lf1

Trotty,

I am like your friend, I don't have a particularly good voice, but I do enjoy the choir and I like that I am learning to read music. I did have my camera on the days we went to Bamburgh and Rothbury, so once I load them onto the computer I'll try to upload them, if they are any good.

Although we are just about 45 mins from Bamburgh, I really want to spend one or two nights there, especially if it is wet and windy. We still haven't visited the castle, as every time we have been there the weather has been lovely, not always warm, but sunny and perfect walking weather. So, a visit to the castle on a rainy day sounds perfect to me. We did visit the church and the graveyard where Grace Darling is buried. It is a lovely church and the setting is beautiful.

I hope life is treating you and hubby well.

cheers

OK ignore me, see if I care.

islandwoman120

Shops: Depends what you are after - ASDA is the UK version of Walmart, so no to that on philosophical grounds. Morrisons is large, and has a wide array of merchandise. Tesco Extra I don't know about - I shop at Sainsburys..... Good enough, Cheers?

cheers

I think Tesco is a huge warehouse type operation.
One thing about Walmart. They hire pensioners.
I'll see if there is a Sainsburys close by.
Thank you.

cheers

I'm sure someone has told me this before but.....here when you use a credit card you sign for the amount but in Britain do you have use a pin number?
We only use a pin number for debit cards.
We only sign if it over a certain amount, for example if it is over $50.
This is the correct forum, right?

Cheers

Fish n Chips 56

I know you werent talking to me but I like Morrisons over Asda and Tesco, they support local farmers when possible, their little cafe's are good too.

jasper123

Cheers OK I know u were not talking to me either but I like Sainsburys over morrisons but Tesco over sainsburys but lidls over the co-op ----- but its all according really, ----- you see its all together different here, its not like America where it really dont matter what supermarket you go to you will basically find every product your looking for under that one roof of your choice, ------ but here its totaly different, for example I have to visit three or four shops every week to buy my shopping, like a third of the products we like are only available at iceland, another third roughly are available at morrisons and the other third is usually split up between lidl and co-op ------- so you really do have to shop around over here for your food and everything else too, and some things I cant even get at these 4 stores, so like I now only go to my high street butchers shop for my lambs liver,
So this is how I see the difference in doing your food shopping in UK v US
In US as I said I used to go to my favorite store and could buy it all there, the only reason you would shop around other stores really is price and taking advantage of all the junk mail offers that come into your mail box every week,
BUT here in the UK its a totaly different ball game/kettle of fish,
Hear you shop around at different stores simply cause you cant get everything you like in just one store, unlike the states, ------ over here all stores just dont sell it all, ----- but thats not a bad thing really, at least its not if your retired and you have plenty of time on your hands, we old farts look at it as somewhat of an adventure -------- Oh I really do have to get out more
So to some it up I ask myself ---- why is it that you have to shop around so much over here? so Ive maybe solved the puzzle, just maybe could it be that the reason is that over here in UK we just have sooooo many products and also all our own favorite little treats ---- of which for most of us is many, we just have so much variety here. and with all the multitude of delights we have here now ---- it would be impossible to stock it all in one brand supermarket, even one as large as wal-mart/asda

cheers

Rodney thanks for the input.
I just looked at Tesco menu this afternoon and it left me wanting because there was too much of everything. I don't like all the packaged sell by date foods. Now I want to go to a small local grocery shop where there is less variety. Good luck, right?
DW was just giving me the list. Milk, bread, chocolate digestives biscuits, orange juice and cereal.
I mentioned those shops because they will be there in Holyhead when we get off the boat (did I tell you we were going by boat) and I also need to get setup with a cell phone right away.

Cheers

jasper123

Huh 20 years aint nothing, me I was in US for 36 years and cheers 58 years,
Ive been home for two and half years and there is not a single thing that I miss about the States, accept maybe my couple of very good friends that I left behind, but we email and chat on the phone too, so thats OK

Mummy in the foothills

With a basic list I'd look for Aldi, their prices are good and so are the products. But the don't take credit cards and you have to bring your own bag.

NiHao

Cheers and Jasper, I love you guys and you make me feel better about my 20 years away, its just a blink of the eye right?

windsong

And 37 years here - ouch!!!!!

My SO seems to like Morrisons over there. I don't know one from the other, of course, but it won't be long before I find out.

dunroving

23 years away for me and I still enjoy my trips back to the US (usually about two a year, for conferences), but it's highly unlikely I'll go back now (been back in the UK since 2006), even though I get some very good job opportunities there every year.

Most of what I miss is to do with the professionalism in my job and the weather (other stuff too, but those are the biggies - and combined, the additional free time from work and nice weather meant I was out on my bike for hours every week). So although I wouldn't exactly call it homesickness for the US, I definitely miss my lifestyle there and when I go back there and spend time with friends, it still feels like "home".

Re: Shops, Marks & Spencer is a good place if you want to treat yourself to some good quality, Morrison's seems to have the highest ethical standards among the big names.

Our local corner shop was bought up and redeveloped by the Co-Op late last year and has just re-opened about three times the size, and the variety and price (special deals, etc.) seem pretty good for a local store.

mikelincs

Pin no for credit cards in the UK as well.

curleytops

I'm dead jealous! PLEASE DO upload the photos, they can't be anything but lovely Another beautiful spot in the Rothbury area you might like to visit is Cragside, the Rhododendrons are absolutely breathtaking. Hoping to get into that neck of the woods for a day while Dad's over here.

We had a day out ourselves this week, had a drive through the Dalby Forest in Yorkshire and meandered through a few villages on the way back. Stopped off in Thornton le Dale for a pot of tea and some delicious sausage rolls, beautiful little spot but quite busy, no photos I'm afraid.