100 Differences

[yogi]

Scott Waters (who must be famous for something, I'm following him on Twitter) recently took a trip to visit his girlfriend in London. He took note of 100 things that are different between here and there.

HERE IS THE LIST : https://www.facebook.com/iScottFL/posts ... 6696650031

[Icey]

That's lovely!

He got one or two things slightly wrong though.

* The pubs close too early
* The reason they drive on the left is because all their cars are built backwards

You can find pubs which stay open until the last person walks or stumbles out, and some "market" pubs open at 4 a.m. to allow traders (and the general public) to buy drinks.

* Everyone has a washing machine but driers are rare

Nope, it's just that combined washers and driers are cheaper than separate machines and lack of kitchen space sometimes gives people no choice. Me, and all my friends have separate ones, but mainly for the fact that if something goes wrong with the drum of your washer, you've lost the drying function as well.

* Hot and cold water faucets. Remember them?
* Pants are called "trousers", underwear are "pants" and sweaters are "jumpers"
* The bathroom light is a string hanging from the ceiling
* "Fanny" is a naughty word, as is "shag"

True, some people still have separate taps for hot and cold water, but mainly those sited on bathroom wash basins these days. We're getting there slowly!
Yep - pants are underwear; sweaters're usually the thinner type of jumpers, but the word seems to be phasing out.
Bathroom lights aren't usually hanging from cables any more.
"Fanny" is a derogative word for the female vagina - or used to call someone an idiot!

* There's no dress code
There certainly is. You're not allowed into some top-notch restaurants, shops and clubs without acceptable "attire". There's also a dress code in place at places like Ascot (prestigious race meetings) and private functions.

* Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Cornwall really are different countries
* Only 14% of Americans have a passport, everyone in the UK does
* You pay the price marked on products because the taxes (VAT) are built in

He forgot to mention Wales.
Not everyone in the UK has a passport, but a high percentage do, as even if not used for travelling, they're accepted as very good proof of ID. The idea of actual ID cards didn't take off.
VAT's included in most things, but not at cash and carry warehouses.

* By law, there are no crappy, old cars - There're plenty, but the very ancient ones're often exhibited at Classic Car Shows. If they're roadworthy, they can still be driven on such, though.

* Everything closes by 1800 (6pm) - No, many shops stay open until 8 or 9 pm, and some supermarkets're open all night. We have some pharmacies which close at midnight.
* If you're over 60, you get free tv and bus and rail passes. - Yes and no. You don't get a free TV licence until you're 75, but have to apply before your 75th Birthday. The concessionary bus and rail passes vary, from being free, to half or reduced fares, depending on whether someone's disabled, etc.

* Displaying your political or religious affiliation is considered very bad taste
True. We're so PC over here, that even wearing an innocuous little gold cross and chain can be seen as offensive to some, so although it's not illegal, some folk find them distasteful. The same goes for clothing which broadcasts your political affiliation, and you can't openly advertise your dislike of a certain religion or political bias in case it "offends". Unfortunately, this doesn't include minority groups who can wave placards and wear clothes associated with their beliefs.

I found that really amusing Yogi. A lot of it's true, or near as damn it, but we ARE backward in comparison to how things are in the US.

[pilvikki]

I thought the 'bigger then' was a typo. but then was the next one and the next ones, too?

the over 60 bit used to be, was just talking about that with neighbours today.

and the driers, icy, you misunderstood: he meant people will buy washers, but don't buy driers. and I know why.... the friggin' electricity charge (pardon pun) is astronomical! I really, really wanted one for the winter, but no way josé, I know we'd just start using it - and our electricity bill was something like 3000 euros last year - without.

people around London are lovely! around huddersfield, I understand, not so much...

[Icey]

Bigger then?

No, I understood about the tumble dryers. I just forgot to mention the running costs as well, but that's not strictly true either.

I use mine almost daily. With our rubbish weather, thicker items just won't dry on the line, so it can go on as many as half a dozen times, depending on which fabrics can be out in together and how much laundry there is.

I seriously don't find ours particularly expensive to run. The energy rating on it's triple A, and between one of ours breaking down and buying another, the electricity charges remained about the same, even though we weren't using it. It depends on the make, model and whether you use one very frequently, but I have no qualms about ours.