cheers

Tastes change and right now we love to get the Kraft pre sliced cheese and make a sandwich with some mayo. The thought of it maybe revolting to some.

I also like the cheeses you mentioned including Gorgonzola and Blue cheese with crackers.

We are probably the few to have or remember having the snack before bed which was called 'supper' . Supper means something different here.

callé

I'll second that!!!

Wawa

Slight change of subject, I stole this off another forum - it seemed too interesting not to share, although some of you have undoubtedly seen it.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11139960

jasper123

Hello cheers,
I so agree with you, when I go back soon I will be so grateful for train travel in UK, where I live in Vegas Nv, there is no train station anywhere here for hundreds of miles, just like you in Utah, and I absolutely love train travel,
But where I will be living in Portsmouth there is three train stations all within two/three/ or four miles from each other, and as a senior over 60 we are entitled to apply for a discount train card, it saves you quite a bit of money too, I looked at that link that someone on here posted on that subject and it seems that the discount is not as much as half off but something like 30 or 40 per cent off, and anything to me would be very welcome,
Local bus travel is free at least within the city that you are living, but you have to apply for a senior card and you again have to be over 60, but I may be wrong on the bus card, that maybe 55 cant remember, but you can only travel on the bus at (off) peek times with the free bus card,
Rodney.

Easterndawn

Hi Rodney, The free bus pass is 60 and here in Scotland it is for journeys anywhere in Scotland not just in your town or city that you live. Not sure if it is the same down south though. I have seen many people who are still working after 60 use it in the morning during peak periods, again that might be just here.

Fish n Chips 56

This subject bugs her the heck out of me...

Many Americans get screwed on paid vacation time, the Corporations like to work their employees to death, all because of money,(What's New), if only they would smarten up, I truly believe you can get more from your employee if they are well rested and treated well.

I used to work for a small grocery chain, after 8 years I was due to three weeks off, the company was taken over by Americas largest supermarket and I then had to work ten years to get that same three weeks off. Huhhhhh, plus we got a pay cut, Nice...

I think some people stay with jobs and companies they dislike because of vacation and medical benefits... they are hard to come by, Its a Sad Joke...

I've told many Americans how much vacation time Brits get, but they never seem to believe me, you can see that doubt in their faces...

I think many Americans are so poor they trade that few weeks they have for Money and go to work...

I beleive Britains vacation time is law, America hasn't a vacation law from what I understand, I could be wrong...

jasper123

Hi trotty,
In the west side of US Tillamook cheese is sold in all the local stores but I dont know about other parts of the country, but I should Imagin that it should be sold in most of the local stores throughout the US cause its a very old company and as far as I know they distribute nation wide,
Rodney,
PS the extra sharp chedder is great, but the regular sharp is very good too,
they also have swiss and many more types of cheese in the Tillamook brand,

Mummy in the foothills

This has been my experience here too.
I'm a Nurse and to get decent vacations of more than a couple of weeks, I have found many will quit their job, go off and do whatever it is they wanted to do for a month then come back and get another job, it doesn't work as well in the this economy but for years this how I've seen nurses do it.
I only used to work part time, you don't get any paid vacation time as a part timer. So I would book myself a month holiday to UK, and tell HR I was taking a month unpaid leave, I've never been fired for it, and it seemed to work for me.

DDL

I'm very sorry but I can't help you on that one. We are in Greater London and the only thing I know about trains is the Tube. We just purchased an Oyster card that we can automatically top-up so we'll always have dosh for the Tube.

jasper123

Fish, you are dead right in everyting you say and it also has always bugged the hell out of me too,
Not just UK but as far as I know most countries in Europe have the same deal with there nice long vacation times that there companys give them,
In all the 36 years I have lived over here in US I have never been able to earn more then two weeks paid vacation per year from any company Ive worked at, the closest I got to three weeks was the Job I had before I got laid off two & half years ago, I was there for 8 years and got 2 weeks vacation after my fith year and I would have had to work there for a total of 10 years to get a whole 3 weeks paid vacation ---- wahoooo,
At the Job Im at now I have been there for a year and half, and I get one week vacation per year, it dont change to 2 weeks until Im there for 3 years, then it stays on 2 weeks untill my 10th year, If I was not returning to UK and this company say did not lay me off then I would be around 74 years old before I got 3 weeks paid vacation
And yes I know of many people at my Job not just Americans but Filipinos and others that have been working there for years and never take a vacation, they just work and worry themselves to death,
I know many Americans at my Job that absolutly hate there Job, and they tell me the only reason that they stay is because they have health insurance for them and there spouse and children, --- It is a very sad state of afairs in the US, and the worst part about the greedy corperations over here is that its always been like this ---- and it will for sure (ALWAYS) be the same ---- we know that dont we?
And yes like you Fish I have many times told Americans of the wonderful paid vacation time the Brits get over there and so many extra public holliday days too, and they just dont beleive me, ---- its as though they live in a different world over here,
As we have discused before the brain washing over here both by the government and the corperations are unbeleivible.
Rodney.
PS sorry about the spelling mistakes but the spell check on here for me does not seem to be working right now.

sallysimmons

Not only do Americans not get many holidays, but when you do take a holiday, you feel bad about it and then the work just piles up when you're away so it's even worse when you get back

My lack of holidays is no one's fault but my own because I work for myself now, but I do find the American attitude is contagious. I'm taking a week off in a few weeks to go back home and I am making arrangements to check in every day by Skype and have my laptop with me. Nuts!

DDL

Just another quick hello. We spent the day in London yesterday. Weather was GORGEOUS. We walked all over the place. Had lunch in the crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields; walked over Tower Bridge; took a boat ride down the Thames; and topped it all off with a play in the West End: "Oliver". Brilliant day, just brilliant.

Before we left yesterday morning, we had our first actual visit with our GP in order to get our prescriptions filled.

I take a medication for acid reflux. In the states (I had Blue Cross health insurance and, of course, I paid a monthly premium), I paid $22 for a 90-day supply. The doc gave me a 60-day supply and it cost me £7.30.

My husband Tony, on the other hand, takes quite a bit of regular medication (he has diabetes and high blood pressure). In the states (again, we had Blue Cross) he would have paid $163.00 for a 3-month supply. The doc yesterday gave him a 3-month supply of all his medication and - because he has diabetes and qualifies for the Medical Exemption Certificate - ALL of his meds were FREE.

Amazing to walk out of the chemist's with all that medicine and all it cost us, in toto, was £7.30.

DDL

And on a completely different subject ....

Ladies, I will soon be in need of a haircut and color (oops, I better start spelling that "colour") so today I stopped at a few local salons to get some prices.

Basically, the shampoo/haircut/blowdry quotes ran from a low of £27.90 (Supercuts) to £39-£62 (Rush). At Rush, you pay more for an experienced hairdresser and less for a less experienced hairdresser.

Colour quotes ran from a low of £39 (Supercuts) to £89 (Rush).

The salon closest to me would charge £75 for a colour with foil highlights/haircut/blow-dry.

Supercuts would charge £67 for the same.

Also, it's a law here that 24-48 hours before any colour treatment, you have to have a skin test done to make sure you're not allergic to their colour products.

Just fyi, girls!!

jasper123

Wawa,
Thanks so much for this link, I read the whole thing and that man and all the peoples comments have it compleatly right about paid vacations in America versus paid vacations in UK & Europe,
I think everyone who is living in US --- American or British or whatever should read this,
Rodney.

cheers

and they threw tea in the Boston Harbor to get rid of the British (and their vacation policies)