Random thoughts

The Anne of Cleves House (where she never lived)

So much is going on that sometimes I forget to share the simple things. Here are some:

At the the beginning I said there were no pickup trucks. Since then I have probably seen no more than five or six.

Drivers here can parallel park in the tiniest places. But then they have much more rigorous driver’s education than we do in the States. When they do get their license they must put a large white square sign with a big, red L on their vehicle for a year (or at least it used to be that long) to warn other drivers. Roads range from lanes not much wider than a small car to dual carriageways which have large roundabouts nearly every mile or so all of the way up to motorways which are like our interstates. If there is a road that is straight for a long way it was probably built by the Romans while occupying Britain prior to 410 CE.

Out in the countryside the lanes are sunken, with steep walls topped by constant foliage of some sort, either a variety of hedges or a great variety of trees, or both. And it is rare that there will be the same type of tree in a a row. Every tree will be different. One of my favourite places are the tunnels of foliage, literally a tunnel of leaves. The trees and shrubs have multitude of red berries all ready for the birds in winter. Flowers abound, especially lots of roses and fuchsia. Blooms are everywhere. There were even workmen planting tender plants in a public garden this morning.

In towns and villages there will be a sort of modern building butted up next to a fifteenth or sixteenth century building. The ancient ones are easy to identify with their wooden beams which are far from straight or uniform in size. And the first storey (the level above ground level) almost always sticks out over the narrow sidewalk, allowing more room upstairs. Their rooflines have the most interesting dips and twists. Some have bricked up arches that once were doors or windows, or a staircase going up to one of those bricked up archways.

Ivy is everywhere; one plot of land between houses was covered in ivy, including an old bicycle that had been abandoned for who knows how long. English holly, both solid green and variegated, with its shiny, sharply pointed leaves is also everywhere. I so want to take a bit home for decorating the Christmas Pudding! Today we walked by a huge rosemary shrub, and lavender abounds. Thankfully we can grow lavender in Colorado, but so many of my other favourites do not live in our climate.

There are delightful little tea shops all around, inside cathedrals, attached to or in historical buildings. Cream tea, scones, clotted cream and jam, usually strawberry, is always available, now with the addition of a variety of teas, but the norm is English Breakfast Tea with milk. Many people, me included, carry their own reusable bamboo cups with rubber rings to protect fingers from the heated drinks. One just hands the cup to the attendant and nothing goes to the landfill. Delicious cakes sit by the cash register under glass domes.

Almost everyplace paying is simple with contactless pay using smartphones. At a restaurant they would never take your credit card away from your table. Instead the handheld Bluetooth machine is brought to your table.

Groceries come in square or rectangular containers making better use cupboard and refrigerator space. Cheeses are beyond delicious!

And heated towel racks - so civilized!