Home About Contact Home Australia Blog

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Shocking Discoveries

We've been in the UK for less than 5 days and I've already made a few shocking discoveries.  First, I was horrified to discover that there are NO electrical outlets in bathrooms here.  Seriously- none.  It's not allowed.  Apparently, they think people will be dropping electrical appliances into tubs full of water left and right.  I'm baffled by this.  We had 220v in Australia and I never heard of any problems with people being electrocuted in their own bathrooms.  I'm going to have to completely re-work my daily routine and find an alternate spot to use the multitude of electrical appliances that keep my hair from looking like John Bon Jovi's (a la 1989).

I don't want to look like this


My second shocking discovery was made this week while shopping for bed linen.  It seems that people here do not commonly use flat sheets.  Instead, it's just the fitted sheet and a duvet cover.  What happens when they get hot at night and want to kick off the duvet?  Isn't that what the top sheet is for?  I've been to several different department stores and I cannot find flat sheets for a "super king" size bed (which is the biggest size here but still smaller than a California King).  This may seem like a minor annoyance but when you think about how much time one spends in bed you can begin to grasp the magnitude of this problem.

My third discovery this week really cannot be described as shocking.  Everyone warned me.  But I was a bit surprised anyway.  Here's the thing:  the weather here sucks.  It's August for goodness sake!  And it's cold and raining and we're wearing jackets.  It feels like a bad February day in Southern California. I think it's going to be a long winter.

Good thing I got me a pair of Hunter wellies!

Now that I think about it, perhaps discovery #2 and #3 are related.  The weather here is so miserable that no one is ever hot at night so why bother with that pesky top sheet anyway?

I think I may be on to something . . .



7 comments:

  1. Once, just once, I want to see you looking like Jon Bon Jovi!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I should have thought to warn you about the outlets in the bathroom. I was so pleased when we arrived here and they had outlets. In the UK, I bought a mirror at Pier One and hung it on the wall of my bedroom. Did you know there was pier one? I think it is called The Pier though. There was one in the mall at Kingston upon Thames. They also have Reeses Peaunt butter cups at Benthalls there! I found the lack of top sheets annoying at first but for the kids, it was actually nice. Two matching duvet covers from argos and it was very easy. They could even make their own beds!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I, too, was frustrated by the lack of electrical outlets in bathrooms, but if you are so inclined its an excellent excuse to buy a beautiful vanity table and put it in your bedroom (if space allows). I consider myself quite lucky that there are outlets directly outside my bathroom, so I just plug in aroundt the corner and it works just fine, but sometimes I think a Victorian vanity table and stool would be a fun addition to the morning routine :) M&S sells flat sheets, but I tend to buy mine at House of Fraser (they usually have a mega sale on the higher thread count linens just after Christmas).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Now that made me laugh! The weather can be a real shocker but you are going to rock those Hunter wellies....a lot! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I always end up doing my hair in the bedroom in front of the mirror on the floor when I'm in the UK at my mother-in-laws house. The bathroom is too small to do more than take a shower and use the toilet anyway! And yes you must be onto something with 2 and 3 i've never been HOT in the UK at night...ever.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Jenny,

    I commented once on your Oz blog (we are moving in Nov to Sydney) but since London is one of my favorite cities I love reading about your adventures in the UK.

    Regarding the flat sheets, John Lewis and The White Company have them.
    Good luck adjusting to life in England. Thanks for keeping your old blog up. It's a great source of information.

    Eva

    ReplyDelete

 
Blog Design by Edub Graphic Art and Design