View from the other side...of life in general

by Nancy Halverson

Greetings from an island in the middle of the Gulf Stream. Well, not exactly the middle, but we're greatly affected by it. England's dreary in winter, not quite cold and fresh, more like soggy and bleak. Forecasts are amusing here -- 'sunshine and rain' or 'organized bands of rain' -- broadcasters say it like it makes sense.

Travel

We were so happy to get on a train and venture across the channel for Christmas and New Years. Sunny Alsace (a town called Colmar) was our destination for Christmas, and we weren't disappointed. Cold and clear, with lots of beautiful buildings and squares, great food and wonderful wine. I'm hopeful that we can go back to France soon, and often.

The second leg of our journey was a drive through Germany to a small city near Nurnberg in Bavaria. We were visiting friends and enjoyed a lovely winter holiday. Skating, walks through historic towns (500 year old buildings still being used as shops and restaurants) and gluwein -- a warm type of spiced red wine. Okay, lots of gluwein. And we loved it!

Travel to Europe was supposed to be one of the reasons that we moved here, but it's just not as easy as all that. Now that I'm working, we can finally afford it, although it's still expensive. Still, we've got a tent ready to go, now we just have to plan a trip. After we get the house together -- renovations are coming our way, even though we just moved in.

Work

My job continues to keep my brain busy. Lots of dull tasks keep getting in the way of the interesting bits -- which probably means I'm settling in just fine. I still can't get near the design people, but I'm getting paid to put words together, so I've still got one of my career-goals in hand. My work life has been complicated by the addition of a regular exercise routine. I know some of you won't believe it, but I'm actually going to the gym at 7:30 am, three mornings a week. It's a difficult adjustment, and it's still tough getting up sometimes, but it's just one more element this aging body requires.

Life in General

Here are some of the things I'm getting used to:

Roundabouts

At first we didn't know which lane to get into, but now, we can even do 'em backwards (i.e., the other side of the road, in France). Traffic usually moves quite well around them, except when they put lights on the approach -- then it's just a complete mess.

Poufy hair

Humidity (even in winter) that makes my hair curl. Uncontrollable frizz. But I just don't care anymore, it's just impossible to work with.

Free-form parking

Park anywhere you can find space. Sidewalks, no parking zones, traffic humps. This city was built for buses, 10p a ride, no driveways, no parking - and then Thatcher privatized them. Now everyone drives 'cause it's cheaper than the bus fares, and it's such a mess. Makes for interesting driving.

Giving way to the more expensive car 

Narrow roads and lots of cars parked on both sides of the road means one lane a lot of the time. Some people think that you need to give way to the driver who's going uphill, but I'm pretty sure that Jag and Benz drivers consider it an insult if you don't let them by.

Spelling "ization" with an 's' and having Word try to correct it. 

We're used to that already, spelling things in Canadian. Still, it took a while to get used to.

Words like 'posh' 'toff' and 'tosser' creeping into my speech. 

I even say tom-ah-to when I'm in English company. Can't quite bring myself to say 'bloke' or 'cheers' yet though.

Hearing my children

They speak with English accents with their friends when they don't know I'm around.

Really good dramatic television series that last only six episodes. 

Oh, and I'm at least six months behind in any good North American TV shows. Few, I know, but there are some.

Moving things

I move things out of the way to get to whatever is stored behind or under them. Space is at a premium in these houses -- and storage space is gold. Daily chores always involve moving something out of the way.

Laundry in the kitchen

I still don't like it, since the machine's loud and rattles the dishes, but at least I have a washing machine!

No central heating

Our boiler died in mid-December, and we've been waiting for quotes on a replacement. We're heating a few rooms, and when it's not too cold outside, we're quite comfortable. It's astonishing to think that a house can exist without heat, but it's quite easy to live with just three heaters. We'll see what happens when the temperature goes down!

Thanks

Thanks to all the people who've been writing me -- I am enjoying hearing from you. It's tough to get my head around the whole ocean thing separating me from my past life, I get the emails from Paul and read about your next meeting, and it's so hard to believe that I can't just drive for a while to get to see you all. Who's working on that transporter?