@oregonlass, you amaze me. Having Airbnb guests already, that’s fantastic. I’d be embarrassed to show even non-paying guests our place at the moment. The fact that I’m sleeping in the dining room, and the dining room furniture is crammed into the living room, doesn’t help, but I have to confess that housekeeping standards have slumped to an all time low. Though I suppose I shouldn’t say that, there is every likelihood they will go lower! H is very good at looking after me, but he has that special sort of vision that just doesn’t see mess. I’m trying to cultivate the same, until I’m fully fit. Then there will be a glorious spring cleaning.
I understand the clean thing... suffer from some of the same here, but when we have guests coming he shifts into “professional” mode and it’s pretty amazing. I don’t have to look...I know the guest room and their bath will be spotless. ....Close our bedroom area and the mess stays hidden.
It helps that we are all on one level and I can easily access all of it. The housing arrangements UK vs US are so different. And west coast is different from east coat.
It was a real shocker to discover that the entire square mileage of the UK would fit inside the square mileage of Oregon. But you have 20 times the population.!!
The towns in Oregon weren’t started until the 1930s onward. We’re so new. And of course during settling they used what was available...wood. It drives my husband nuts. He says our houses are sheds because they are built out of wood. Our issue is more the distance between things...it really is a spread out place. And local materials.
No brick makers here. In Texas there are very few native trees and lots of brick homes. There wasn’t a choice except to innovate from the clay that was originally used.
Hubby’s family live in traditional attached homes, brick with double interior brick walls with the wiring in between. It’s totally different here although they are in filling like crazy and trying to force people to live closer together.
With the wildfires and other weather issues, they really need to rethink their building safety codes so they don’t burn, float away or blow down so easy. UK and Europe have had much longer to sort some of these things out. But they still use wood as the core and decorate with stone or brick - rather than use it as the base.
My blessings are homes have more space and storage so it’s easier to tuck things away. Unless you are in one of the major metro areas like New York, San Francisco, etc, you generally aren’t cramped in a super expensive tiny flat, or major expensive house or apartment. Those places are like London. Now If we hadn’t moved last summer...I’d be in your boat with 1/2 of my house upstairs :( Sometimes life throws you changes that you really don’t get the full picture for a while.
Home made scones, how delicious! And clotted cream, that’s the proper stuff! Love your English scones WAY better. Difference is how butter is added - at room temperature verses cold. Lighter, fluffier, moister. I’m pitching my old scone recipe book. Never did like eating cardboard.
Thanks for info. I’ll investigate the apps. I can see that a 4 wheeled walker would enable smooth walking. You don’t ever get the feeling it is going to run away from you?
United Kingdom
