All Posts in "Month: April 2009"

It’s all over the headlines.  You can’t turn around anywhere without hearing about the swine flu epidemic.  Will it turn pandemic, do you think?  The number of suspected as well as confirmed cases have risen.  How scared are you that it will become a serious crisis?[ad#ad-1]

Some people were speculating that the swine flu is really just another “wag the dog” to get us off the topic of the economy and global recession.  However, the swine flu is worsening the recession by hurting the travel industry.

Maybe I’m a little complacent about this epidemic right now because of my location.  We live out in the villages, away from densely-populated city centers, so the risk is rather low.  No one around us has been on holiday in Mexico and if they had, we hardly come into contact with anyone except through school and the gym.  Am I reasonable or is this just a false sense of security?

I’d like to know how my colleagues out there feel about this epidemic.

Yank by — April 30, 2009 in My Journey 4

Our oldest daughter had an eye exam yesterday.  She had been complaining of not seeing far very well.  At first, it seemed like she was pretending, just to get glasses.  But soon, she started to complain more.  Finally, we booked her in for an eye exam.  Before we could get in, one of her teachers noticed that she had trouble seeing the board from her seat, which is located near the back.  (She was placed there due to her academic abilities.)  So, I was prepared to hear that she would need glasses, at least for distance vision.

And she did.  What I was not prepared for was the NHS benefits for those under 16.  Not only was the eye exam free, but she automatically qualified for a voucher for her glasses.  This entitled her to free or reduced-price eyeglasses.  There was no paperwork to fill out, no claims to make, no declaration of financial need.  All children under 16 have these basic entitlements.  It was wonderful.  It wasn’t too long ago that I had my own eyes checked at the optician’s and had to buy new glasses, so I was well aware of the costs involved.

I completely understand the attraction of free medical care and it is a big plus in the UK. I have not experienced medical care here, so I cannot comment on the quality.  However, I wouldn’t expect it to be any different from the US.  The natives may complain of the wait in some cases, but that does not sound too different from the US, either.  Of course, there are lots of taxes over here.  But if you expect certain fundamental benefits, that is one of the things that must be accepted.

The other thing I was not prepared to hear was that she will need an eye exam every 6 months until her vision stabilises.  Apparently, children’s eyes can change quite drastically in a short time. (Sigh.)  I can’t imagine going through childhood with glasses.  I know many do, but in my family, those of us wearing glasses did not need them until adulthood.  She can’t wait to get her glasses.

Yank by — April 29, 2009 in My Journey 3

I remember years ago, while watching a sports game, my husband commented on the American habit of jeering and taunting the opposition.  He couldn’t understand it because it was just not done in England.  Of course, this usually occurred only in professional sports.  But, then, you notice how parents and, sometimes, coaches can get riled up in amateur team sports.  These people are all supposed to be role models for our young athletes.

I don’t follow sports much.  But I remember a news story a few months back about how parents here in the UK were becoming extremely competitive (more so than the athletes) and aggressive at tennis matches.  Then, just last week, a talk show host brought up the issue of bad behaviour amongst athletes and their fans at football (soccer) matches.  They noticed this most especially with football, but not cricket or rugby.  It’s very interesting the trend that is developing.

Growing up in the US and having witnessed the taunting, I never thought twice about it.  When my husband suggested that fans applauded good effort on the part of their opponents, I thought it sounded strange.  After all, it’s a competition, isn’t it?  You’re supposed to support your team and want them to win, right?  Why cheer on the opponent?  Well, it has nothing to do with supporting the opposition.  It has to do with showing good sportsmanship.  Giving credit where credit was due.  You see post-game interviews and those who show good sportsmanship will praise their opponents.  If they’ve won, it’s a lot easier for most players to be generous.  But when they’ve lost, I have more respect for the players who say, “They beat us because they were a better team” or “They played better”, rather than “We lost because we didn’t play hard enough.”  It’s as if the latter group was saying they were better but they just couldn’t be bothered to put in the effort.  A very arrogant attitude.

One of the ways schools are trying to teach good sportsmanship is by applying the mercy rule.  It’s already been in effect in some areas, but they are trying to widen it.  It basically means that if a team is ahead by so many points, then the game is forfeited.  I’m not sure this is a very good idea as it may teach kids to give up when the going gets tough.  It’s probably best just to let them play it out and everybody shake hands at the end.  I wouldn’t advocate that the winning team let up in their efforts either.  They should just play the “benchwarmers” at that point.  Then, everyone gets a chance to participate.

Though the jeering may have infiltrated British sports, to the dismay of the general public, I don’t believe that cheering for their opponents will ever take in the US.  The mentality is so different.  Society has changed somewhat in the UK, but I do hope that they don’t lose their sense of sportsmanship.  It somehow sets them apart.

Yank by — April 27, 2009 in Leisure 2

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Flying into England during the summer months, we could see fields of yellow interspersed in the fields of green.  We have never been able to identify the crop.  As we drove around the countryside, we saw that the yellow plants were flowers of some kind.  Sometimes, those plants can be scattered along the roadside.  My first impression is that they looked like some weeds, or wildflowers that used to grow in our backyard in America.  But I can’t believe that farmers would be planting fields and fields of them.  As we drive by, sometimes we can detect a fragrance from them, but it’s hard to say whether it was actually from the plants.  You see, it’s not exactly a pleasant fragrance, like you would expect from flowers.  (Then again, I don’t think all flowers have pleasant fragrances.  Take marigolds, for example.)

Now that spring is here, I’m starting to see those yellow fields again.  During the winter months, those same fields looked fallow and I never suspected that they would be growing these plants in the spring.  So, what are they?  I haven’t found anyone who might know.

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Yank by — April 23, 2009 in My Journey 4

As the green campaign is very important in the EU, we’d like to do our part.  Our grass, which stayed green throughout the whole winter practically, shot up in the last month.  It is nearly a foot in some areas, with the weeds even higher.  We don’t have a lawnmower and it seems a waste to get one.  We would have no place to store it anyway.  The edge of the lawn by the fences are nice and trim due to the sheep sticking their heads through and feeding to their content.

We had considered letting the sheep graze on the lawn to keep it low.  We see that they are doing a wonderful job along the edge.  But we worry about the smell and mess of sheep manure.  After all, the kids still like to run around in their barefeet.  The landlord had even suggested this option when he saw the lawn, so he would have no problems with it.  It’s been rather tricky catching the farmer, though.  He visits once or twice a day, very briefly to do what he has to do.

In the last couple days, one of the lambs has found his way outside of the gates and was grazing on common grass areas.  I was tempted to lure him into our yard and let him feed, but the sheep and lambs are still somewhat wary of us (except for the flocks that chased us in the fields).  Even the ones feeding on the edge would turn and rush away when we open the front door.

As I said, we’d like to do our part to reduce carbon emissions and there’s no greener lawnmower than a sheep or goat.  We just need to resolve the manure issue.  Oh, and get the farmer’s permission as well.  We wouldn’t want him to think we were stealing his animals.

Yank by — April 22, 2009 in My Journey 4

As the weather gets warmer, we need to prepare for the invasion of the those pesky flying insects again.  Now, in the US, we usually get flies, then later in the summer we get the mosquitoes.  Here, since the weather gets warmer earlier and stays warmer later in the year, we have a longer period of flies, mosquitoes, midges, moths and other flying insects which I have yet to identify.  I have already talked about the “killer gnats”, so I really don’t want to get on the topic of insects again.[ad#ad-1]

What I would like to mention is the lack of screens on windows and doors.  Screens seem to be the mainstay of windows in the US and most houses also have screen doors on the outside.  This is to keep out the flying insects
when you want to open the windows or doors for fresh air.  This, of course, does not prevent insects from getting through when you go in and out of the doors.  But it does cut down on a lot of entry at other times.  I have yet to see a screen here.  And they can’t say it’s because they don’t have flying insects.  I don’t know what the reasoning is behind the lack of screens.

One of the features of windows that I see advertised quite frequently is double-glazing.  Essentially, it is two layers of glass, which is supposed to cut down on draughts and hold in heat.  We are not fortunate enough to have double-glazing on our windows, which may in part explain the temperature of the house during the winter months.  But, I cannot comment on how it affects the temperature during the summer months.  We had covered the windows with a semi-transparent plastic drop sheet for the winter (and have not removed them yet) and when the sun comes through, it really heats up the room.  I can just imagine what double-glazing would do.

Yank by — April 20, 2009 in Housing 2

It is funny that I had expounded on the lack of potholes earlier in my British experience.  I did mention that there were a few potholes to be found after our winter storm, but it was nothing in comparison to the US.  The potholes we have experienced were mostly off on the sides of the roads and in parking areas in the Ashdown Forest.

But now, it appears that some council areas in the UK are full of potholes.  Yet, these councils refuse to have the holes filled in.  In fact, they are using them as speed deterrents.  Can you imagine that?  Of course, residents are angry because of the dangers to cars and their passengers.  Not to mention the number of accidents that would occur as people swerve to and fro to dodge these potholes.  As I mentioned before, if we were to have potholes in those narrow country lanes where high hedges and winding roads obscure your view of oncoming traffic, we would be in serious trouble.

Had I spoken too soon?  Are there many potholes out there that I am not aware of?  Perhaps we are just fortunate to live in an area where the councils believe in providing good roads.

Yank by — April 18, 2009 in Travel 1

Easter break is coming to an end. It’s been nice to not have to rush every morning for school, but at the same time, our normal routine is broken up by having the kids at home. It’s been difficult to drag them off the computers. Though, when they are not on the computer, they’ve been active enough. Too active, sometimes.

Yesterday, they went horseback riding. It was not the first time they’ve been on a horse, though the last time was over two years ago. They’ve been in love with horses since they were babies, but they were not allowed riding lessons until they were eight (due to the local policies of the riding stables.) However, every chance they had of riding ponies at the fairs, etc., they went for it. We even went out on a trail once in Florida, when the younger one was only five. But that was the last time.

So, when the opportunity presented itself again yesterday, they were both excited. They did not want to be on a lead rein, but when we got there, I think they both became a little nervous. The younger one was obviously nervous – you could see it in her face and she refused to take her hands away from the saddle. The older one finally admitted that she didn’t mind having the escorts take the rein.

We didn’t ride this time, but we were there when they returned. The younger one came back with a big smile that she was trying to suppress, but the older one stayed as solemn as ever. She refused to talk about the ride except that she wanted to go again. The younger one told us that they actually went for a canter! The funny part of this whole thing was that when we looked up the place on the internet, the girls had picked out the horses they wanted. Though we were the last ones to arrive, they managed to get the horses they had picked out on-line. It seemed providential and they both loved their horses.

Horseback riding and all equestrian sports are so essentially British. It seems that wherever we go, we see people on horseback and there are bridle paths practically everywhere that there is a public footpath. As the weather is improving, we are seeing more riders. The girls would love to start riding lessons now, but time and money are the limiting factors. It would not be difficult to find a riding school in any part of England, though. If we are to stay here, I think that horseback riding will become a part of our lives.

Yank by — April 17, 2009 in Leisure 2

Well, it’s the Easter break and though we have not made any plans for holidays, we have already taken two trips to the coast – once to Brighton Beach, and the other to Pagham Beach and Harbour and Bognor Regis. And despite the weather being rather windy and cold when it blew, I found last night that I had a rash on my hands, the only parts of my body that was really exposed. Now, I remember why I cannot tolerate summer very well. I was looking forward to beach trips during the hot summer months, but I fear getting the terrible sun rashes.[ad#ad-1]

Both days were very sunny but it was only warm when the wind wasn’t blowing, and there was quite a lot of wind. I was able to sit and enjoy the day at Brighton, but it was too cold to sit still down at Pagham & Bognor Regis. The kids didn’t mind in the least. At Brighton, they were wading and jumping over waves. The water must have been cold but they only complained about having to walk barefoot over the pebbles. At Pagham and Bognor, we spent the time building sand castles and finding different shells, followed by a casual walk round the harbour. Luckily, it was low tide and we were able to get out pretty far.

Of course, the highlight of their trip is always the amusement arcades. They have not yet learned that it is very difficult to win stuffed animals out of those grab machines. They also love to win prizes in those 2p and 10p slots that push coins down the chute. They are mesmerised by the shoving movements and the various monetary notes put in as prizes, not realising that it is near impossible to ever win those. The possibility is made even more slender by the fact that many of those machines have coins stuck in there, so further coins have difficulty getting down into the right spot. We always have to put a spend limit in those places or we’d be bankrupt. And with the weather improving and being so near to the coast, there are still many other seaside resorts to visit.

Yank by — April 9, 2009 in Leisure 1

It’s funny to think how my perception of size has changed. Perhaps, I am starting to really adapt to the British system. Everything in the US is “huge” compared to here. No where is this more obvious than on the roads. However, even those narrow roads aren’t so “narrow” anymore. Oh, yes, they can be quite cramped in some places, and no one, not even a native Britisher, will deny that. Yet, many of what would be construed as “narrow” by a new American coming on to the scene are now viewed as “normal” to me. I tried to picture the width of the US roads the other day and found that I really couldn’t – without imagining that they were the same size.[ad#ad-1]

Not only that. It seems the sizes of cars are different for me now. The SUVs and American pick-up trucks are humongous, especially next to the little cars. I think I’ve finally fallen for the Minis – I’d seen quite a few in the US but they just seemed “cute” there. Now I see these little toy cars as perfect for travelling these roads. Not only that, our Honda, which would be considered a small sedan in the US – not big enough to be a mid-size and not small enough to be a compact – is considered full-size over here. Imagine what a full-size sedan in the US would look like over here. Some of the same models you’d find in the US are scaled down over here. And I have become used to seeing them. These little cars that looked funny when I first came are now normal.

Land is scarce, so many properties have small yards. That is one thing that I am able to compare in my mind when it comes to size. We’ve always been fortunate (or unfortunate, if you are looking at the angle of maintenance) to have had large yards in the places we’ve lived. The kids appreciated being able to run around the house. Now, we’re living on a large estate and the house is surrounded by yard. (But this will probably change soon as we’re considering a move.) So we have not had to face the change of having a small yard yet.

But my perception of housing sizes have already changed. What would have looked small and cramped to me when we first arrived now appear adequate. What would have been normal, in comparison to US houses, are now seen as huge. It is very strange. It makes me wonder what it would be like if we were to move back to the States.

Yank by — April 6, 2009 in My Journey 2