20 Jan 11 Back In The UK: Two Months On

Am I glad to be back in the Old Country?

Well, it will be nice to catch up with family and friends here . It’s nice to have a regular job after struggling with the business for many months.

It’s pretty good here in London, and surprisingly, this area right near the airport has little hidden pockets of countryside, and it’s near enough to central London to get places.

After almost non-existent public transportation in the States, or at least where I was at, it’s brilliant to have a 24/7 bus service, and, during the day, so many buses that I don’t need a timetable. It’s nice for me to have free travel all over London too!

It’s reassuring to have healthcare that is free at the point of use, after being constantly ripped off by American insurers – US healthcare is generally good – but only if you can afford it – lose your job, you have nothing except the Emergency Room. (A&E).

Downsides.

It’s not so much it’s cold here, as it isn’t particularly, it’s just that I have gotten used to short winters and long summers, and it’s the other way around here.

I NEVER thought I’d say this, but I miss many American beers. There are more craft breweries in the US now than at any time since before Prohibition, and a lot of it is wonderful stuff. Lager lout I have never been. I like the good stuff. I am a discerning beer snob.

I miss my friends in the US, and even acquaintances.

The US has a strong service culture. The UK has gotten better at it since I was here last, but there’s still some way to go.

VAT at 20% is criminal. What is even more criminal is that it all goes to central government, and whatever numptie is running the show this year always provides bad value for money and worse still gives much of it away to the Franco-German Empire… otherwise known as the EU. I am a confirmed Eurosceptic. Not that I dislike Europeans – I simply dislike all the wasteful bureaucracy that is in Brussels, that we really don’t need.

Further to the above, there is no real local democracy in the UK. There should be not only elected mayors for each town council, but elected officers too (not just Councillors).

The UK has turned into even more of a nanny state than when I left it seven years ago. Mind you, the US is in some ways going that way too, more in a big brother sort of way though, which I don’t find so obnoxious as this Government here telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The plan to raise tax on booze is a good example. The US Government at any level simply wouldn’t get away with raising taxes for that reason.

Now this might sound strange, but, although I missed people here, I was never homesick. Since I’ve been back here though, I’ve sometimes felt quite homesick for the US of A.

Go Figure Buddies!

Tags: american beers, american insurers, bureaucracy, bus service, buses, central government, central london, countryside, craft breweries, emergency room, europeans, eurosceptic, family and friends, free travel, german empire, good stuff, prohibition, public transportation, service culture

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02 Jan 11 Sunday Stroll

This afternoon, as it was a dry fine one, I decided to take a little walk out, and explore a little more of the area.

Using walkit.com I planned about an hours walk to Harlington and back. I’m always reluctant to come back the same way as I set out so I made part of the route a circle.

Setting out in a westerly direction along the Bath Road, I came across this bargain hotel near to the airport. If you’d just flown into Heathrow, you’d find this hotel only a few minutes taxi ride away from the Terminals. £29 for a night is a very good deal indeed. That’s about US$45.

Walking on past the hotel, I then came across the Airport Bowl. Yes, It’s a ten-pin bowling alley. If you stay at the £29 hotel you’ll be able to walk across the street to this place, and see if you can strike lucky!

There’s also a Holiday Inn on this stretch of road, and of course, there are plenty of other hotels around this area to suit all tastes and pockets.

Continuing along the Bath Road a little further, I came to Harlington Corner, where I made a turn right into Harlington High Street.

Considering its proximity to the airport, and aside from the planes landing every few minutes, it’s a peaceful place tucked away off the main road.

In Harlington itself, as in most High Streets still in England, there are a couple of watering holes, that is pubs.

Here I passed the Wheatsheaf, and a little further along on the corner of Cranford Lane, The Red Lion.

Here I turned into Cranford Lane, and headed back towards Cranford. Almost immediately after leaving Harlington, one finds oneself back in the countryside again. There are ploughed fields on either side of the road, and a number of stables with horses grazing.

As I was walking back in an easterly direction I couldn’t help but notice the continuous stream of aircraft coming in to land at Heathrow Airport. I could see the landing lights of the planes, and as each one came into land, a look into the eastern sky showed the lights of the next one beginning its descent.

I continued back along Cranford Lane, and cut through the pathway back to the Bath Road, where I dropped into the local Tesco Express and picked up my reward for my walk, a couple of bottles of Theakston’s Old Peculier.

The whole walk took about an hour and was about 3.5 miles.

Tags: bargain hotel, continuous stream, countryside, cranford, easterly direction, eastern sky, few minutes, heathrow airport, high streets, holiday inn, peaceful place, pin bowling alley, pockets, proximity, pubs, red lion, taxi ride, watering holes, westerly direction, wheatsheaf