Mummy in the foothills

Bloody hell Rodney you are going back a bit , I think I recall one of those places when I was a really little kid in the late 60's but haven't heard of them since. It was Kebab shops that were popular in the 80's when I was heading home from a night out, I wonder what it is now?

Fish n Chips 56

The ones Ive seen in the UK are connected to the hot water central heating system.

Ive got to get a towel warmer some day.

trottytrue

Rodney are they called savoury ducks in the North of England. I loved them.

Englishmum

Also duvet covers (and duvets) are much cheaper in the UK than the US and there is certainly more choice.

I always buy duvet cover & pillowcase sets when I'm in the UK, usually from Debenhams/John Lewis or M&S. I've also bought some really nice (and very inexpensive) high quality Egyptian cotton duvet covers from Matalan.

You can also buy good quality and very inexpensive stuff (including clothes) from the larger Tesco supermarkets (the F&F - 'Florence & Fred' range) and also from Asda....the 'George' stuff in Asda is nicer than the 'George' stuff in US Walmart stores (Walmart owns Asda) but I rarely venture into Walmart as I don't like their ethics (they don't look after their employees very well).

I don't know why so few Americans have embraced duvets & duvet covers, in our neck of the woods they seem to prefer those awful 'comforter' sets which

a) are either too hot or too cold - they have no 'tog' ratings) and

b) you can't ring the changes on a comforter, unlike a duvet where you can put on a different colour/patterned duvet cover, the 'comforters' have the 'cover' sewn in.

(I did buy my duvets from IKEA though in New Jersey! It's too hot for them in Singapore, we just use cotton quilts in the tropics)

Easterndawn

Well, I went and saw the flat that I will be renting in November on Saturday. It sits on the edge of the River Ayr, with a bridge within a stones throw from the flat, which takes you across to the High Street. Down below is the river walk way, so you can sit on the small balcony and watch the swans and geese on the river. The flat is a little smaller that the one I am in, but newer and in very good condition, much smaller kitchen and a little larger sitting room. The down side is no bathtub just a large shower room with a nice size shower stall. It is furnished but I would have to meet with the landlord again and go through what they will leave and what they will take out.
The person who met me at the flat on Saturday is the daughter and a friend of a friend of mine, the flat belongs to her mom who has dementia and is in a personal care home, her dad passed away a little over a year ago. I came away from the viewing a little confused as I felt that Sandra was not quiite ready to let go and have renters in the flat. Thought about this all weekend and had plans to call her tomorrow after the bank holiday but this morning her brother called to see if I was still interested in the flat. I expressed my concerns regarding being able to make the flat my own for the time that I will live in it, luckily he understood where I was coming from and eleviated the fears I was having. He said that it would be rented even if I decided not to take it but he hoped that I would, so I gave a yes answer. I will miss having a bath but the location I think will out weigh that problem. Just being able to watch the changing weather and seasons on the river will be wonderful and even in the dark days of winter will bring joy. The rent and the council tax is the same so no problem on that part.
I have been picking up some new bedding, duvet covers etc watching for things on sale and so far the prices have been great, purchased 400 thread Egyptian sheets for £14.00 for two fitted at TK Max and some lovely 300 thread count white duvet covers for less that £20.00 each. I have been looking at a down duvet at M&S for £45.00, I miss mine from Canada, they are cool in the summer and warm and cozy in the winter, so will have to save my pennies for that next. One of the things I have noticed is that you don't use flat sheets, just the fitted and the duvet.

callowman

Entirely possible, theres at least 5 Brit families in my subdivision alone, thats been here for less than 3 years
(For me Im on year 20 )
:-)

between two worlds

englishmum you are so right about duvets/duvet covers, or lack of, in the US--it drives me NUTS! I have gone into stores and complained about it. I have asked why so few stores sell any choice of duvet covers, usually only a couple in boring colors (except wonderful Ikea of course).
And why so many stores sell sheets only in sets these days, not flat and fitted separately--because as ED/Peigi has noticed, in UK one doesn't use any top sheet at all, the duvet cover functions as top sheet, and duvet works better when it can snuggle around you without top sheet in the way..i have tried and tried explaining this to store personnel...or I used to, now i have given up.

Trottytrue, I am so impressed about your book sorting. Books are my problem. As a dedicated reader and writer I had a huge library and have had to give away/sell such a lot of it during this downsize to much smaller home. It is AGONY as every book is like a friend. And i still have to do more. So--well done!

Rodney, your post about the people being the most important thing was indeed touching--and it is a huge part of why I want to spend more time in the UK as I have a large family there and I miss them terribly...plus the general cheery Brit attitude you mention.

But also, for me, it's so much more, the people AND the scenery; the smells; the air; the flora and fauna--different birdsong--blackbird, thrush; the old churches and villages, the cathedrals--the whole architectural and cultural heritage. And country pubs!!....which I hear are closing at an alarming rate, very sad indeed. I miss a whole complex called....Englishness. (not to downplay the beauty of Scotland/Wales/Ireland, it's just I grew up in England so that's what I relate to.)

Peigi, good luck in the new flat, sounds lovely (tho I relate to your hesitation re the bathtub, or simply "bath" as they say in UK--having grown up in England without a shower, I absolutely have to have a bath every night and couldn't live without it! For relaxation as much as cleanliness....have a shower in mornings often too, to wash hair etc (I know I know, wasteful of water) ...but the bath is a must.

However, the view and the location with river etc sound really lovely, so I expect for you they will outweigh the bath issue!

Good luck to all,


Tina.

callowman

I have an HSBC account works for here and UK
been putting money into it pre UK move.
think Lloyds have a similar account too.

Easterndawn

Yes, that is exactly what I do, I know a waste of energy, water and money, but it is so relaxing lights off, candles lit, music on, and a glass of good wine, ah! heaven. The shower is actaully large enough to put a plastic lawn chair in and sit, so maybe that is what I will have to do, the only problem is the watering down of the wine
I think that if I stayed in my present flat I might become quite depressed in the winter as my windows only look out to more blocks of flats, almost reminds me of Russia in the 60's and 70's, not a very pleasant sight, especially in the winter. This happened when I was out of work in the early spring and it scares me that it might happen again if I stay here as I had never experienced that before. So when I weigh that against no bath, the decision was easy. This year I am going to take some painting classes at the local college in the evening and maybe a class in stain glass designing, it is something I have done in the past and enjoy immensly. I don't see my husband getting here before Christmas and I feel I need to keep myself doing things to keep myself from worrying about it.
It is an absoulutely beautiful day here today but you can definetly feel that autumn in coming soon and they say there was snow in the northern highlands of Scotland over the weekend

between two worlds

I always read in the bath. That would be hard to do while sitting in shower in lawn chair, esp while holding a glass of fast-diluting wine!

Never mind Peigi, your self-rescue from possible depression due to the bad view in current flat is very intelligent, a nicer environment will be well worth lack of the bath--our visual environment is so important, and you didn't move back to Scotland to look out at a scene reminiscent of 1960s Russia!!

Also your idea to sign up for the creative classes is fantastic, both for its own sake--benefits of creating something are huge--and for the sake of keeping your mind busy til hubby joins you....

you are *such* an inspiration.

Tina

sallysimmons

ED, the new flat sounds lovely. Did you decide to stay where you are for now? I guess you must have - I probably missed a post, this thread moves so fast!

So true about duvets! I thought I was the only one - maybe that I was looking in the wrong places for duvet covers. Those comforters are ridiculous. And how are you supposed to wash them? The only time I tried, the stupid thing barely fit into my old washing machine and it came out torn because it somehow got caught.

We are getting rid of books too. We have them everywhere in the house and it's taking forever. Plus, both Goodwill and Salvation Army told me they didn't want anymore. Our library isn't taking them ... I really don't know what to do with them all.

jasper123

Hi Mummy,
Well you say kabab shops were popular in the 80,s I dont know but these days my family tell me that Indian food of any nature is the most popular take out there now and has been for quite some time,
Rodney.

jasper123

Hi trotty,
I dont know what they called them up north, but they were not ducks so
But they were savoury, and they were small & round and made of a mixture of things, not quite sure if there was meat in them but they had brown gravy around them and were served with mushy peas, actually I dont think anyone new what was in them, they just tasted so darn good,
they were sold out of shops looking something like our fish & chip shops, all take out, and they were called faggot & peas shops and people were lining up to get them they were so popular but they may have been just down south of England though, and it was probably the 60,s & 70,s I think
My Mum tells me that down south at least these days they sell them in supermarkets frozen in packages,
Hope your feeling better,
Rodney.

between two worlds

just try asking for a faggot in the USA!

between two worlds

PS I hasten to add I consider "faggot" an insulting and offensive word, when used as it is in US vernacular to refer to a male homosexual, and would never use it myself....

.....unless referring to the delicacy of UK cuisine Rodney describes (which I've never tasted, by the way...)

..or I suppose to a bundle of sticks, but that's pretty obsolete now I believe.

It just struck me as funny, after years of living here, that this word has such different meanings US/UK!


Tina