Adjusting to a new life in the UK from the US

Yes the small city of York is beautiful, as is Yorkshire in some places...but some of Yorkshire towns and cities are not..

My sister lives in Dewsbury Yorkshire ... not the nicest place in the world by any stretch of the imagination ..oooh and the other thing is that even though York is very pretty it always seems to be raining..
 

hollydolly said:
Yes the small city of York is beautiful, as is Yorkshire in some places...but some of Yorkshire towns and cities are not..

My sister lives in Dewsbury Yorkshire ... not the nicest place in the world by any stretch of the imagination ..
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All I've seen is what I stated - York, Whitby, Robins Hood Bay, and a wee bit of Scarborough. In films they often show very charming Yorkshire villages - Calendar Girls, etc. We took the train so didn't have a chance to get around to see other places.
 
Yes the outlying villages and farmlands and beautiful scenery around Yorkshire is what makes it so breathtaking.

Nice pictures BTW..

Last year I went to a forum meet in the Cotswolds first time I'd ever been there and the villages around there would just take your breath away with the beauty of them.. I drove through dozens to get to my destination rather than take the motorway...ooooh some of it is like a fairytale..
 

hollydolly said:
Yes the outlying villages and farmlands and beautiful scenery around Yorkshire is what makes it so breathtaking.

Nice pictures BTW..

Last year I went to a forum meet in the Cotswolds first time I'd ever been there and the villages around there would just take your breath away with the beauty of them.. I drove through dozens to get to my destination rather than take the motorway...ooooh some of it is like a fairytale..
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Thanks! The Cotswolds is on my list of places to see as well. Never been. Husband not interested and couldn't get my sister to go since she's already been (in 1971!).
 
Oh well one day perhaps we could meet up there :D

Honestly I would never have seen those villages if I hadn't take country roads instead of the motorway on my way to Ross-on-wye , and it was just breathtaking.
 
hollydolly said:
Oh well one day perhaps we could meet up there :D

Honestly I would never have seen those villages if I hadn't take country roads instead of the motorway on my way to Ross-on-wye , and it was just breathtaking.
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That would be good. :) Too far for me to drive from here but I would love to drive around those wee villages.
 
Fascinating diary. I somehow know what "midgies" are (without google's help). I don't know where I picked that up. Mosquitos right? The larvae are suppose to die when you have freezing temps for longer than 2 weeks in the winter so I'm surprised you have them. I don't know where I picked up that tidbit either…I must be wrong about that since you have them.
 
Lara said:
Fascinating diary. I somehow know what "midgies" are (without google's help). I don't know where I picked that up. Mosquitos right? The larvae are suppose to die when you have freezing temps for longer than 2 weeks in the winter so I'm surprised you have them. I don't know where I picked up that tidbit either…I must be wrong about that since you have them.
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Thanks! Midgies are not mosquitoes. They have a cousin in the US called no-see-ums, but our highland midgies are much worse. They swarm and bite and itch like crazy. Only in summer or in spring if it's been very wet. They hate the sun and any breeze. We have literally billions of them.
 
Yes I've always wanted to visit too, but I hate the wind...I mean I reeeeallly hate the wind, so it's a bit off putting..I kinda just stick to looking at it on GSV :D
 
Oh, thanks for setting me straight! Your Scottish version of no-see-ums sound like our gnats but maybe smaller? You need one of those beekeeper hats with the mesh that hangs down off the brim.
 
I love ancient sites so would love to see those on Orkney. Husband isn't interested in going as it's such a long trip with overnight ferry, etc. He likes ancient sites but not as much as me. So one year I'll just have to go with someone else or maybe go with a group tour.
 
Lara said:
Oh, thanks for setting me straight! Your Scottish version of no-see-ums sound like our gnats but maybe smaller? You need one of those beekeeper hats with the mesh that hangs down off the brim.
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They are the size of small gnats but gnats don't bite. We do have some midgie hats with the net over your face and you tuck it in your shirt. But they are too hot. I use insect repellent when we are going to be out and it's not avoidable. On our long bike rides they are only a bother when we stop as there is constant breeze when riding.

I have gone down to a local beach and sat out in the sun and when I wanted shade I sat at a picnic table under a tree. Got attacked my midgies. So back into the sun.
 
Well, time to load up on Vitamin B1 lol. My friend makes a mixture of some drops of Lavender Essential Oil in water and sprays it on…a natural bug repellent that seems to work. I've wondered if bugs avoid chlorine. After I've been in the pool for 45 minutes, mosquitoes leave me alone until I get my shower. I guess chlorine soaks into my skin…i don't want to think about that. Luckily our neighborhood pool doesn't need as much chlorine as a city public pool like the YMCA.
 
Lara said:
Well, time to load up on Vitamin B1 lol. My friend makes a mixture of some drops of Lavender Essential Oil in water and sprays it on…a natural bug repellent that seems to work. I've wondered if bugs avoid chlorine. After I've been in the pool for 45 minutes, mosquitoes leave me alone until I get my shower. I guess chlorine soaks into my skin…i don't want to think about that. Luckily our neighborhood pool doesn't need as much chlorine as a city public pool like the YMCA.
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I've tried every different type of repellent for midges and the only one that works contains Deet. Same with mosquitoes. However, since I began taking antihistamines for allergy about 3 years ago I get less bites from both and when they do bite it itches less so I don't scratch till they bleed like I used to do.

When we lived in Uganda I would get at least 7 or 8 bites every evening - never figured out how they got into the house. And I wasn't about to put Deet on every evening. When we went back to visit for a month in 2013 (after I was on antihistamines) I got about 7 bites the entire month! It's strange that I seemed to be less appealing to them. And in Uganda mozzies can mean malaria although we took antimalarials.
 
Ameriscot said:
http://www.ionalister.com/midge.htm
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So why don't you guys call them Culicoides Impunctatus, for crying out loud? I guess its that old steriotypical saw about Scots being thrifty. I've noticed that you and Holly often seem to post together. Now I get the connection. I think you're both great. Have liked Scotland since I was a kid. Scottish regiments with their bagpipes appeared in many Hollywood movies like "Gunga Din" when I was a kid. I even have a guide to tartans in my library. I've mentioned before; "Scotland the Brave" was "our song". Lol! We went to see the Scots Guards at Madison Square Garden on our second date. Still one of the big thrills in my life.
 
Underock1 said:
So why don't you guys call them Culicoides Impunctatus, for crying out loud? I guess its that old steriotypical saw about Scots being thrifty. I've noticed that you and Holly often seem to post together. Now I get the connection. I think you're both great. Have liked Scotland since I was a kid. Scottish regiments with their bagpipes appeared in many Hollywood movies like "Gunga Din" when I was a kid. I even have a guide to tartans in my library. I've mentioned before; "Scotland the Brave" was "our song". Lol! We went to see the Scots Guards at Madison Square Garden on our second date. Still one of the big thrills in my life.
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Haha! We call them midgies as an affectionate nickname (not) although they are midges, specifically highland midges where I live. And I'm American but have lived in the UK for 15 years. (also a British citizen).
 
Underock1 said:
I've noticed that you and Holly often seem to post together. Now I get the connection. I think you're both great. Have liked Scotland since I was a kid. Scottish regiments with their bagpipes appeared in many Hollywood movies like "Gunga Din" when I was a kid. I even have a guide to tartans in my library. I've mentioned before; "Scotland the Brave" was "our song". Lol! We went to see the Scots Guards at Madison Square Garden on our second date. Still one of the big thrills in my life.
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That's very kind :D Yes I'm Scottish born and raised and now living in Southern England, and Ameriscot is American born and raised and now living as she said in Scotland.. We can adopt you and your missus as honorary Scots if you like ?
 
Ameriscot said:
Haha! We call them midgies as an affectionate nickname (not) although they are midges, specifically highland midges where I live. And I'm American but have lived in the UK for 15 years. (also a British citizen).
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Oh oh, I must share. I read that, as soon as possible after a bite, put coconut oil on the bite. I had a bite after I read that and applied the coconut oil immediately. It stopped itching after about one minute and the next morning the bite had disappeared. I don't know if it was a coincidence or not but it wouldn't hurt to try that!! It's natural too!
 
Lara said:
Oh oh, I must share. I read that, as soon as possible after a bite, put coconut oil on the bite. I had a bite after I read that and applied the coconut oil immediately. It stopped itching after about one minute and the next morning the bite had disappeared. I don't know if it was a coincidence or not but it wouldn't hurt to try that!! It's natural too!
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I'll try it. I've got a bottle of coconut oil I brought home from Thailand. I've used anti-itch creams but they don't help, so it doesn't hurt to try something else.
 
Hi Ameriscot. The British Open (golf) is going to be at St. Andrews this year. Is that located near where you live? Is it a big deal there?
 
NancyNGA said:
Hi Ameriscot. The British Open (golf) is going to be at St. Andrews this year. Is that located near where you live? Is it a big deal there?
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It is a big deal. It's on the other side of the country from me. I went there once as my son wanted his photo on the 18th hole. :)
 

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