The Return of the Native: Part 2
Hard to believe, but more than one month of our twelve has already passed and we’re only just feeling somewhat settled in. We did have visitors for five days and I had some sort of virus for the following week, but the time has flown!
My wife, Kim, has chronicled many of our everyday activities in her blog so I have a bit more freedom to discuss other topics that I find interesting.
Let’s start with birds: a bit of a disappointment so far, I’m afraid. I’m aware of the reductions in bird populations in both the UK and, especially, the US. But, I’ve been here a month in a house with a lovely garden — and have yet to see a robin! Where have they all gone?
We have plenty of jackdaws, crows, magpies, wood pigeons, and collared doves, but I’m not seeing the other “common” species. At the other end of the scale is the case of the red kite (milvus milvus) which has undergone a spectacularly successful reintroduction program. When I was last living here (1979), it was possible to see a red kite only if you were prepared to go to a remote part of central Wales and be very patient. Yet, a week or so ago, I spotted seven (!) of them through my office window while teaching. In fact, we see them most days.
My next topic today follows on from the previous edition where I mentioned how disciplined UK drivers are. Of course, I have since seen a few flagrantly breaking the law — but it’s still unusual, though perhaps less so in the London area. I’ve been researching the statistics regarding traffic accidents. A very interesting report is this one: Road Safety Annual Report 2018. Among developed countries, the UK is one of the safest while the US is one of the least safe. Interestingly, road safety has been improving in most developed nations over recent years (2010–2016) — except for the US. I expect this is mostly due to the advances in the safety features of vehicles. So why are the US roads more dangerous — double the fatalities on a per-miles-driven basis? I offer four possible explanations: (1) mobile phones; (2) higher speeds; (3) passing either side on highways; and (4) less rigorous driving tests (and younger drivers).
Mobile phones are definitely a big distraction to drivers in the US (it’s illegal to use a hand-held device in the UK unless safely parked). Most people in the US are driving on freeways well over the (typical) posted limit of 65 mph (it’s 55 on urban freeways but that limit is largely ignored). In the UK, the limit is 70 mph, but it is almost universally obeyed. Furthermore, it is illegal to pass on the left (equivalent to passing on the right in the US) unless the traffic is congested and moving well below the limit (I’m not sure of the exact definition). You have to see this enhanced discipline in action (UK or anywhere in Europe, I think) to really understand how it affects traffic flow — and how much safer it is.
That last point may or may not be significant. Learning at a younger age should be good. But the test is (typically) so superficial that I’m not sure it really weeds anyone out.
One feature of our brand-new Kia Sportage PHEV that I really like (actually, I like everything about it) is that it shows the speed limit wherever we are driving, even the “variable speed limits” on motorways. I haven’t seen this feature in the US, although I expect some high-end cars might have it. PHEV stands for “pluggable hybrid electric vehicle.” So far, we’ve been running it just as a hybrid — and it really is a fantastic car. But the car can also be plugged in to get a much bigger charge in the battery for more truly EV driving.
It’s good to be living in a place that cares about the planet. The UK (and, I’m sure, Europe, too) is years ahead of the US in its response to global warming and other environmental hazards. Among the dozen or so closest houses in our sleepy little village, I’ve counted three personal charging stations. Even the house we’re living in has solar panels. Here’s a picture of a liquid soap refill — note the “85% less plastic.” It just seems that everyone is more conscious of the need to recycle and conserve.
And, of course, food. I know that I’m probably biased. But food generally does taste better here. So many of the additives that are common in the US are banned here (and in Europe). And, incidentally, restaurants serve hot food much hotter than in the US.
Animals destined for eating are generally treated better although, to be fair, much of the meat has still been raised in less-than-ideal conditions. We don’t personally eat pork that isn’t humanely raised and are happy to have found a couple of places locally where we can buy pork. Today, we visited a farm shop where I took a “live” (HEIC) photo of three piglets racing back to safety when they saw me. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet found a way to upload it as a video for this article — but here’s the still version.
A couple of weeks have now passed since I wrote this and, at present, I’m on the Isle of Skye. I will have some great photos for the next edition.
