British Vocabulary Lesson (Household Items)

In our next British Vocabulary lesson, I thought I'd share various household items. How many had you heard before?

• Bin - receptacle for holding garbage (rubbish) or recyclables. Can also be used as a verb as in, "That sweater is so old, just bin it."
• Cooker - what you use to bake food (aka oven). I'm still not sure if cooker refers to the stove and burners (see Hob below) or just the oven part. More research needed clearly.
• Hob - the burners of the stove (err, cooker). You can have a gas or electric hob just like back home.
• Loo - bathroom, toilet, water closet. Actually usually refers to the toilet as in many of the older houses, the bathroom is truly a room with the bathtub as the toilet and washbasin were in a separate room. We even saw one house with a sink cabinet in one of the bedrooms! Old city with old houses.
• Garden - refers to the back yard in general. In the garden, you might find a vegetable plot, lawn, flowers, potting shed, etc.
• Hoover - the vaccuum. Can also be a verb as in, "I need to hoover every other day to stay ahead of all this cat hair!"
• Airing Cupboard - closet that houses the hot water boiler. Often, the closet is fitted with storage and you keep your linens in as they will stay dry due to the heat from the boiler. We have one in our new place and I'm sure it's going to be a favourite spot for the cats on cold winter days.
• Telly - television. I'm sure you've heard this one before, right?
• Cuppa - refers to a cup of tea. A common phrase between friends as in, "Come on in for a cuppa. OR What a day! I could use a cuppa." I'll probably refrain from using this one as it just doesn't sound right with an American accent.
• Kettle - what you use to brew that cuppa. Almost every home has an electric kettle to boil water quickly for that cup of tea. Our landlord left one with the property so we're all set for the neighbours to stop by for a cuppa.
• Washing - laundry. As in, "The weather is so nice today, I can hang my washing outside."
• Washing Up - doing the dishes. And the supermarkets carry 'washing up liquid'.
• Brolly - when the weather isn't so nice, you might need your brolly (umbrella). I suppose in an area of the world where you need it so often, you've got to find a shortcut word for it!

 Hope you've enjoyed today's lesson. Stay tuned for 'areas around town' in our next installment.

The Tale of the New (rental) House Part 2

After a long 10 days of house hunting, we found what we were looking for. Is it perfect? Of course not, but close enough and a whole lot better than the loser I first saw (see Part 1 for details). I called the letting agent for this house and was immediately impressed. She was actually friendly, helpful and seemed truly interested in showing me the property. It was advertised as furnished, but she encouraged me to come have a look as there may be some room for negotiation.

Brian and I went to see it on a Saturday and, as we now had a car, it was a much easier trip then what I had been doing by bus. This was the second house of the day and we liked it as soon as we turned into the neighborhood. The house is a bungalow (aka Ranch) home in a quiet residential community in the town of Bradley Stoke. It's not as big as we would have liked, but I think everything will fit (as of writing, I'm STILL waiting for furniture to arrive! Stay tuned for Part 3 of this tale.)

The process went pretty smoothly and we had the best letting agent. She's actually also the property manager and the landlord is a relative so that all probably helps and contributes to the great experience. We didn't originally tell her we had the cats, but instead let her fall in love with us ;) and then we let her and the landlord know. Risky, yes, but we were really worried we wouldn't even get a chance had they known from the beginning. Luckily, she has cats too and was able to convince the landlord we would be good and long term tenants.

A week of reference and credit checks and we had the keys - super smooth! And the longer we're here, the more we're sure we made the right decision and this is a great house for us. I'll share more details and inside photos in Part 3.

Seriously, how cute is this?

And a yard! Yeah, a bit of a blank slate, but that's okay.

Even a little storage shed! And garbage & recycle bins!

Hmmm, don't understand why landlords don't like cats.

The girls adjusted fairly quickly and will be even happier once we have furniture.

And a bike trail right next door! We actually bump up to a nature reserve with lots of biking and hiking trails.

Things I learned:

• You need a local bank account to rent a house and a rental agreement to open a local bank account. Huh?
• The UK has LOTS of regulations and laws designed to protect renters and landlords which make for a lot of paperwork and quite a bit of extra details.
• For example, an inventory clerk had to go through the property with a fine tooth comb noting all issues with the property before we moved in. Then, she had to walk us through that full inventory on the day we took the keys. And this inventory is THOROUGH! Every nail in the wall is noted, the condition of every floor and anything not perfect is on the list. Pretty handy actually, but that scrutiny isn't so fun when you're just moving in and excited about your new place. ;)
• Addresses here are similar to the US, but the reference point is postcode. Yes, we have a house number, street and city, but then we also have a postcode that refers to a group of about 10-15 houses in a small area. That's used in your sat nav, on registration forms and to refer to your location. Interesting.

The Tale of the New (rental) House Part 1

My biggest job upon arrival was to find us a place to live. We started in temp housing right in the middle of the city centre, which was great to get our bearings, be close to food and entertainment, but it was noisy and cramped. After a few days of 5am wake up caws from the sea gulls, we were ready to find something in the suburbs. Sure was a nice location though.

Pub literally right outside the front door!

Right on the river with some beautiful views.

Dangerously good burger & cider place less than a block away.

Did I mention the great views?

I started my house research online back in Abu Dhabi months ago so had a bit of an idea of prices and neighborhoods, but I quickly realised how creative photography can be. First a few basic differences in housing hunting that I noticed.

• No one is open on Sundays. Back in the US, Sundays are a prime time for open houses and showings, but not here. Everything happens between 9-6 Mon-Sat.
• There are very few open houses - everything is by appointment with a letting agent.
• The websites are very up to date and accurate. Unlike Abu Dhabi where you could find a place still listed months after it had been rented.
• The market was really busy in July. I would see a place in the morning on a website and by the time I called them that afternoon, it would be rented. Most the places I saw were rented after 2-3 viewings and typically by the first person who viewed the property!
• Because of the  market, the letting agents weren't very helpful or accommodating (except for our last one which we rented from). They just didn't have to try very hard and so they didn't.

My first brutal exposure to the process was a few days after we arrived. We didn't yet have a car, so I figured out the 60 min bus trip to get to this property. Along the way, I realised my Google map instructions were a bit off and the stop I was looking for didn't seem to be on the route. Okay, no problem, jumped off at a large shopping complex and checked Google again to see if I could walk it. I wasn't clear and it was getting close to the appointment time so I grabbed a taxi . . . who took me the equivalent of 3 blocks to get to the house! Ah well, only 5 GBP (minimum fare) and all part of the adventure.

And then it all came crashing down. The letting agent didn't even introduce herself - even after I stuck out my hand and gave her my name and a nice American hello. She just unlocked the door and pointed me inside. And the house! It was so small, so dirty, and so run down, I almost cried! It had looked so cute in the photos.  The whole thing lasted less than 5 minutes. I was crushed and now very worried about how this was all going to turn out!

Luckily, things did turn around the next day. I had two viewings and both were a little closer to town so only about 45 minutes on the bus (which I was starting to get the hang of) and the houses were in much nicer condition and both letting agents were at least friendly if not overly helpful.

The first place was in a cute little gated area and had a large garage and a decent back yard. The trouble was it was so small inside! I just couldn't picture getting our large American furniture in those tiny little rooms!

Cute house and a nice backyard but SMALL

Gated community of 6-7 houses - nice for security

The second place was an amazing location. One of those cute little idyllic villages you picture when you think of England. The house was cute too and while still quite small, I thought we might be able to fit everything in - okay and maybe store a few things in the garage! It also had a great backyard, but it was the neighborhood that had me sold. Sorry, I thought I had a photo or two of this one, but apparently not.

We put our name forward for the landlord to consider us because by this time, I had realised how quickly properties get snapped up. Unfortunately, they chose another couple who didn't have pets. So I blame our losing this house on the kitties. And ya know, they don't feel one bit guilty!

Through this experience, I learned how difficult it is to rent property here when you have pets. Because the market is so competitive, the landlords almost always have a choice to have someone without pets rent their property. And let's face it, who wouldn't prefer tenants without pets?! I actually even heard that some tenants are turned away because they have kids. So now we had a dilemma - do we tell the agent we have pets or leave that until later?

I visited 3 more properties in the next couple of days - all had their pros and cons. One place was in a great neighborhood and a nice park just steps away from the house, but it was one of those terraced houses that are all connected side by side and the only parking was on the street. Seemed like it would be a huge hassle.

Another was in a nice neighborhood again and the house had a great kitchen with eat in area, but no place for our dining table and hutch and there was no way the bed and dresser were getting up those stairs!

So did we find the place of our dreams - or at least something close enough for the next couple of years? Of course we did! But you'll have to wait for Part 2 to hear the details. ;)

Arnos Vale Cemetery Visit

We noticed the Arnos Vale Cemetery when we were buying our car (it's just down the road) and decided one Saturday afternoon to have a bit of a wander. Of course, it didn't hurt that it's right across the street from a Wine Warehouse that we also stumbled upon. ;)

I know it probably sounds strange to walk through a cemetery, but this one is advertised for just that purpose (as well as weddings - hmmm, not sure it's THAT pretty). It's quite old and a bit overgrown with some really nice little walking paths. It also houses the first crematorium in Bristol (no longer in use) and was used as a medical facility during World War I. Interesting place and on a gorgeous day, it was a nice little stroll.

 

I'm still giddy about how green everything is!

Now about that weather . . .

When we told people we were moving to the UK, inevitably, a comment would be made about the weather . . .
"You're gonna have to deal with all that rain."
"It's gonna be a lot colder than Abu Dhabi."
"Gosh, aren't you going to miss the sun?"
"Do you know how cold it is there? And it rains all the time."

Frankly, the rain and "cold" (remember we're from Wisconsin so I doubt the coldest day here will be all that impressive to us) is something we're really looking forward to. One of the reasons we left Abu Dhabi was the endless sun, heat and humidity. I know for many of you that sounds weird, but after growing up in a place with 4 glorious seasons, it was a drag to have sun EVERY DAY! I know, first world problems.

So anyway, back to the weather here in Bristol. First, my post is a bit premature, as we've only been here a few weeks and it is August. But I thought it might be fun to capture my first impressions and then compare them after we been here 6, 12, 24 months.

First off, it is definitely cooler. We left Abu Dhabi during a heat wave even by UAE standards - 110-115 F and 92% humidity. It was beastly and we were moving so you can imagine how happy I was to get out of there. The day we arrived was overcast, which was just fine with us. We experienced a little rain on the drive from London to Bristol but not too bad. We were thrilled. And decided to unpack a few sweaters and an umbrella first thing. :)

Then, two days after arriving, Bristol had one of the hottest days in the past 10 years! 90 F and humid (not as bad as UAE but come on!!) We just laughed and really hoped everyone was right when they said it wouldn't last. Remember there is no air conditioning here (really none, none at all) so when the temps get that high, it really can be miserable. And I was sweating again!

Luckily, it was only a few days and then temps got much cooler and we got some rain. Currently, we have a week of sun in the forecast and it is absolutely perfect. High of 75 and sunny. Ahhhh.

I'm getting a kick out of actually needing to check the weather report each day - haven't had to do that in almost 6 years! :)

British Vocabulary Lesson (Slang edition)

Yeah, we all speak English, but as the Queen says, "There is no such thing as 'American English'. There is English. And there are mistakes." I'm not actually sure she ever said this, but it's pretty darn funny so let's leave it at that.

Living in UAE, we were exposed to lots of British English so I thought I was in pretty good shape. Heck we did everything in British English at work so I'm all good with my colour and organisation. Still, there's lots to get used so thought I'd let you all learn along the way with me. Ready?!

British Vocabulary Lesson (Slang edition)

1.  Bugger All - nothing at all. For example: I've had bugger all to do all day.
2.  Shattered - exhausted, wiped out. For example: I'm shattered after moving house today.
3.  Gutted - devastated, extremely disappointed. For example: I was gutted we didn't get that cute little house in the village of Pill.
4.  Cock Up - a mistake of epic proportion. For example: The Republicans have really cocked up this election.
5.  Lost the Plot - to become angry and/or exasperated to a fault. For example: When I saw the mess the cats had made of the litter box, I lost the plot.
6.  Brass Monkeys - extremely cold weather. For example: You'd better bring a coat. It's brass monkeys out there. (I can't wait to use this one!)
7.  Scrummy - truly delicious, mouth-wateringly good. For example: These scones with clotted cream and jam are scrummy.
8.  Rubbish - yes garbage, but also to express ridiculous disbelief. For example: That website is a load of rubbish.
9.  Kerfuffle - skirmish, argument or fight because of differing views. For example: I'm sure many an American household is having a right kerfuffle over the presidential elections.
10.  Wanker - Oh, ‘wanker’. Possibly the best British insult on the list, it fits a certain niche for a single-worded insult to lobbied out in a moment of frustration, anger, provocation, or, of course, as a jest amongst friends. ‘Wanker’ fits the closest fit by ‘jerk’ or ‘asshole’, but to a slightly higher value. (I had to steal this definition from the website as it was so scrummy!) And I'm guessing you can come up with your own example this time round.

Hope you've enjoyed today's lesson and have a chance to use some of your new vocab this week. Stay tuned for our next installment - Everyday items edition.

Our first adventure to Bath

Our first weekend in Bristol was busy getting somewhat settled and car shopping so we didn't see much except through the public bus window. With a new set of wheels, we decided to go exploring our second weekend and headed off to Bath.

Bath is about a 40 minute drive from central Bristol and has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's known for it's ancient Roman baths and still has thermal spa waters you can bathe in. And, it gorgeous. Our day was overcast, but it hardly mattered. The place is beautiful and made for the perfect day trip of wandering.

 I was so thrilled to also catch a double-decker bus in this photo!

While having tea, Brian had found reference to the 'best views of Bath' from Alexandra Park. We plugged it into our car navigation system and proceeding to be taken on the wildest goose chase. The photo below is of one of the roads - no, that's not oncoming traffic, that's a parked car on the side of the road! Lots of yielding on these UK streets, let me tell you.

After a stop at a beautiful park (but the wrong one) we finally found the one we were looking for. This is where we parked and a view of the hill and the terraced houses - all stuck together one after the other - a bit like NYC brownstones, I suppose. Pretty garden but nightmare parking.

We finally reached our destination and the view was certainly worth it.

I know we'll be back to Bath often as it's so close and so cute - can you just imagine what it must be like at Christmas?! Next time, we'll have to visit the Roman baths. Since it was raining and the line was about a mile long, we skipped it this trip and had tea instead.