Edinburgh Flats

I've been blogging for a few years now.  I've blogged about a LOT of topics. And I have a few loyal followers.
I usually check out their blogs when someone comments and there are very FEW I don't follow now myself.

Recently, one person has started reading and commenting on my posts and it has intrigued me.  I followed the link and it took me to a real estate site.
Hmmm...kinda frustrating. I mean, I like to know the people behind the comments. Curious as a cat, me!!! Always have been, always will be. I'm the person who unwraps the gifts under the tree and then wraps the packages and puts them back under the tree so no one knows I've been in them. True Story. It's so bad my family have taken to either waiting til Christmas Eve to bring me my gifts or if they give them to me early to put under the tree- they SHRINK WRAP them so I can't cheat. Darn them.

I mean I dont wanna stalk them or anything,(altho my Blog list is titled "Some People I Stalk") but if they have a real blog(and by real I mean a personal blog) I wanna see it!! PLEEEEEEEEEEAAAASSSSSSEEEEE!!!! Pretty please?

You can contact me by email on my profile...at least I'm pretty sure you can...I'll check it as soon as I post this.

And Thank you ALL for reading and commenting. I know I havent been very prolific lately, but I've had a few health issues the past couple of months. But I promise I'll try and do better. It would probably help a LOT if I had a job so I had more things to blog about. Right now my life pretty much is a routine of get up, look and apply for jobs, eat a bite of brunch, check for replies to jobs I've applied for, play a few games on Facebook, go for a walk if weather permits, take a shower, have dinner with hubby after he gets in from work, watch a movie with him before bed.....Then I start all over again the next day.  Not very exciting my life at the moment. But somehow- I manage to find a few tidbits to tell yall about. It's a gift. Or a curse. I do love to talk, I guess it just depends on how MUCH you are forced to listen to me yammer on about what's been going on in my day as to whether it's a gift or a curse.

Husband would defo say it's his CURSE. LMBO!!
Anyway...Thanks again, y'all!!
Have a GREAT weekend!!!

One Year Anniversary- Part II- What I LOVE about England.

Well as I said yesterday. I DO miss many MANY things about home.
But- there are many MANY things about living in England that I LOVE as well...

...the weather. The temperatures are much more level here. Not nearly as extreme cold and hot as at home. Yeah, it's a bit more wet here for a lot of the time, but I can live with damp as long as there's not a lot of money for a leaky roof involved.
...The countryside. Everything is such a lovely green here!!! Must be all the rain we get over here!!!
...Clouds. No matter what the day you have them...big white fluffy ones on nice days. Grey and white ones on partly cloudy days... and heavy grey ones on the days it's raining. All lovely.
...New foods. It's been a real education trying new foods- and new versions of foods we have back home too. Dining out(and sometimes IN) has been an adventure in itself and I have loved almost every second of it.

...being able to walk almost everywhere. I walk to the post office, to the market, to the doctors office for my appointments, to the library, the hair salon and to my friends and in-laws houses.  It's been a real BOON to my weight loss and since moving here I'm no longer even PRE-diabetic. Almost EVERYONE walks here.
...Public Transportation. Most people wouldn't consider P/T a plus, but I do. I LOVE riding the bus and taking the train to the bigger cities and towns. And as I said before- walking around in the towns when I arrive there. I never thought I could ever live in a town or city, but I'm getting used to the lifestyle and could easily see myself living in a flat in City Center somewhere.
...The accents. It seems to me that every 5 miles a different accent emerges. And I love listening to people talking with them.
...Body image. It's MUCH more realistic here. If people are a bit overweight- no one much cares. You arent under the pressure to look like a fashion model or movie-star or celebrity all the time. Actors and actresses on TV dont all LOOK like perfect people...they look like someone you would pass on the sidewalk as you walk to the market. Yes, there are a few exceptions to that rule- but arent there always a few exceptions? And that's what I like about it- it IS the exception- NOT the rule.
...drinking. It's not frowned upon like it is in the South. If you drink, it's normal, and you're not looked down on or made to feel like you're a BAD person. You're just part of the group.
...The medical system. I can be looked at if I'm sick, get my meds for so much less than in the states, and not have to worry about having to decide if I am going to pay the medical bill or pay my rent and get groceries.  I LOVE this country's system.
...I've loved having this time off work. I've had a good resting holiday, but I'm ready to go back to work now please. That's all I'm saying about that.
...Aero Candy bars. Fish and chips. Scones. Bacon that's really Ham. GREAT coffee(once you find out which is the GOOD brands). Chocolates. Lager and Lime. Irish Meadow. ByGone Times.  Tesco. Aldi. Iceland. Gregg's. Mark & Spenser. Puntos. Ford Mundeos.  Wine. Beer. Vodka. Jack Daniels. Gordons.

Yes. All in all, I can't say I'm NOT happy here. If I had some familiar faces from home I would be PERFECTLY happy-
but Life is Good, and getting even better!!!

One Year Anniversary of Leaving America....What I Miss...

Today marks the one year anniversary of Paul and I leaving South Carolina to come live in England.

It's been quite an experience, especially for me who has never lived anywhere but South Carolina the entire *Mumble-tee-mumble* years of my life...

I've missed SO many things since moving here.....

... my family and friends. I miss being able to go to their houses and being able to do lunch or dinner with them or just being able to show up and surprise them with a hug and a 5 minute chat if I'm running errands in their neighborhood.
... my car and being able to drive where ever I want-when ever I want.
... Sweet Iced Tea and the Snow Cream Ice treats from the Sno-Hut on Wade Hampton Blvd.
...Real honest to God SHORTENING to make BISCUITS (the AMERICAN scone type ones- not the cookie type ones)
...Pulled Pork or Chicken BBQ with Mustard based sauce. OMG.Nowhere but the South can you find it like it SHOULD be.
...Fast food joints. McD's, Jack-in -the-Box, Burger King, Subway, Zaxbys, Wendy's...take your pick. I miss em all. I also miss chain restaurants like, Cracker Barrel, IHOP and WaffleHouse.
...having a job. Just the routine of getting up, getting dressed and having a schedule to keep while making money.
...having regular days off when Paul and I would sleep all morning, then get up and go for a ride to the mountains or the lake and then come home and watch movies until 3AM and then hop in the car and ride to the local Waffle House for breakfast- or supper...whatever meal we was in the mood for.
...Having a house to ourselves.
...having 7 acres to be able to walk on, or go out back and target practice with the rifle, or shotgun, or the GLOCK....or just to play a game of awesome Lazer Tag.
...being able to walk 50 yerds down to our very own fishing pond for a few hours of relaxing fishing. Even if we didnt CATCH anything, it was awesome to not have to worry about having a fishing license if we wanted to fish.
...WALMART. OMG- I never knew how MUCH I would miss that place. I cannot find anything here in England.....I'm S-L-O-W-L-Y learning hwere to find a few things, but I'm going to die of old age before I find the equivalent of basic things I used in the states. They have so many specialty shops here for things you would think would be in places like the pound shops(The British versions of Dollar General or Freds or the 5 & dime stores) or ASDA(the British version closest to our WALMARTs-only NOT) or Morrisons or Sainsburys, or Tesco(the British version of Bi-Lo or Ingles or Winn-Dixie..only so NOT). Thankfully, both places have ALDI!!!!!
...Guns. OMG...guns.
...Knives- as in my stilletto switchblade. No you can't.
...Pick-up Trucks. I've seen TWO since I've been here. That's it...TWO. They were small ones like Toyota Tundras sized.....Not a single big old honkin' crew cab or doolie or Monster truck. I mean HOW do people MOVE their stuff around here?? Seriously!!!
...Country Music. I brought a lot with me- stored on my computer of course, but then my compter crashed and burned and I lost it All. I'm hoping we remembered to back it up on our hard drive- but I'm not holding my breath. 
...Big houses with lots of room. Add one bedroom to our house back home and thats the average size of houses here....and from what I've seen, there is no such THING as an "open floor plan"... the rooms are TINY compared to rooms back home. That may just be MY perception of it tho.
...seeing luxury cars. Cars are tiny over here too. They have to be to fit in the tiny narrow roads becuase they dont have-
...Big wide roads with plenty of room for a slight error.
...Pine trees. I miss the smell of pines so much. Maybe just because we always lived in the middle of a half dozen stands of pines scattered on the estate.
...The Carolina Blue sky. It's usually gray and overcast here. We do have sunny days too- and the sky is absolutely stunning when we have clear days, but  there's nothing like a Carolina Blue sky with the puffy white clouds floating by.
...service in restaurants. As much as the wait staff stopping every  5 minutes to ask if you needed a drink refill or anything, it was much better than here where you buy *A* drink and dont get free refills and the wait staff just disappears as soon as you're seated. Southern Hospitality- you just cannot beat it.


This is just the major things I miss. There's a lot to be said for things over here too...but I'll cover THAT part of it tomorrow- when it will be the One Year Anniversary of us ARRIVING in England.

There are two sides to every coin.