Happy New Year, Gang!

[Dave S]

On Monday 04 January 2010, ibi sum wrote:
> I assure you that it is not the ability to do this that matters.  What
> matters is: England.  My Austrians just don't like the place, for some
> reason I can only barely describe in terms that could not inflame.
> The effort to get there, in other words, would be better spent going
> somewhere warm, with beaches, and with *NO ENGLISH PEOPLE*.  Gah!

I have to say, since moving to Wales, England has become known to me as 
"stress country", and I don't really feel much urge to go back there.  Driving 
back to Nottingham from here, the difference in people's attitude (just on the 
roads, even) seems more noticable to me the closer we get to the English 
border.  In my opinion, it definitely starts to suck almost as soon as you get 
into England - though the M54 and then M6 around Birmingham may have a lot to 
do with my thoughts on that!

Katy's family has friends who have lived around here (West Wales) for 30+ 
years.  I think they can count on one hand the number of times that these 
various friends came to visit them in England.  I now fully understand why 
this is the case - once you're here, you don't want to leave.  It's that 
simple!

Here's the landscape, as it was last April (on a bit of a rainy day):

http://www.katyfowler.co.uk/cyneiniog_panorama.jpg

I now have a tripod to use with the camera, so will undoubtedly take some more 
panoramic photos around here.  (There's a great one I'd love to take from the 
top of the hill opposite the house - you can see for miles around!)

Cheers,

~Dave