You missed some of the classic place names though, Towcester (Toaster), Slough (Slowe), Loughborugh (luff-bu-ru), and of course Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (hlan-vire Pee Gee).
And of course Cirencester and Leicester are not pronounced the same...
I always like hearing the American tourists calling it "GLOU-chester Road".
They would still be hard pressed to beat the tourist who asked me directions to Cun-Nig-Its-Bridge. :)
Oh, I wouldn't say I'm missing them.
Colonel Mustard with the candlestick in the Library! Miss Scarlet with the revolver in the Kitchen!
Telstar in the conservatory with his claws!
Relevant, and can't wait to see pics of the new place!
Now that I have broadband again (WAHEY), I can upload pics! But I'm afraid the views will be selective as some of the rooms are still in a chaotic state. :P
People who are setting out on canal barge holidays are generally much more cheerful than those who are returning from them.
This is because being on a canal boat is so much better than having to go back to work the next day ;-)
Oh, I see! So all that swearing at the locks and each other is just a displacement exercise.
Ah! Well, I guess it doesn't suit everyone. I love locks myself!
It's funny, you can always tell who lives on their barges because they operate the lock without speaking, while the people who are on holiday spend almost as much energy shouting at one another as they do on operating the lock.
Oh, I can do them in a silent trance, and that's just from many years' worth of narrowboat holiday. It gets quite meditative once you get a rhythm going - especially if you're on a long flight of locks.
So how are you handling the open space/dearth of furniture? Are you spreading everything out, or are there large swatches of open space with nothing in it?
Libraries are wonderful! I finally got one in my new house and love it!
Good job Telstar in defending his turf! Makes me wonder how he'll handle a new kitten if you get one though...
The new train sounds wonderful for you!
And is there a lot to see on the canal barge holidays or are they more just party trips?
Erm, mostly by filling it with piles of stuff that no longer has an appropriate storage space. We need wardrobes, dressers, filing cabinets...and more bookshelves.
The library needs at least one comfy chair, too!
Telstar takes the defence of his food very seriously. Although he's spent most of today napping in the conservatory, so I'm not sure he's had to work too hard at it.
Some people live on their canal barges. Those tend to be the more interesting ones, because they've been painted specially and have plants on the roof, dogs on deck, etc.
On the upside, you did not have to pack or move the furniture. New house sounds great, all you need is a lead pipe and to invite Mr. Green to stay.
That's so true, although we did do a fair amount of organising and cleaning so that when things did get moved, they'd end up being reassembled in an orderly state.
I don't know a Mr Green. We shall have to make the acquaintance of one.
Wymondham is wonderful, but my favourite is Happisburgh. [& I always want to pronounce Loughborough as "Loo-guh-bur-ooh-guh" after my cousin told us about hearing some tourists say it that way.]
Loo-guh-bur-ooh-guh should be the accepted pronunciation. That's fabulous! (Deleted comment)
Yes! It needs a comfy chair now. With an ottoman.
Number four can probably be shortened to "Never try to go shopping in Bromsgrove"
Congratulations on the move.
Ratty, I do believe you are biased.
;)
I shall probably attempt it at least once before I give up and take the train into Birmingham. ;)
Thank you. We're settling in here, although it's probably Telstar who's gotten comfortable the quickest, as the live mouse he dropped on the duvet last week could attest to if it hadn't been eaten.
Having just moved to a larger house myself, I hear you on the ratio of space to furniture. We bought a new, bigger sofa (giant sectional, from Ikea, so we don't get upset when the kids trash it), but there's still so much to do! The thing I really didn't think about was art. I think I all of the art from the old house would fit on one wall of the new family room.
Funnily enough, we were in John Lewis looking at sofas (and many other things) yesterday. We investigated because ours have lost their oomph and are a bit saggy. But then we thought, maybe we get past the pukey stage first and then get something cheap and robust.
I'm glad we have so much more wall space - finally have somewhere to put all my paintings! ;) | 
yike!