Bob

Nursing, no idea, not that easy for everyone, but check out the nursing forum here and also all-nurses.com or maybe there isn't a hyphen?

As for visa...depends. How long have you been with your boyfriend? Common law is recognised for visa's in the UK.

If you got a work related visa, then you couldn't faff around with other jobs, points based system works quite well in some sectors, but can be fustrating in others.

Desdemona

All the grocery chains around here bake their own bread. And nothing like a loaf of crusty bread straight from the oven eh Branston pickle I can find at cost plus and even at some of the grocery stores in town. Now to find the right cheese! Thanks for the tips. I'm told Trader Joe has some decent cheeses

beachgal21

Several of the British stores by us sell Cheshire cheese made by Kerrygold, I would highly recommend that if you can find it. It's a white cheese and quite crumbly when you cut it, but delicious with fresh bread

Desdemona

Now we're talking Shall look for the Cheshire cheese. I can find kerrygold butter so I think I'm going to check Costplus and several other places. Thanks for the tip beachgal

Bob

Kerrygold Butter, Trader Joes by miles has the lowest price...it's even cheaper than their own brand stuff which is pretty good too.

What if

Most of us are very friendly so just be yourself, hope all goes well

Lothianlad

I wish you every success with your quest.

I actually tasted a variety of Welsh cheeses yesterday when I attended a birthday lunch near Aberystwyth, a university and seaside town on the coast of mid Wales - a long ar journey down there and back up again to Edinburgh ....four varieties and all were quite yummy.

British home produced wines....all a matter of taste I reckon. The Romans actually introduced viticulture into what they called Britannia during their occupation and settlement of this country between 54BC and 410AD when they finally left these shores...maybe they decided they didn't like our cheeses after all...more fool them. The British climate overall is not really conducive to very successful vine growing but in the time of the Romans the climate of Britain was actually warmer than it is now and they introduced vineyards to many parts of Southern Britain (generally the southern part of England and parts of the south Midlands) where the weather is generally warmer and sunnier.

There are still operational vineyards and wine producing in these same areas, and in fact that is a very successful wine producing company close to where my grandparents live in Herefordshire - off hand I can't remember whether it's called the Three Counties Vineyards or the Three Choirs Vineyards as both titles apply to many organisations in that area: Herefordshire/Gloucestershire/Worcestershire.

English wines (and they are overwhelmingly English wines for the reasons I have already given) are pretty passable, fine if of good vintage (weather conditons being suitable of course at time of growing) but overall Southern European and Southern German wines generally better in the opinion of wine buffs.

This GBRJ clip shows the last leg of Michael Portillo's journey from London to Hastings via all points in between on his very circuitous railway ride - the one starting in Hythe, Kent and ending up in Hastings, Sussex - it includes a line running across Romney Marsh - formerly a soggy, marshy, dead flat tract of land but now reclaimed and inhabited, cultivated and home to the famous Romney Marsh sheep - and the growing of vines as you will see in this clip. You wil see Michael partaking of a sparkling glass of the home produced English wine of that area of south east Kent/east Sussex.

Cheers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...e_to_Hastings/

Desdemona

It's not surprising considering how close the French Champagne region is to that part of Kent/East Sussex. It's something you notice when you cross into France on the Eurostar, how similar the terrain is. Apparently the Champagne region is only 220 miles from there. I was on all the train journeys he mentions in all four of his clips of the area. From London to Chatham and finally onto the final destination Hastings.

Lothianlad

It's a pity that Michael Portillo did not make a slight detour and stop over at RYE, in East Sussex - just eastwards along the coast from Hastings - just to the west of Romney Marsh and mainly located on top of a small hill with the ancient parish church tower so prominent on the skyline and visible for many miles around. Rye has the most amazing and picturesque cobbled streets and a fantastic tea rooms establishment literally in the shadow of the church. For £9.95 per head (as at August 2009 prices) you can munch and sup on a variety of sandwiches with fillings of your choice - bread of your choice, too - a variety of cakes and a round of freshly made fruit scones accompanied by home made strawberry jam and ffresh whipped cream, and of course a pot of tea with either milk or lemon.

Rye is home to many well know people in the world of the arts and literature.

A agree that there are similarities between the landscapes of Kent and East Sussex and the Champagne region of north western and northern France - the area around Rheims (with its glorious cathedral) and the town of Epernay, the home of the famous Pol Roger champagne and other wines.

However when it comes to the actual glories of the coastlines of both countries the English side of the Channel wins hands down - the Seven Sisters cliffs to the west of Eastbourne and the Shakespeare cliffs - the famous "White Cliffs of Dover", all gleaming pure white chalk in the sunshine is much more attractive to the less spactacular, duller, greyer (gris!) colourings of the cliffs of Cap Gris Nez and the Pas de Calais, just 22 miles away on the other side of the world's busiest shipping lanes making up the English Channel/ La Manche.

Tonight Michael Portillo is up here in Bonnie Scotland, travelliing along the railway lines of Western Scotland, shown over the next five evenings, starting off in Ayr (near the birthplace of Robbie Burns at Alloway) and ending up "over the sea" although a bridge now exists) to The Isle of Skye....the countryside he travels through is truly spectacular, but I would say that, wouldn't I?

Desdemona

Rye is the one place we wanted to visit but did't Time did not permit. Sounds lovely! For me it was mostly because I've watched Mapp & Lucia I loved Canterbury and we're definitely returning there. The people are lovely and we made so many friends. Besides which, I have a much-loved cousin and his girl friend living there. Of the four weeks we spent in England, 10 days we spent in the west country. Then a whole week we spent traipsing around in Europe. I think we stretched ourselves too thin. Next time, we plan to stay in England and see more of Britain. Scotland is also on the agenda