Tangled Metal wrote:My partner's lived, worked and travelled around the world. She's come home to England and doesn't want to leave...
It is of course notable how many people do come to the UK and want to make it their home. Years ago I met a NZ woman married to an Englishman and resident here. Her own take was, 'Wild horses wouldn't drag me back' - which I found interesting considering how many people rave about NZ (usually from the holiday only perspective of course). She was so keen not to go back that to meet up with her family she organised holidays in Australia where they'd all meet up - which I suppose also meant that they were all really on holiday when they were reunited.
NZ can't have any sleeping issues...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...not with all those sheep. A good bonus for me+++.
I couldn't go to Ireland. Too rural. Too wet. I still suffer from the memory of those disjointed Irish villages with no focus but the looming church...and those men in black which haven't turned out to be so nice. Pretty sinister,in fact. Irish people,luverly. Engaging,trublesome,charming,cousins.
NZ is a nice place except that it's a very long way from everyone and their attitude to cycling makes English motorists and government look positively enlightened!
I agree with PDQ. I'm quite happy as an EU citizen and very disappointed that a bunch of liars persuaded a slim majority of people to vote to strip us of that citizenship against our will. We missed the European Union starting as a Franco-British Union in 1940 by just a few days, which would have replaced our individual citizenships rather than being alongside it like now and so exit would have been much less likely - damn Hitler and damn Pétain!
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
mjr wrote:I'm quite happy as an EU citizen and very disappointed that a bunch of liars persuaded a slim majority of people to vote to strip us of that citizenship against our will. We missed the European Union starting as a Franco-British Union in 1940 by just a few days, which would have replaced our individual citizenships rather than being alongside it like now and so exit would have been much less likely - damn Hitler and damn Pétain!
You could just as easily argue that the Roman Empire or the Holy Roman Empire were progenitors of a European Union. In the 17th C the Holy Roman Empire comprised all or parts of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Switzerland. It was of course, too big, too unwieldy, subject to countless power struggles and people demanded more autonomy.
Can't think where this is heading.... but let's not go down another 'we was robbed' thread - please?
mjr wrote:I'm quite happy as an EU citizen and very disappointed that a bunch of liars persuaded a slim majority of people to vote to strip us of that citizenship against our will. We missed the European Union starting as a Franco-British Union in 1940 by just a few days, which would have replaced our individual citizenships rather than being alongside it like now and so exit would have been much less likely - damn Hitler and damn Pétain!
You could just as easily argue that the Roman Empire or the Holy Roman Empire were progenitors of a European Union. In the 17th C the Holy Roman Empire comprised all or parts of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Switzerland. It was of course, too big, too unwieldy, subject to countless power struggles and people demanded more autonomy.
Can't think where this is heading.... but let's not go down another 'we was robbed' thread - please?
oH dear you are sounding like poor Borris with comparing the EU to the other attempts to unite Europe? You'll get shouted down here for that?
Tangled Metal wrote:My partner's lived, worked and travelled around the world. She's come home to England and doesn't want to leave...
It is of course notable how many people do come to the UK and want to make it their home. Years ago I met a NZ woman married to an Englishman and resident here. Her own take was, 'Wild horses wouldn't drag me back' - which I found interesting considering how many people rave about NZ (usually from the holiday only perspective of course). She was so keen not to go back that to meet up with her family she organised holidays in Australia where they'd all meet up - which I suppose also meant that they were all really on holiday when they were reunited.
She returned home. She just keeps saying that it's nice to see the world but home is here. Think she means home is family the rest is not important. She certainly took her chances for adventure ending up in places where the "white man" wasn't safe or even allowed by law. Seriously dodgy places I believe where if you go missing nobody will even try to look for you even if they had any clue of where you could be.
Travel broadens the mind but also helps you to find what's important. That is the gist I got from hearing about her travels. She isn't very informative about them. Suspect she doesn't want her mum knowing about her more dangerous exploits. Put it this way, knife to the neck during a robbery isn't a serious thing apparently because we all know about that incident.
UK = relatively safe place we all know. That equals boring to some = grass is greener effect. Truth is nowhere is remotely close to perfect so just enjoy of life and place you're at as best you can.
Tangled Metal wrote:My partner's lived, worked and travelled around the world. She's come home to England and doesn't want to leave...
It is of course notable how many people do come to the UK and want to make it their home. Years ago I met a NZ woman married to an Englishman and resident here. Her own take was, 'Wild horses wouldn't drag me back' - which I found interesting considering how many people rave about NZ (usually from the holiday only perspective of course). She was so keen not to go back that to meet up with her family she organised holidays in Australia where they'd all meet up - which I suppose also meant that they were all really on holiday when they were reunited.
Snap. I was married an Australian woman. We're friends still so discuss 'stuff'. She still wouldn't go back for anything.
It also gives the kids options to travel or do uni in Asia or the Antipodes now that tertiary education in the UK is in a quandary.
Yank here. Since this is a theoretical post, how about Frank Patterson's Britain? I'd go in a second (if I could!)
I don't like heat so'd need a cool northern temperate climate. Need low population density. Cycling paths or roads of course. Good food for sale in shops and beer and wine too (latter can be imported as the good wine countries too hot!). Serious news media (UK & Canada stand out here & the US fails miserably).
I lived in Canada in the 90s and liked it - clean, good public broadcaster, citizens (many of them) take democracy seriously, not too many people, good food in stores, good plants (I'm a botanist), good infrastructure, plus cute animals on colo(u)rful money. All of the things the US is/has not (except plants maybe). They got a littler weirder once the oil $$$ (cdn) started flowing and with Harper and all that but seem to be getting a little back to normal again (even though they're also in dynasty mode - but big fan of Pierre Trudeau here). Perhaps Quebec is the best.
Also lived in Belarus (Minsk), Russia (Baikal area mostly), Ukraine (Lviv). If you had loads and loads of money to build a compound Belarus is sort of empty, clean (glacial outwash plain with sandy soil!), and central, plus maybe like going back in time a few decades... Lviv has probably the most fantastic architecture I've ever seen (interwar esp.). Russia is far too frightening now.
Of the other post-ussr countries I've visited, Georgia and Lithuania stand out - again, if you had money and of course they remain independent. I went to Ecuador once and liked it - could live peacefully there also if had money...
As far as safer countries, I might say Finland, Denmark, Poland. I'd go to any of those in a second too... Say, maybe Scotland!
Unfortunately, I haven't got much money (I'm a botanist!) so the thought of moving kit & caboodle to a different country with such a non-glamorous profession isn't realistic. But even more unfortunately, 'we poor americans' may be about to slip stupidly into fascism (or stumble blindly onward with more militaristic neoliberal rule of the dynastic wealthy elite) so my inability to 'split the scene' when king donald's thugs begin their march may make it even more regrettable! (this will of course be our own fault, or at least all those other fools who vote for gun nuts, ayatollahs, turds, celebrities, and narcissists - and make no mistake, there are a /lot/ of fools here, so let's all hope this doesn't become another one of those 'lessons of history' people keep forgetting...)
But I'm foolishly attached to place (university degrees in geography!), and consider my native Lake Superior country to be the most beautiful place on earth and the only place I could ever feel at home (Alaska's ok but not as good!). I'd go to the Canada side if I could, but if not I may be one of the first against the wall in The New Great America Again trumpissimo Regime!
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
I've traveled on 6 continents, usually doing so "close to the ground". By this I mean using everyday public transport, my own transport, hitchhiking. hostels and sleeping out. I've enjoyed it all (retrospect allows me to blur the edges of the incidents that were dicey), both in developed and underdeveloped countries. Interaction with local people always gives me a positive view that the default position of most people is generosity and welcome.
I've worked in a few of these countries, most notably in Canada and Ethiopia, and this gives a greater depth of understanding. The safest place I felt was India.
However, Britain is home and this is where I want to live. It has a rich historical culture and a fast changing modern culture. Exciting stuff. But, the bottom line, for me, is the word "roots". I'm rooted here. In particular my roots are in Yorkshire. It's that network of friends, family and culture that draws me, despite the buzz I get from being elsewhere for periods.
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
Read this book many years ago and it still resonates. Of course we have our dark side but why dwell on that, the bright side totally eclipses it and its why touring here can be such a pleasure.
Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
