Marie's Web Log

Things I like about England:

The Climate. It's warm enough here in the south to grow palm trees. And you rarely have to shovel snow.

The History. The bus I take into town passes by a section of the old city walls, complete with crumbling tower. Many buildings have plaques that say something like, "On this site in 1390..." The other day I was walking back from town with Amelia in the stroller and I passed by a narrow flight of old stone steps I'd never noticed before. I love stuff like that.

The Mail. Because the postal system is so efficient, you can order almost anything by post - cut flowers, food, plants. Ian and I have signed up for a club that delivers gourmet chocolates in the mail. And you can buy clothes from a range of catalogues without having to worry about US duty and customs. There used to be two mail deliveries a day, but sadly there is now only one. But there is still a delivery on Saturday.

The Landscape. The coastal scenery is spectacular, and even from within the city of Exeter you are often treated to glimpses of the rolling hills beyond.

The Public Transport. Probably not so good in rural areas, but from here I can walk five minutes to get a bus that takes me into town in seven minutes. And the buses come every seven or eight minutes. This is a good thing, as driving can be frustrating (see below).

Things I don't like about England:

The Climate. It does tend to rain a bit here, though I have to say that the last month has been mostly sunny. The weather is very unpredictable - just because it's sunny when you leave the house in the morning doesn't mean it's going to stay that way for more than 15 minutes.

The History. Sometimes being an old country holds you back. Things tend to be done in a particular way because they have always been done that way. Why insist on continuing to drive manual cars, for example? (Yes, I know there is supposedly a performance advantage, but really!) It feels to me that old countries lack a certain sense of opportunity - a sense that anything is possible - that you find in new countries.

The People. There are too many of them, and not enough space to go around. This results in the shops already being overrun at 10 am on a Saturday, and forces you to plan every trip around possible traffic hold-ups and rush hours, even in small towns.

The Driving. It's horrible. I don't know why anyone does it. The roads are narrow and people park on both sides. If you miss your turning you can't just merrily drive to the next side street and turn around. I tried this on the weekend, only to find the side street congested with parked cards, and most driveways roped or chained off. I ended up executing what felt like a million-point turn.

The Recycling. There isn't as much of it, though there is more than when we were here three years ago. But they don't collect yet from where we live, so we have to drive to the recycling centre, which partially defeats the point. And they don't recycle a lot of plastic, though the supermarkets certainly like to encase their vegetables in it.