Sunday, September 15, 2013

Some random things...

...I really like about Belfast:


  • That we can walk, bike, or take a bus (sometimes double deckers!) most everywhere
  • That we can order our groceries on the Internet and have them delivered for either free or practically free (less than cab fare, similar to bus fare)
  • That Watson has a 'gang' of girls between the ages of 4 and 8 he plays with almost daily (seriously, 6 of them no more than 4 doors away from us). Question: where are all the boys? 
  • That this country instituted a, controversial at the time, plastic bag tax (5p per bag, approx 8 cents) that resulted in everyone carrying around canvas bags everywhere
  • That people use the word 'wee' rather than 'little' - it is just fun saying 'how's the wee one?'
  • That I get to drink European cappuccino every day...mmmmm....and lots of yummy bread products (scones, soda farls, wheaten bread, etc...) - good thing I'm walking a lot!
  • That there are all sorts of really, really small cars here, many of which have hitches and can pull trailers, are manual transmission, and get amazing mileage (hybrids or not) - and, some of them have great names!
  • That within a month of moving here, we had already met and joined a group of amazing female runners 
  • That dogs get to walk off leash with their owners many places here. Haven't yet heard of a bad dog encounter, either.
  • That the NHS gives us free medical care, including prescriptions. Free.

...I'm not too fond of:
  • Not being able to set a temperature for the heat - turning knobs on radiators to try to get the right temp is for the birds
  • The furniture and carpet in our house - bleck
  • No strip of grass between the sidewalk and road - man, it feels like the cars are close
  • Having to go outside to put clothes in the dryer (but at least we have a dryer - am amazed at how many people do not, especially since it rains so often!)
  • I cannot for the life of me seem to get the hang of the way the doors lock here...

Notice how the LIKE list is so much longer than the dislike? ;) 

2 comments:

  1. Um, please explain about the outside dryer. I have a very strange picture in my head.

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  2. Ok, so the washer is in the kitchen and the back door is off the kitchen. You go out the back door, down 2 stairs onto a patio, take about 4 steps (sometimes in the rain)' open the door to the shed and there is the dryer. I'll take a pic and post it!

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