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One of the most wonderful things about England that has not changed, despite the increase in immigration and the decrease in living space, is the use of public footpaths. These were created so that the public can have easy access, via foot, through fields and neighborhoods. These footpaths are clearly marked even though they may not be clearly visible if you rush by in a car.

What is so special about these public footpaths is that they are practically all over the country. There are books about some of them because they are located in very scenic areas. Imagine walking through someone’s property and seeing the view as if from their own windows. You do not have to own these properties (although it would be nice) to appreciate the landscape.

Of course, not all these footpaths go through scenic countryside. In the towns and villages, they may just be alleys. Nevertheless, they are convenient, if you are walking, to cross quickly and easily to the other side without going all the way around a block.

It seems the English are very protective of these public footpaths. Even with the increase in demands for living quarters for immigrants and welfare beneficiaries and the decline in availability of land, these footpaths and their signs remain untouched. Furthermore, the existence of these footpaths seem to encourage walking, not only for exercise but for leisure. I would like to cover as many of the scenic footpaths as possible and make notes of my observations.

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With roads so narrow and parking spaces so small, I am bewildered by the growing number of SUVs and other large cars and trucks on the road in the UK.  It seems the Brits are bound to repeat the mistakes made by many Americans, who have now turned to smaller, more economical cars.  With all the emphasis on being greener, Brits will soon find that the big gas guzzlers will impose not only heavier penalties in terms of petrol, but also in taxes and insurance.

It’s true these larger cars are much more gas efficient than their US counterparts, but they still consume much more fuel than smaller cars.  Yes, gas prices are coming down but the oil industry is such that it is constantly in flux.  You still end up paying too much to run these cars. 

Americans have always been criticized for their apparent unconcern for the environment when they insist on buying and driving these vehicles.  Now, it seems, they have turned their backs on them and switched to smaller imports with better fuel efficiency.  Hence, the financial problems with the major US car and truck companies.  Yet, these companies still see some trade in the UK, as evident from the numbers of vans and trucks on the road.  I’m not saying smaller cars are not evident in the UK – they are.  In fact, there are by far more smaller cars, but I’m still amazed at the number of large cars.

The UK road system existed long before all these cars came into existence, and the roads had not been built with these big cars in mind.  Now it is too late to change things.  With the limited space for parking, you’ll find that people are allowed to park on certain parts of the street as well.  This further narrows the space for maneuvering any vehicle. 

In parking lots, spaces are designed with the average car in mind.  These spaces tend to be short as well as narrow.  Our small sedan barely fits within these confines.  Some places impose penalties if you extend outside the lines in any direction.  Yet, we have seen cars and trucks crammed into these spots, sometimes blocking their neighbors doors.  The tail end that extends beyond the parking space again narrows the driving lane.

With all these considerations, then, I wonder why anyone in the UK would want an SUV, truck or large car outside of work restrictions?  Yes, they are convenient for transporting large items, etc., but how many people really require that?  Delivery is always available here so that no one needs to own a large vehicle.  Is it that these cars give people a sense of superiority, sitting on top of the world?  It is aggravating how they sometimes block other people’s view of traffic.  I have never seen much point in owning one of these vehicles and here in England, it seems even more pointless.

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In the United States there are several types of thrift stores. You have church-affiliated thrift stores, charitable organization shops, and other for-profit thrift stores. The organization of each is different but the goals of all are to sell goods at low prices. Primarily, the goods are second hand, most having been donated, in the cases of the church-affiliated and charitable organizations. Of course, some of these shops may also sell new items, usually close-outs, irregulars and such.

We shop a lot at thrift stores for various items. It gives us a chance to compare one thrift store against another. In recent times, we have noticed that although places like Salvation Army and the church thrift stores have continued the tradition of selling things very cheap, because they cater to the poor, Goodwill is starting to sell at higher prices and are pickier about what they sell. No longer are they selling everything that is donated. It seems they sort through the donations, keeping only the very best. This is good news to some, who do not like going through “junk”, but it does mean that their prices are higher.

Coming to England, I have found that there are numerous charity shops, each affiliated with one charity or another. However, I can’t say that their prices are very charitable. These charity shops sell “good” second-hand goods as well as new items. “Thrift” is not the term I would apply to any of these shops. They remind me of the Goodwills in America, only somewhat costlier. I have seen box-loads of donations outside the doors of these shops, yet the stock does not appear to be much changed nor are the shops packed. My question is, “Are they even keeping these donations or just throwing them out?”

What is the purpose of these charity shops? Are they not there to help those in need? Or are they only out to make money for their specific charities? And how much of their profits actually go to the charity as opposed to the pockets of the administrators? Are people donating to these places thinking they are contributing to a worthwhile cause/organization, while the administration gets rich? Is it right that these organizations receive free donations and turn around and mark them up?

In these days of credit crunch when people are losing jobs and homes and have less money to spend, why are these charities pricing items so that these people cannot even afford to shop in charity shops?

Recently, we entered a shop and bought some books.  There were signs posted stating that certain books were individually priced while the rest were under one umbrella pricing.  When we went to pay, the clerk, who is supposed to be a volunteer, took it upon herself to decide the books were too good to be under the blanket pricing and repriced them especially for us.  Was that fair?  Was that charitable?  It’s like bait-and-switch.  Why should consumers have to pay more because one clerk thinks the price should be higher than what another clerk determined?

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I’ve been to some rummage sales in the US.  I’ve attended and even held my own garage sales.  However, I had never been to a Jumble Sale in the UK.  That is, until now.  What an experience!  I’ve been to several now and I certainly find them much more amusing than any rummage or garage sale.  That’s not to say that I haven’t found wonderful items at both rummage and garage sales.  It’s just that the entire atmosphere was different to what I’ve been used to.

My first experience was walking into a bustling, noisy, crowded room, buzzing with activity.  You’d think you were at some overcrowded market and the goods were outstanding.  But it’s not.  It’s a bunch of old junk people have donated to the organizers of the Jumble – whether it’s a local charity, church, or community group.  But amongst the old junk you might find a treasure, hence, the rush to get at the goods first.  You practically have to elbow your way in to look at what’s on the table.  Everything’s just piled up high, especially the clothes.  Almost nothing is priced up.  Or, I should say, almost nothing is even priced.  You can either make an offer or ask how much and someone will make up a price on the spot (your  price will even differ depending on who you ask).  You can choose to bargain with the price, but given how low most of the prices are, it seems a very guilty pleasure to try to get it for even lower.

Because we had left most of our household stuff in the States, we had to replenish here.  The Jumbles really helped us out financially.  At one Jumble, we almost furnished everything in the kitchen for 4 GBP.  We didn’t run across any valuable antiques but we found some good quality items that only needed a little cleaning.  You have to be able to sort through junk and enjoy it in order to appreciate these Jumbles.  Unfortunately, from what I hear from the natives, Jumbles are starting to go by the wayside.  That would be quite a shame.

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Everyone talks about the poor condition of public toilets. It is true that most publicly maintained toilets leave much to be desired. However, when they are free to the public, I can’t really complain. What I can complain about is the condition of publicly maintained toilets where you have to pay to get in.

In the US, all public toilets are free. However, not all places will offer public toilets – keep that in mind. The ones that do will vary in cleanliness. I suppose that many of us who have ever travelled on the highways and encountered those “Rest Areas” have had some unpleasant visits. Nevertheless, if you are very desperate, you just have to hold your breath, quickly finish the necessities and rush out, wishing you could find a nice clean shower. I must say, though, after thirty years of highway travel, I have seen some improvements in many of those Rest Areas. Similarly, gas stations, restaurants, shops, etc., may offer public restrooms and some take greater pride in their cleanliness than others.

In the UK, there was a time when you couldn’t find a free toilet, unless you were a patron at some restaurant that offered one. Now, you can find more of them, although, they are still quite limited in some areas. Some towns now offer separate toilet facilities and you can see them posted on street signs. My experiences of these places vary as much as in the US. Yet, I’d rather risk using these facilities than wearing diapers.

The one place you are sure to have to pay to use a toilet is in the major train stations. Unfortunately, they are also the worst maintained toilets. Imagine my disgust at entering a small room with four stalls, two of which are out of order but only one has a sign on it; the other is almost overflowing with human waste; a third is out of toilet paper; and all four toilets look as if they have not been updated in the last fifty years. For 20p I would have expected a McDonald’s quality toilet. Despite the fact that these toilets are poorly maintained, it goes to show that people are desperate enough for this convenience to pay 20p to squeeze into one of these rooms with ten other women. Consequently, these toilets may never become free and they may never be properly maintained.

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If you get a car, you should join the AA or RAC immediately. The AA (Automobile Association) and the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) are the equivalents to the AAA in the US. They all offer similar services and they all have different levels of membership with different benefits. And they all cost about the same.

Unlike the AAA, the AA and RAC do not offer other retail services, such as a Travel Store, discount vouchers, etc. On the flip side, each also offers insurance plans, not just for cars, but also for home. Although AAA does not yet offer home insurance, it probably won’t be long before it does. Similarly, the AA and RAC will probably add more to their services, so that they will be in line with the US equivalent model.

Being a member of an automobile association is advantageous because you just never know when you might need roadside assistance, or even when your car won’t start at home. As a member, you would not have to pay for a call-out emergency. In fact, a single call-out may cost as much as a year’s membership. In addition, if your car needs towing, that would be more money out of pocket. So, a year’s membership pays for itself if you even use it once. Plus, you can get discounts for having a year without a call-out.

We learned almost too late about joining the RAC/AA. We had talked about joining but never got around to it. Then, one morning, our car wouldn’t start. Not knowing what to do because we were so isolated, we ended up taking a long walk to the local bus stop to go into the next big town. Incidentally, a car garage was located next to the bus stop. Unfortunately, this garage was for expensive sports cars. However, the owner was very nice and very willing to help out. It was with his advice, his cell phone and his computer that we were able to join the RAC and eventually get them to come out.

When the mechanic did come out, we were very surprised at what we got for our money. Not only was he able to diagnose the problem, he fixed it there and then. He also looked around to see if anything else was wrong and found something. He suggested we get a part (very cheap part) and call him back to have it installed. We saved a lot in time and money because if we had called to have our car towed to the nearest garage, we’re sure the mechanics there would have ripped us off. Unlike the AAA, the RAC/AA provides real roadside assistance. It isn’t a mere towing truck.

So don’t wait for an emergency to happen to join the RAC or AA. Do it now.

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I was having a migraine while we were shopping at Sainsbury’s one day.  Even though I was feeling sick, my mind was still alert enough to register “Free”.  That’s how I ended up with my first copy of the Friday Ads.  It has been a handy source for finding out what’s going on as well as what’s selling.

We knew we had to be resourceful in order to save money and we knew we had to forego a lot of luxuries.  Shopping with the Friday Ads has helped us to manage our budget.  We’ve seen free items that we wanted in the ads, but the lack of a van or truck to collect these items has prevented us from taking full advantage of this resource. 

Yet, we’ve been able to find some great deals.  The girls each have beds that would have cost us 3-4 times more at the charity shop.  We also got a good refrigerator/freezer.  Still awaiting more appliances.  But the best deal so far has to be the car.  It’s hard enough to find an automatic car and even harder to find a good one that won’t cost too much.  Ours cost us the price of two weeks on a rental.  It’s several years older than my last car in the US, but it only has half the miles.  Great deal in my book.  It’s a good thing that we don’t mind using second-hand goods and none of us are overly concerned about a car’s make and model as long as it runs well.

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To add to all our troubles with internet access and computer use, the library denied us the use of an adaptor with our laptops. We live in a remote area and have not had a phone line installed yet due to uncertainty with our work situation. We paid for BT Open Zone (double-paid, nonetheless, due to an error in the Click and Buy service BT uses) but we can hardly find BT Open Zone anywhere convenient to us. We have to resort to using free internet in the local café (don’t know if they mind or not, but at least we buy something there every time) or pay for use of the internet at the library. Libraries do not provide wireless service.

Sometimes, however, we want to use our laptops without getting on the internet. But the laptops can only run on battery for a certain amount of time. It needs recharging. Sometimes we are able to recharge as we use them in the café, but not always.

Yesterday, we were working in the library and saw a notice warning us not to use our laptops with adaptors unless approved by the librarian. When we asked the librarian, we were told we needed an electrical certificate or proof that the laptops were less than a year old. First of all, we just bought these laptops new before we moved to England. We did not keep a receipt because we did not feel we needed them. That was several months ago and the computers work well. Besides, who would laden themselves with what was perceived as unnecessary papers in a transatlantic move. Secondly, in order to get an electrical certificate by a license electrician, it would need to have been serviced. It is not broken, so it has not been serviced. The certificate would state that the older laptops are in working order.

We can only assume that the certificate is necessary so that when you plug in your laptop, you don’t blow up their computers and other electrical equipment. It seems ironic when our laptops are so obviously newer than any equipment they have.

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Gnats are an annoying but relatively benign insect in the US.  Like  many insects, they must have some use in this universe but I have yet to discover it.  Unless it is to be an irritant.  On the other hand, a UK relative of the gnat, the midge, has some very potent purposes.  Namely, to eat people alive.  Especially me.

While staying at my in-laws’, I would wake up each morning with new red itchy spots.  It got to the point that I was practically covered in it.  The itching was unbearable at times.  My family each had a few spots from time to time, but I was constantly finding new bumps.  At first, I thought it might have been mosquito or other bug bites.  But when it started increasing and I was its major target, I thought I was allergic to the change in detergent or something.  When we stayed at hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, the itching and red spots improved.  Therefore, I realized it wasn’t the detergent.

Finally, we moved into our own place.  We noticed, from the very first, that the place was infested with these gnat-like creatures at night.  They were very attracted to the ceiling light.  The red bumps returned.  Then we figured it out.  We were living with killer midges.  And the reason I was attacked at my in-laws’ previously was because I had slept in a room with the windows open.  Since I was the primary occupant of the room, I was the biggest target. 

Because we could not live without the use of the light, we had to figure out what to do with these murderous midges.  If you could have seen my bite-ridden body, you would have thought I had leprosy.  Anti-itch creams barely touched it.  We went in search of fly-traps and other pest control products.  It was very difficult to find, but we did track them down at Sainsbury’s HomeBase (an equivalent to Lowe’s or Home Depot in the US).  We opted for the electric bug zapper.

It was so pleasant to hear the little z-z-z-z-zaps!, z-z-z-z-zaps!, z-z-z-z-zaps!  We were soon ridding our little world of these pesky pests.  Not so fast!  The zapper failed in the night.  We managed to exchange it for another and this one lasted for two weeks.  Unfortunately, at this point, we lost the receipt and the time limit on exchanges had passed.  So the mocking midges are back, and I’m afraid.  Very afraid.

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It seems I’ve done more walking in the past two months in England than I did all of last year in the US. At this rate, there is no way I could possibly get fat. Not that I want to. But I find it amazing that they are complaining about the rise in obesity in England. How could anyone get fat?

There may be different reasons for obesity. But if one does not have a medical condition that predisposes one to it, there should be no excuses for being fat. With the lack of good parking spaces and the abundance of public transport, walking is a way of life over here. My mother-in-law walks everywhere, and if she needs to go further, she will ride her bike.

I will admit that for the first time in my adult life, I actually have time to walk for “pleasure”. That is, I am not doing it as part of a routine for school or work or other necessary part of daily living. I have taken a few pleasure walks in the past, but they were few and far between. Sometimes, they were part of an “exercise” routine to stay fit. But now, we are finding places to explore. It is an easy, inexpensive form of exercise and it allows you to slow down and enjoy your surroundings. I need to take advantage of the opportunities while they last.

Of course, walking can be a chore at times. Like, when I was climbing the uphill streets of Brighton today on our way to and fro the JobCentre Plus. It was quite steep and I was moving at a snail’s pace, huffing and puffing. These hilly walks are exhausting but I can feel my muscles getting tighter in the legs. It’s the best cure for cellulite. Walking can also be a pain when your kids get tired after a few steps and start crying, “I want a carry.”

Going back to the old country and getting back to basics. At least it’s a healthier lifestyle. Barring any medical problems, I should never get fat.