On the second Tuesday of the games, I left Derby University early and walked toward the train station on the outskirts of town. I stopped at a pub in the town centre that was littered with television sets, although none were showing the Olympics. I asked the barman to set one of the TVs to the BBC coverage, ordered a Bulmer's cider and sat at a bar table with my Olympics T-shirt on and watched the men's giant slalom. Both the race and I went unnoticed by all the other patrons.
Eventually I left and walked through the town square which houses the city's conference rooms. On the outside wall is a giant screen which usually plays the daily news. Today, it was set to the Olympic curling (with sound) although the only people paying any attention were a few smokers from a restaurant in the square who were cowering in a doorway on this chilly evening. It was showing the women's Britain versus Canada game which I thought would garner more attention as it was Britain's one hope at a decent outcome. None of the people walking through the square on their way home stopped to pay the coverage any attention.
I must admit, after the spiteful comments in a few of the British newspapers (and not the lower-end tabloids either but some of the more respected publications) I was quite eager to see Britain fail miserably at every sport they attempted. Their pathetic finish (3rd from last) with 1 single medal served them right. Tearing us down to make themselves feel better regarding a games that many of them do not want did nothing more than make them look petty and insecure.
One of the things that was difficult for me regarding missing the Olympics was being on the opposite side of the table. For the past 3 years (ever since my summer 2007 trip) I have been out exploring new places; writing and posting pictures for friends and family to see. Now, in a total juxtaposition, I am the one living the experience vicariously through the images and words of others.
I was talking to dad last week via Skype and Andrew was in his office. Somehow we got onto the topic of the BBC and I expressed my outrage with the way they deal with the television licenses. Andrew was unaware licenses are required to watch television and it prompted me to explain it here for those who have never heard of this practice.
The BBC is akin to the CBC as it is the national broadcaster for the country. It receives its local funding (excluding BBC World) from a license that is levied on anyone who uses equipment capable of recording and/or receiving live television broadcasts. The fee is around £150 per year.
The fee is somewhat voluntary as each household/business is responsible for registering and paying it, although anyone can actually watch television without paying it. There are myths regarding vans that drive around the country with equipment inside that can detect if people are using television receivers/satellites and then the men in the vans check on the database to see if the inhabitants have a license. If not, a £1000 fine is levied.
Fine, that is the system. I don't have a problem with that. What I do have a problem with are the threatening letters they send out assuming everyone who hasn’t registered with them is watching television and therefore breaking the law.
The letter I received started with the statement (in bold and large red print) "You are breaking the law". In fact, this was one of the first pieces of mail we received upon arriving in the country. I called the phone number on the back of the notice as it advertised you can register your home with them if you do not watch television. I did this, however the letter didn't mention anything about the fact they will not believe you. You are allowed to own a television as long as a cable is not attached to it which receives signals. We have a TV which is plugged into the wall (for power) and is only attached to a Playstation which allows me to play video games and watch DVDs. This does not require a license.
After registering with them and making a statement to this fact, I was informed an Enforcement Office would be paying me a visit. Why? To verify what I had told them! I asked the woman if I understood her properly; was I being required to prove I am not breaking the law? Yes. I told her there was no way in hell an enforcement office was going to pass through my door. The whole purpose of calling them was to get them off my back. She informed me they could get a warrant (which I doubt without any proof I was breaking the law) and I told her that is what they would require before stepping inside my flat. I then uttered something I shouldn't print here for the faint of heart and hung up.
This was within my first week here in the UK. Welcome to the world's greatest democracy my ass!
At the beginning of March we breached the 6 month mark in our new home/country. In that time we have noticed a few oddities here.
Water taps. There is one for cold and one for hot. If you don't like extreme temperatures and wish to have something luxurious like warm water, you are out of luck. I have mastered the art of running both taps at the same time and running my hands back and forth between them as quickly as I can. The pain from the scolding hot water is alleviated by the startlingly cold water and vice versa. If you do this with extreme speed, it kind of feels like warm water. Almost.
Perhaps having separate pipes for hot and cold harks back to older technology since many of the homes are 150+ years old. We were shopping at B&Q (big hardware chain) a few weeks back and wandered through the faucet section. We were amazed to see the majority of taps still come in
sets of two; one for hot and one for cold.
Nina's professor was installing a new kitchen a few years back and was faced with the decision to install two taps or just one which would allow him to determine the temperature before the water came out (very forward thinking here). He opted for the two tap system as he preferred the symmetry.
When we were here last August to source a flat to rent, we were taken by the number of men who walked through town shirtless. Granted, it was a lovely August and the temperature was in the low 20's. However it struck us as a little odd. In a park, I can understand it, but it did look a bit out of sorts while strolling down the street. And I might point out, these men were pale as a ghost (they were British after all).
This past winter we have noticed an equal number of men who walk around in T-shirts (without jackets) when the temperatures are barely above freezing. I am not joking; we will be bundled up with layers below our jackets donning gloves, toques and scarves and will scroll past someone on the road who is walking along with bare arms.
It’s not just the men either; the women wear these tiny mini skirts and shoulderless blouses
when heading out for an evening on the town. In the summer I can understand this, but when it’s less than 5 degrees it just makes no sense at all.
We must really stand out as outsiders with our appropriate winter wear.
The Leicester Comedy Festival was in town during the Olympics; they are not related. This is a national comedy festival with comics from all over Great Britain coming to Leicester due to not having any better offers anywhere else in the country for that two week period. We took in two shows and were moderately impressed. For £5 each it doesn’t have to be fantastic to be good value. I was hoping for better, but perhaps that is due to my experiences with the Vancouver Comedy Festival which does have an international appeal and draw. There wasn’t much of a comparison.
Two weekends back the sun was shining and so we took a drive north west to Bradgate Park.
This is one of the many places we have been told we must visit while living in this region. Actually, whenever we meet new people who discover we are not from the UK we are told in great detail of all the places we simply must visit. We have been here for 6 months and already have enough trips we “must” take to last us until our mid 60’s.Bradgate Park was not a let down at all. It consisted of a large swath of rolling hills and wooded
areas with babbling brooks, lakes and hills with exposed rock (which truly excited Nina). There were herds of deer grazing, geese and ducks floating and the beautiful countryside laid out in front of us. In the middle was a tea room which we retired to after our long walk for some coffee and cake. It is nice to have such beauty available a short drive out of town and we were immediately able to see why everyone recommended this as one of the “must see” locations. As a side note, I didn’t take my camera 
and all these pictures are in fact of Bradgate Park, but I sourced them from the Internet.We will be receiving our first visitors shortly. Nina’s parents are paying us a visit over the Easter weekend. They are taking the train from Germany, will stay for 5 days and will leave with her car. Once back in Germany they will sell it and we will then buy a British car with the money.
Speaking of visits, I have booked my ticket to Vancouver for the summer. As much as I love Canada Day and do intend to come back most years so as to be there for it, this year I am coming in August to watch my dear old dad turn 70. I will be in Vancouver from August 3 – 17.
Last night we went out for a cultural evening. On the edge of the University of Leicester campus is a new arts centre that offers classes, workshops, exhibits and shows. Both Nina and I, independently of each other, had noticed it and were intrigued. So last night we went to see a series of one-act plays from the UofL theatre group. We were impressed with the quality of the work. The acts were written, directed and acted by the students and they did a fantastic job.
Afterward we walked to the Welford Road neighbourhood on the opposite side of campus to The Donkey. I had walked by The Donkey a couple of times as it looked like any other English pub from the outside, but the name always grabbed my attention. It stood out as a tad garish.
Nina’s professor is the leader of a jazz trio and they were playing at The Donkey this particular Thursday. I had met him many times and had even been to his home before, so I knew he played the piano. What I didn’t know was how good he was. The trio also consisted of a double bass and drums and this particular evening they had someone joining them on a saxophone, making them a quartet.
Some of his other students had come out as well as none had seen him play before. They were playing the basic frameworks of songs from sheet music, but the rest of the time they were jamming and improvising which made it all the more enjoyable for them and good entertainment for us. Feeling well cultured for the day, we retired home.
Tonight (Friday) we usually meet Nina’s colleagues at the Old Horse pub (notice a trend with the names?) where they do a wicked lamb shank. But tonight there is a beer festival downtown that we are going to. I looked at the festival’s website and they are boasting 233 beers (including some fruit beer) and 37 ciders. Plus, of course, there will be food stands to help wash down the beer. I think it will be a fun evening, I just hope I can remember it!
Next weekend is the Geologist’s Ball; a fancy dress affair organized by the geology department at the UofL. Nina bought a formal evening dress and I will (finally) get to don my tuxedo. I bought some snazzy cufflinks and a black bowtie last weekend and this weekend I will search for a vest or waistcoat as I prefer the look to a cumber bun.
Hopefully I will have some pictures of the ball for my next post.
