Tuesday, July 31, 2007

More things that are different between England and New Zealand.

Two-storey houses are the norm, especially two-storey houses joined to others; bungalows are rarer, although becoming more fashionable.
The strange NZ road rule where the person turning left gives way to the person turning right, is reversed here - and difficult to remember.
Drivers seem to be much more courteous here: they’ll let you merge easily, and give way readily in narrow streets (plenty of those). They’ll let someone from a side street get into a long flow of traffic.
Health and Safety is even more severe here than in NZ - at present!
Some additional things - 1 Aug 07
Many of the toilet flushes have handles you have to push down instead of buttons you press.
In NZ, to get a blood test, you either go to your doctor's and have it down there and then (and get the results the following day), or you go to one of the labs and have it done - and still have the tests the next day. Celia had to get a blood test done. She was at the doctor's last week, which was when they said she needed to have one. Could they do it there and then? Nope, they had to wait another week or more. And the results would take another fortnight! Because we moved up to Cromer after the initial visit to the doctor, she asked if she could delay the blood test for another day, to save making nearly an hour's trip back to Attleborough. Yes, if she wanted to wait another ten days or more for another appointment. Ten days! A blood test takes two minutes, for goodness' sake. And once she gets her results she'll have to go back to the doctor's for a third visit to see where things are at.
At least the doctor's visits are free.

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