It's Tuesday August 18, 1999 The Q inn , Stalybridge Cheshire, England

Stalybridge Cheshire Hosts 2 pubs that just happen to have the Longest and Shortest pub names in England I am at the Q inn (obviously the shortest) I have asked folks in here for the longest pub name but no one can fully remember it. I will sort it out later for you.
One thing that has been very difficult here is driving on the other side of the road, roundabouts, and passing only on the right. When I first started driving I was so nervous. I was not thinking about If I was going to have a wreck … I was thinking about when I was going to wreck. I have never remembered to wear my safety belt more in my life. I always have it on. My first two weeks here I had people waving their fists while I wove back into the correct lane, competed with ambulances in a roundabout and forced people to pass me on the left only to have them kindly give me the peace sign. Only they do it with the backside of their hand here. Things are getting better but I still occasionally have North American relapses.
I will have to say that even though the streets here are cramped and some places in England have traffic as bad as Los Angeles, the drivers here are the most courteous I have seen anywhere.
I am told the blue car in the picture I sent you is a 1981 Reliant. It is one of those 3 wheel cars that became popular here to evade road taxes. Evidently you are taxed the same as a motorcycle with a sidecar. The gray car behind it is my rental car. I thought this car was pretty groovy … nothing like any of the puddle jumpers in the states. I like it … But I have received many derogative comments. Evidently in this culture, The Euro-Ford KA is a girl's car. And I am accused of having to sit in the back seat to drive it. I have even had perfect strangers say to me, "Hey up, don't you think that car is a little small for you." Which is a polite way of saying, don't you realize that is a girl's car and should be properly painted pink. Hell, it's a wonder he didn't tell me to get a hair cut.

 

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