ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomTransition Issues

PS: pardon my Frenglish


Laure are you French because your English is amazing.

I've been here just over three years now and I've found that the transition to life here has come in waves. We dated long distance for three years before I moved so there was the initial euphoria at being together finally and then the same first frustrations as everyone else here, feeling a bit helpless and dependent. Then back to confidence and a happy balance with things starting to fall into place - job, driving around getting to know the area, finding favourite places etc.

Then I had a baby and wham - all the homesickness came back, several of my friends back home all had babies the same year and I felt isolated from the fun of sharing the experience with them. Sure I had new friends here but it's not quite the same as your old long term buddies, if you know what I mean. I started to miss all the UK shops again and of course it made being apart from my close family harder too. Add in new baby exhaustion and there were definitely some teary nights. Two years on from the birth and I'm back into a happy balance. So I think the key is to hang on in there and be prepared for some ups and downs.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-11 16:26:00
United KingdomVisit to marry visa UK
Ours came back very quickly - under a week I think.

At the time it made me very cross comparing the wait between the UK and the US visa!
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-22 07:16:00
United KingdomVisit to marry visa UK

Hi guys,
First of all appologies for posting this in the wrong topic.

I had no idea where to put it and since after this I'll be applying for the CR1 for me to go and join my husband in the States I thought I'd at least start here.

My fiance and I want to marry ASAP in Scotland. But we have no idea what we require to do regarding the visit to marry visa he will need.The UK border agency website is hit and miss and says theres noone to call to ask exactly what to do!!!!

Does anyone know what documents he'd need?
Would it be passport,passport photo's,evidence of his work?a few payslips etc?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.


My husband and I did it this way. Although we got married in England not Scotland but the first part is the same.

Step One: Apply for marriage visit visa

To get married in the UK your fiance will need to apply for this visa. The steps are laid out here:

http://www.ukba.home...ng/marriage-cp/

To come to the UK as a visitor for marriage or civil partnership, you must also be able to show that:

you are 18 or over;
you intend to visit the UK for no more than 6 months;
you intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit;
you intend to get married or register a civil partnership during your visit;
you have enough money to support and accommodate yourself without working or help from public funds, or you and any dependants will be supported and accommodated by relatives or friends;
you can meet the cost of the return or onward journey; and
you are not in transit to a country outside the 'Common Travel Area' (Ireland, the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands).
You must produce evidence, if asked, of the arrangements for your wedding or civil partnership ceremony in the UK.

You must also be able to show that, during your visit, you do not intend to:

take paid or unpaid employment, produce goods or provide services, including the selling of goods or services directly to members of the public;
do a course of study;
carry out the activities of a business visitor, a sports visitor or an entertainer visitor; or
receive private medical treatment.

You can read more about the supporting documents you might include in your visa application here: http://www.ukba.home...ry/visitors.pdf

We sent things like:

A letter from me explaining that we were getting married, he was returning to the US after the wedding and we would be applying for me to emigrate over there, that I would cover any financial costs that were needed for the trip if necessary and my fiance would not be working etc.
A copy of my recent bank statement showing I had a regular income and the funds to cover the trip
A letter from my husband's employer in the US saying he was granted leave to come to the UK for the wedding and was expected back on a certain date.
A copy of our wedding invitation / a copy of the booking for the venue

Of course we also sent the main ones like his passport, a passport photo, copy of his divorce doc etc.

It took 5 days for the visa to come back - very quick compared to the US system.

Step 2:
Contact the marrying authority in Scotland for their rules on what needs to be done. If you are getting married in a church or a civil ceremony if can be different.

I can't help with that step as the rules for England were different - on the plus side I actually think the Scottish rules are easier. In England the US partner had to be resident for 7 days to 'give notice' for the civil ceremony which meant an extra trip for my husband.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-05-07 17:00:00
United KingdomVisiting UK
It's usually easier than US immigration but not always so it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

My husband and I had a 2 year long distance relationship between UK and US before we were married, and then a year apart while we were waiting for the spousal visa to process.

During those 3 years he visited me about 18 times - roughly 6 times a year usually for very short trips 3-4 days, occasionally for a week or two.

He was waved through quickly for about half of those visits

He was very mildly questioned for about a quarter - "Let's see your return ticket"

He was questioned a bit more strongly for for the other quarter of visits (most of this happened after we were married, as he had the huge UK marriage visa sticker in his passport, and I think they always wondered if this was the visit he was going to choose to stay with his wife)

It wasn't much of a hassle though, he was gently reminded each time he wasn't to try and stay and adjust. Or he was asked what our long term plans were. They were usually pretty happy about his answers as long as he could show his return ticket etc. And sometimes they asked about his current job (now I'm wondering if that was a financial query about whether he could afford to support his trip, N M?) He works for a huge multinational organisation and when he told them where he worked that was usually the point they stopped questioning him and let him through.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-09-05 14:18:00
United KingdomRescheduling interview with London Embassy?
Sort of off-topic but this thread just reminded me of my own wait for my rescheduled interview letter for London - I managed to bring my interview forward to help with the close flight time I had booked and was anxious to make sure I had everything perfect for the interview so there would be no delays.

Letter didn't come, didn't come, London said they had sent it - I was going out of my mind, then there was a knock on the door and my very sheepish neighbour handed over a rather squashed looking envelope.

Her dog had stolen it out of the postman's van (along with several other items) and had hidden them in his bed! She found them a week later when cleaning it out.

It was the most crazy thing. I sometimes think about that when people don't receive their RFE letters etc. You never know what can happen to a piece of post.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-09-05 14:30:00
United KingdomBritish Back Bacon FOUND!
I have looked all over where we live and the real butcher would not make the cut just for us.

I would LOVE to be able to buy back bacon here. I don't think we have FRESH & EASY near us though.

Occasionally we order Irish back bacon online but it's not the same as the stuff from home.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-11-14 14:55:00
United KingdomWell now........talk about coming full circle....
As an LPR you can marry now and file - but there is a longer wait so it might be quicker to wait until you are a USC and file either the Fiancé or Spousal visa. You can't file for the Fiance visa until you are a USC.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-02-25 04:51:00
United KingdomUK B!tches Unite!

I don't know one single person in the UK with carpeting in their bathrooms or their kitchens. Where are these people? :lol:


My parents have carpet in one of their bathrooms as my Mum really likes it but they replace it nearly every year so it always looks spotless. Also male guests are directed to use the other bathroom with tile on the floor. Apparently that does a lot to keep things clean.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-09-22 12:05:00
United KingdomUK to USA immigration experiences ...?

I married in the UK and waited for the spousal visa to process just like you. We were stuck in a USCIS backlog back in 2007 so waited over a year to get the visa approved. However I visited him over there about 5 times during that year and always said I was visiting my husband and was always let in without a problem. 

 

I did take a packet of info with me each time, showing my intent to return - letter from employer, letter from landlady about my continuing lease, copy of our immigration paperwork showing we were in the process of doing it the legal way, etc etc. 

 

I was never asked for any of it. They always took one look at my return ticket, occasionally asked me where I worked, where my husband works and then waved me through. We both had quite high-profile sounding jobs so maybe that helped them believe I was not intending to abandon my job and just stay in the US, but then again they never asked me for any proof of that. 

 

It's hard starting your married life off in separate countries, but I am still pleased we did it that way. I got to have the wedding I really wanted, and the CR1 route was less hassle after arrival than having to go through the AOS process after a K1.

 

 


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-05-25 08:25:00
United KingdomProcess for a US citizen to marry a UK citizen in the UK

For some reason unknown to me, European countries try to make it as difficult as possible for a foreigner to get married there! From reading the above responses about the procesure of obtaining a marriage licence in the UK, though I might tell you what I did.

 

To obtain a marriage license here in Greece is just as complicated as it is in the UK. My parents wanted the marriage to happen in Greece for the same reason as yours. But for us to get the Greek licence we would have had to jump through so many hoops it was unbelievable!

 

So we compromised. Obtaining a marriage license in the US is a hell of alot easier. I flew to the US in April, got married at our county's courthouse to get the legal side of things out of the way and then flew back to Greece, to plan a big proper wedding which is happening end of July.

 

 

 

Actually that is a great solution to the problem and also allows you to send in your US spousal visa forms asap and your wait after your July marriage party will be much shorter to enter the US. 

 

I thought about that but had this weird sentimental thing about the actual 'marriage moment' taking place in the UK. 

 

But much more logical to do a quick wedding in the US before the wedding party in your home country.


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-06-06 09:40:00
United KingdomProcess for a US citizen to marry a UK citizen in the UK

I did it this way back in 2007 and the process hasn't changed a lot since then. 

 

The first thing is to know where in the UK you are going to get married as a previous poster has mentioned there are different rules for Scotland and N.Ireland than England and Wales. 

 

There are also different rules in England and Wales for church vs civil wedding service. 

 

Your fiance will need a special visa for all situations though. It doesn't usually take very long to get this visa (unlike the US system) but there are still requirements from you as the 'sponsor' to fill out and provide. And there's a fee of course for the visa.

 

We did a civil ceremony in England and were subject to the 7 day residency issue. The way we dealt with this was to have the USC come over in April for 8 days to register. We used that week to work on wedding plans etc so it wasn't a wasted vacation. 

 

And then he came back for the wedding in July. 

 

It was an extra layer of hassle for the whole process but I am so glad we did it that way, it gave my family the chance to have this wonderful wedding in the UK before I emigrated. 

 

If you don't mind where you get married in the UK then Scotland is a good option as you don't have to do the 7-day residency there (I think, but check that out if you want to go that way)

 

 

 

 


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-06-06 08:52:00
United KingdomBringing US born son back for a visit without the Father

I've travelled about 6 times back to the UK with our US born daughter on my own from when she was 9-months-old. 

 

I always took a signed letter from my husband with me saying I had his permission to take her out of the country, stating the dates we were leaving and returning. We never bothered to notarize it but it included all my husband's contact info so they could call him if there was an issue. 

 

They have never once asked for it on any trip either in or out of the US / UK. 

 

I still always take the letter though, just in case.

 

Oh and my daughter just has a US passport so far we haven't applied for her UK one yet. 


Edited by *Lynne*, 07 June 2013 - 11:50 AM.

TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-06-07 11:49:00
United KingdomMoving back to the UK...

If you need to move back for family reasons you may not want to wait a couple of years but if you had the option of the UK spouse getting their US citizenship before moving back to the UK it would mean that if you wanted to come back to the US in the future you would not have to go though all the immigration hassle again.

 

Edited to add - I see someone beat me to exactly the same thought!

 

 


Edited by *Lynne*, 04 August 2013 - 07:42 AM.

TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-08-04 07:41:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

 

Funny how you see things differently when you've been gone a while (I've not been back to Blighty once since I arrived stateside nearly 5 years ago) because I'd gladly trade some of the English wind and rain for the ###### arctic bollocks we're currently dealing with here. I am beyond sick of the sight of snow!

 

Me too. This is the fifth time this winter that we've been snowed in. Cabin fever is definitely setting in. 


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-02-13 13:20:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

After six years here the homesickness comes and gos. And I miss different things at different times. Recently started watching Coronation Street on Hulu and that made me feel very homesick again. 

 

Luckily about to go home for a month and plan to stock up on tea, beans, crumpets etc for the trip back to the US.


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-02-13 10:54:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

This week I am missing a decent choice of Christmas crackers in the shops, chipolata sausages, After Eights, pots of goose fat in the supermarket, Boots Christmas 2for1 deals, Tescos, a local pub Christmas meal with friends...


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-24 01:24:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belaruswww.AlphaSpecial.com did this marriage site go out of business?
As one of your "visitors" or "drive-bys" can I just say the Russia forum is soooo much more fun than the UK one!

You guys are hilarious - the "my wife left me" post was better than TV - compelling stuff. I particularly liked it when new posters started commiserating with the OP all over again. Brilliant - I thought it was going to go on forever.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-02-26 12:30:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusNotice The Signature Update
Congratulations - looking forward to seeing the wedding hats
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2008-11-14 09:59:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBehavior you (USC man) find odd
QUOTE (Brad and Vika @ Nov 17 2009, 01:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Kindness, stability, and the fact that I can dress myself she says.


good.gif

I can't speak for anyone else but that's pretty much what I want in a guy.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-11-16 21:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBehavior you (USC man) find odd
There's something so compelling about this thread - it's like a little bit of online theatre.


BTW - as a (European) woman I find the generalisations about American women a little odd - in my 11 months living over here I've met a huge variety of people with very different personalities, likes, dislikes, appearance etc - and that goes for both US men and women. I find that dress isn't as formal for social occasions here as in the UK but the people I meet certainly make a very smart effort with their appearance. (And in fact the American women I socialise with seem to make a lot more of an effort than their American husbands to dress up - are all you guys dressing up to match your beautiful brides?)
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-11-15 18:27:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusOK...She's met my two teenage sons - Culture Clash!
Hmmm - would not let me edit my topic to add the following...



Edited to add: I didn't address your point about the differences between American kids' upbringing and those from other countries. I think kids in European countries do have a slightly stricter upbringing than in the US with less autonomy and fewer privileges but it can often just come down to your own individual upbringing and family. Within a particular country or culture some families are stricter than others. The challenge in a blended family or even just a regular one is for both parents to blend their individual parenting style and expectations in ways which work for everyone. I'm certainly more of a disciplinarian than my husband and now we have our own child I know I am going to be tougher on her on some things than her older sisters experienced but I will cross than bridge when we come to it.

Also encourage Lena to join an internet chat room like this but for step-moms - it just helps to vent sometimes with people going through the same things as you.

Good Luck
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-07-23 17:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusOK...She's met my two teenage sons - Culture Clash!
Hi - as other posters have pointed out it's probably less a culture clash than the fact that you are now a 'blended family' and Lena is now a 'step mother'. This can be extra hard for any step parent but studies show it's particularly for women who don't already have kids of their own.

I was in this position when I got married - my step-daughters are now 15 and 19. I was able to build our relationship slowly over the 3 years we dated before getting married and we all spent many holidays together before I finally moved in and became a full time co-parent.

I read MANY books on step-parenting and asked around for loads of information to try to do the best I could in this relationship and these are the basics which helped me...


1. Take it slowly - you can't force a loving family unit overnight - bio parents get years to bond and live with their kid, you can't expect a real relationship to generate overnight. As a step-mom I started off by being a calm, helpful, fun friend and let them see I cared about them. wanted to spend time with them and wanted to be part of their family.

2. The partner of the step-parent is CRUCIAL to the success of all relationships in the the blended family. You should make sure your sons know that you love them and will always love and care for them. But them them know that Lena is now part of the family and that you love and care for her and care about her opinion. Let Lena know that you will back her up and stand up for her within the family.

3. You can create house rules that now work for all of you. This way the step parent doesn't have to feel that she's the one 'imposing' the discipline. If it's a house rule (ie. Dishes get washed or put in the dishwasher, clothes put in the laundry basket. etc) then everyone sticks to it. Let the kids help draw up the house rules. The step parent can then feel comfortable saying "Hey guys, you know we all agreed that laundry would not be left on the floor" Bio-parent - don't forget to back up the step parent if needed.

4. Make time for fun stuff to do as a family to start creating 'us' memories which include the step-parent. And let this lead to activities the step-parent can do just with the step-kids on her own. All families are made up of their memories "Do you remember the time we went to the beach?..." So it helps the step-parent be part of that family story telling.

5. Make sure the step-parent has time and space within the family home she can call her own and place to go and get a breather when it all gets too much.

Wishing you all the best, I'm sure in a year's time you will all be one happy unit.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-07-23 17:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFound an old girlfriend on Freepersonnals.ru

Most of them are single now and belong here as well as anywhere else.



Pudge.


Thanks Gary
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-20 05:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFound an old girlfriend on Freepersonnals.ru

Congratulations. You guys made this thread boring and tiresome. Back to regularly-scheduled programming about guns, pie, and Kip's MIL.


You're right - I'm sorry - also - I've missed the MIL story - were there pictures?
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-20 00:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFound an old girlfriend on Freepersonnals.ru

Here's the next question and let's see how much class we all have around here. I know I don't have much but let's see anyways.

That thread I linked you to...well that poster was new to this forum and most likely will never come back here again. In fact it got so bad that the OP asked to have the thread locked. You do see what I'm saying here yes? I sure hope so.

So now for this question. "Women's Day" is a big thing for wives, fiancee's, gf's, etc.. in RUB countries...much bigger than Valentines Day...at least for them. So someone starts a thread on that day doing the usual congratulations and these mainly UK trolls come into the RUB forum and bash posters on that thread. Wives, fiancee's...you name it. Some of these RUB women have never been to the US yet, posted on that thread and then proceeded to get flamed to no end. I can only guess what they were feeling.

So what's your take on that?


Well - I can see more than one side on the Ukrainian child support thread - the OP came across as a bit of a douche in the early part of the thread with the focus on the money - I think he explained his side a bit better later on and unfortunately for him I think his more reasonable response got lost in the fire fight between a group of people who wanted to jump to a 'she's a scammer' riff and the other group of people who wanted to go on about 'deadbeat dads'. To me it seemed like the OP's story got lost in other people's issues but I don't think all the bad was on the non-RUB people's side.

I can't remember a thread where people from the UK have directly given any women in the RUB forum a hard time. I don't read this site 24/7 though - I have job and a baby so I probably miss some stuff. Of course it's a bit ####### if people are being mean in a Women's Day thread. But posts directly to any of the 'main' guys here. Come on. You can dole it out - you can take it. You're a robust group - with (mostly) I think a good sense of humour. I think you can cope with a bit of challenging conversation once in a while. I mean, you need a break every now and then from the ####### and gun posts, surely?
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-20 00:49:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFound an old girlfriend on Freepersonnals.ru

So tell me again AJ why your little group of trolls is posting in this forum attacking posters? I mean seeing how you feel the need to post your two cents on this thread you could at least give me your take on your little group of gremlins.


Am I one of the little group of gremlins now?
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-20 00:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFound an old girlfriend on Freepersonnals.ru

I'm going to guess that English is your first language. How about you start going back and reading threads like that one I linked you. Did you read that thread I linked? If so then why post these questions here?


I have been reading these posts - for years now. I get that there are people who like to 'stir the pot' but it's the Internet - that's par for the course.

It just feels that some members who are regulars in this forum keep suggesting that all non-RUB posters are here to troll, cause trouble etc. And also there's at least one person, maybe more who keeps telling everyone not in the regular RUB clique to b*gger off.

I think it's a shame if it's just a small male clique you want. I think the debates get more interesting with more people involved.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-20 00:30:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFound an old girlfriend on Freepersonnals.ru

LSMA!!! (formerly known as lsma Posted Image)


So I changed that when in my earlier posts everyone thought I was a Middle-Eastern-man called Isma!

I can't think of a cool screen name.

Suggestions welcome.

(keep it relatively clean)
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-20 00:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFound an old girlfriend on Freepersonnals.ru

They are and they have.


Then that's cool - but why continue to ###### so much about participation on a public forum.

Also - why so down on the Brit gals - which is weird as we're a pretty tolerant bunch when it comes to pics of female nudity, bawdy talk, 'sexist' jokes etc.

I mean, it takes a lot to get me riled up enough to post like this. But I've been on this site as a reader since 2006 and a poster since 2007 when we first filed our visa petition. I've read a lot of posts in those five years - I've grown to appreciate the wit and comments of lots of members over that time. Some of my favourites are in the UK and RUB forum. Sure there are a couple people who have a general bitter and negative demeanor but I don't mind that either - it's more like in real life - the variety of opinion is what keeps it interesting.

I don't like cliques though - it's a shame if that's what the regional forums are turning into.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-20 00:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFound an old girlfriend on Freepersonnals.ru
So, I'm curious about why commenting in this forum is seen as 'trolling'. I usually see whats new on VJ by going straight to 'View New Content' from the home page. I assumed most people did that. I click on a combination of threads - usually one of three things - for help with my current stage of the immigration journey, to help with someone else's immigration situation or something fun to lighten up my day.

I pick the threads based on the titles of the threads or sometimes the person posting (if I think it might be a fun debate)

If you guys want a completely male-only or even 'males who have married Eastern European women'-only online clubhouse then I'm sure you are smart enough to set up your own chat room. And if not, then why is it weird when other people with different backgrounds find your posts.

Of course I am one of those British ******* who is in the 'wrong' forum so I guess I just 'won't understand'
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-19 23:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belaruscutting a baby's hair
My grandma used to say this too.

We also don't cut toe or finger nails on a Friday or Sunday as it's really bad luck. And a Wed isn't too good either.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-03-07 14:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUB - FSU children compared to USC children & others

Why are people with no experience with FSU children butting in on this thread telling us FSU children are not raised differently? Even as someone who is second-generation American raised by a single mom with very traditional FSU parents, I can say that my mom reacted very differently to certain things than parents who have been American for generations and generations. It's a big topic and one that is very important--and something that can be a real issue in a co-parenting relationship. Kids are kids everywhere, but what childhood means and what the duty of children and parents are varies greatly from culture to culture.


Well, I apologise if it's seen as butting in. I was trying to make a point about the difficulty of cross cultural blended families and how it also might be easy to make generalisations about certain characteristics being country based rather than individual issues.

As a stepmother who has worked hard to make a blended family work with people from different cultures, within a very close community with many similar families including Eastern European/FSU I felt I had something to offer the discussion. It's a subject I'm very interested in and it was a post made with genuine intentions.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-04-08 16:42:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUB - FSU children compared to USC children & others
It's great that you are trying to prepare yourself for a blended family experience which is difficult anyway but will have the added pressure of merging cultural concerns as well as the usual 'my family does it this way' issues. (I agree parenting styles differ in different countries)

Speaking as the non-USC spouse who also became a step-mother on my arrival in the US, I think it might be your future wife who finds some of the adjustments more difficult. The best thing you can do now is talk with her as much as possible to make sure you are on the same parenting page.

I've found some of the behavior of my step-daughters' friends shocking compared to the way I was raised or families I know in the UK. For example just yesterday, one friend arrived at our house and walked straight past me, opened the fridge and started helping herself to juice and looking for snacks.

I'm used to living with a budget and most things in our fridge have to last the week - that's how I grew up. If someone just takes the cheese out and cuts half of it for a snack - that was supposed to be for dinner tomorrow etc.

However when I talked to my husband about it he said that he had told this girl on a previous occasion to 'make herself at home' and he thought that included helping herself to any food available at any time.

Now - we never discussed this particular issue before we got married as I could never have imagined it happening - I feel it's the height of rudeness to just poke around in someone else's fridge. Even if I was invited to do that, I don't think I could ever do it.

So I don't know what to do about that - apart from start hiding the cheese - as I don't want to embarrass my step-daughter in front of her friends, as they think this is normal behaviour. A cultural difference I will never get used to.

Maybe I should get a stun-gun.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-04-08 09:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUB - FSU children compared to USC children & others

Why do UK spouses miss bacon? It's not like US is lacking in it.


Sorry this is off topic but to answer your question.

American bacon is made from pork belly and British bacon is made from the side and back cuts of pork. In the UK you get two types of bacon from those cuts - one called streaky bacon which is the most similar in style to the US bacon - it has streaks of fat in it. But the bacon most of us are missing is known as 'back back' comes from thin cuts of the pork loin and is much leaner. This is what back bacon looks like.

Posted Image
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-04-06 10:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusOur daughter is here! (well, was here in June)
Congratulations - hope you are getting some sleep
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-08-05 13:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGift Ideas (For family)

I don't see the kitchen knives making it on the plane in the carry on either, but it would be interesting watching TSA handle that one.


You have to be careful giving knives as gifts in Europe if the person you are giving to is very superstitious. It can be considered very bad luck. One way to get round it is if they give you a coin back as soon as they receive the knives - then it's like they bought it, which apparently stops the bad luck.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-10-23 06:53:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusDown with the ship, sigh man
She's just teasing you, she's going to ace it.
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-12-02 15:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMeteor hits central Russia
Hope everyone's friends and family are okay. Pictures of the meteor in the sky are dramatic.




A meteor crashing in the Urals of central Russia has reportedly injured at least 400 people, as the shockwave blew out windows and rocked buildings.

Most of those hurt suffered minor cuts and bruises but some received head injuries, Russian media report.

A fireball was seen streaking through the sky above the city of Yekaterinburg, followed by loud bangs.

The meteor is believed to have landed in a lake near Chebarkul, a town in the neighbouring Chelyabinsk region.

Much of the impact was felt in the city of Chelyabinsk, some 200km (125 miles) south of Yekaterinburg.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...europe-21468116
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-02-15 05:26:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusVermont vs. California
It's probably going to be a bit like being in a supermarket queue - whichever one you choose the other one is going to seem to go faster.

It's whether you spend the time waiting fuming about the speed of the other queue or use it to do something more interesting. I always bring a book when I think I'm going to be stuck in a queue
TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-02-19 19:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUBbette Wives & Housework, si man

We bought a Swiffer recently - we have all wood floors in the cabin and I like using the wet cloths on it. Then I realised it's a lot cheaper to buy a set of microfiber cloths and wet those, attach to the Swiffer and use, then throw in the washing machine afterwards. 

 

As I was using it today I thought "Ah - I've created TBone's "rag-on-a-stick" and it's actually really effective 


TrellickFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-24 09:50:00