this time of year. That got me thinking the other day, and I asked Sammy to help me put a list together of the things we love the most about living here so far. And for good humour, we have also added in a few of the things we don't like, as its never all roses no matter where you live.
Our list of things we love so far in no particular order:
1. The mind blowingly beautiful countryside, both in Spring, Summer and now Autumn. From Durdle Door to Hengistbury Head (a story for another post, soon I promise!) From Corfe Castle to Sandown Racecourse we have seen and done so much in our short time here, and it is all breathtaking.
2. The weather so far....no really!!!! Ok we have been lucky with the driest Spring in 26 years, but even the Summer which was apparently one of the wettest in a while, was completely fine. Having said that, I have no doubt that the Winter will put us right, but in the meantime, seriously it rains more in Durban.
3. No bank or medical charges. Such a refreshing change from the daylight robbery back in SA. No ATM charges and no admin charges for this and admin charges for that. No charges for visiting the doctor and paying him large sums of money to tell you what you already know, that you are sick. (Thanks Doc I knew that before I came to see you, that's why I made the appointment!)
4. Transparency in Politics. No place to hide here, no matter what your political views or the day to day controversies any government faces, if you get found out here in England, there is only one way, and that is out. None of this hanging on and believing that a bald faced lie of a denial will see you through, put your toe out of line and you are history. As a good Saffer would say "Finished and klaar"
5. Everyday driving - mostly, and I say mostly because there is always one, mostly drivers are considerate and careful. Sure we have middle lane hogs and the occasional tailgater, but we have no Taxi's and that is worth a lifetime of moving on it's own! For my Brit mates, the Taxi's I refer to are minivans in SA known for their blatant disregard for the law and their fellow man and they are the scourge of the earth.
6. All our new friends who have shown us amazing sights, invited us into their homes, unearthed great and reasonable restaurants, recommended incredible vista's and views and colleagues who have embraced us and accepted us freely into the working life here. Some colleagues have rapidly become friends and we are loving that too.
What we don't like all that much thanks:
1. I mentioned the free bank charges and medical. Well in complete contrast, the Brits are the "Olympic Champions at taking the piss" as a good friend Mazza put it, when it comes to charging for anything else. Sammy summed it up brilliantly too. "Here you will be charged for everything from Poppadums to Parking". Want to use a nice clean public toilet? Chances are that will cost you 50p. Bottomless coffee? No ways, why would we only charge you for one cup when we can charge you the same amount for every extra cup. Oh and no free bread or poppadums in a restaurant, that comes at an extra charge. Shopping can be a lot cheaper than in SA, but if you don't concentrate, you will get charged for just thinking about it. Parking is completely insane, its the one area where the Brits are serious specialists at overcharging. That and franchised coffee outlets lead the way.
2. Health and Safety rules, which I have taken the mickey out of in one of my first blog posts are seriously silly in most cases and hold the country back in my opinion. One of the latest ludicrous examples is a school that has banned normal footballs and replaced them with sponge footballs in case someone gets hurt. In England, football MAD England. Insanity!!!
3. Parking Attendants/Inspectors - these are people who must have been abandoned as children and left to take out their insecurities on unsuspecting parkers. If you are even 30 seconds over your time, you can be absolutely certain a slimy little weed of a man/woman will appear from nowhere to fine you £50 for a £2 parking fee. It drives everyone mad and even Sammy and I get a bit spirited in our criticism of them!
So there you have some of our thoughts, and we have so many other stories and adventures to get to with pictures, I will try to get some of them on the blog as soon as we can. In the meantime, much love from both of us, Rich and Sammy
