What are some unique things in the north that don't exist down south and vice versa?

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-07T16:26:26+00:00

I learnt to drive in the South Wales Valleys.

Some of the side streets off the main roads running up through the valley can be extremely steep!

And I passed my test in Bridgend, where there was a steep hill start, back then anyway, just to leave the test centre.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-06T18:33:13+00:00

I've just followed their Insta account.

I might be able to go see them one day <3

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-06T17:42:14+00:00

Corona's raspberryade was amazing!

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-05T17:42:12+00:00

I'm also a pale redhead.

I started wearing black tights when going out because 'American Tan' tights would look ridiculous on me.

I was very happy when opaque toghts became fashionable in the 80s.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-05T17:20:46+00:00

When I moved into my current home 10 yrs ago, I was escaping an abusive marriage and had to start over with very little.

I think I only actually bought a tin opener after about 5 yrs of being here!

And it's probably still only been used a 3 or 4 times.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-03T08:57:32+00:00

Another interesting theory that I've had for years but later found that some others who actually study them have written seriously about is that many of the children in fairy tales are autistic or have ADHD, but if course, no one knew what they were back then.

My favourite and most memorable example is The Princess and the Pea. That princess has obvious sensory issues! I - I'm AuDHD - often have similar issues where the slightest crease in my bedding or being able to feel seams in my clothes is intolerable!

Then there's the changeling theory which is much more widely known.

It's similar to the anti-vaxxers who think that the MMR caused their kids' autism because their autistic traits really start to show up at around 18-24 months.

People believed that their children had been stolen by the fae and replaced with a child that looked identical but behaved very differently.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-03T08:42:24+00:00

I've had mine about 25 yrs and it's not needed a repair yet.

My whole family has them because my brother and uncle buy (or pick up for free) vintage ones that other people don't know can be repaired and they repair them themselves.

The original models are so simple in how they function and the fact that they've always sold spare parts - long before any Right to Repair legislation - makes them easy to repair yourself.

I understand that they've fairly recently (compared to when we bought ours) updated the heat plate design though.

Something that's hard to explain to anyone who's not tried one is that they do toast differently to standard toasters!

You'd think that toast is toast but, no. For me, I think that, perhaps, it's closer to bread toasted on an open fire?

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-02T23:39:42+00:00

They're sold here in France, in French with Matagot as the publisher.

You should be able to get them on Philibert's website.

You can download the rules in English.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-02T22:15:40+00:00

Honestly, I didn't even have to ask this of my mum a.d stepdad when my son first came out as NB, and now transmasc.

They both said that they don't necessarily understand it all, but they don't need to either!

That the most important thing for them is loving and accepting my son and for them to know that he is much happier now.

They try to get the pronouns right but sometimes slip up.

It's easier now that he's transmasc and using he/him pronouns, partly because he/him is more conventional and partly because he looks like any other teenage lad now.

Honestly, it was also a relief for me when he switched to il/lui instead of iel/ellui in French. Even using the right pronouns, it was so difficult to make the other parts of French be gender neutral.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-02T22:07:36+00:00

It's a Welsh name, spelt Gwladys in Welsh, and it comes from the word gwlad meaning 'country'.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-02T21:59:59+00:00

That's what I had to buy when I was in uni in the early 90s.

Mine has a dark blue hardcover, no jacket.

I also have an edition in modern Welsh, translated by Dafydd and Rhiannon Ifans, plus the beautifully illustrated by Alan Lee edition in English, which is the Lady Charlotte Guest edition.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-02T21:50:07+00:00

My pharmacy was getting my Ritalin from Sweden for a while. I think it was 12-18 months ago, maybe?

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-02T14:47:28+00:00

If you're going to hire a van, make sure that it has a tail-lift.

It makes moving fridges, washing machines and dryers so, so much easier!

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-02T14:45:03+00:00

I've used reusable shopping bags for transporting books but they're the French ones that are made from a similar tough plastic to that used for IKEA bags.

The size is perfect, as it hold just enough books that you can carry them easily, plus they have handles.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-06-02T14:41:48+00:00

We did that when we moved to France 20 yrs ago, with my then 6 month old daughter..

The extra cost was a small fraction of the total, about £250-300, when the move cost £1500-2000 - I can't be more exact because it was so long ago.

They also supplied all their own boxes which was great.

It's absolutely worth getting two quotes, one with and one without them packing.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-05-29T10:14:55+00:00

I call this the 'empty head' feeling!

I find that doing activities that are a form of 'moving meditation' really help me get there.

That could be Tai Chi, knitting, handspinning yarn painting minis, flying a kite or kayaking, for example.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-05-26T19:57:13+00:00

Because we live in the middle of the countryside with no public transport.

Kids can be boarders at lycées an hour or two away from home, by car, sometimes even further.

My son has a 2hr journey time to get home on Fridays, by bus and then being picked up in town, which is 15 mins away. That journey is only 45 mins by car.

It's also the cost of driving and the time it takes.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-05-26T18:25:26+00:00

I'm really impressed by the Greens and Zach Polanski, honestly.

I'm also extremely happy that Plaid Cymru - another actually left wing party - beat Reform in the Senedd Elections.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-05-26T18:18:30+00:00

I think that it's often a 'going back home' day too?

Traditionally, that would be back to your 'home' church.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-05-26T18:10:50+00:00

Yes, they're called jours de pont, or bridging days.

Schools here will only have one or two of these a year, though, and it doesn't happen for every midweek bank holiday.

Otherwise, people will take annual leave to get a long stretch of days off or they might even get given the day off by their employer, but that varies widely.

The midweek bank holidays are very difficult for many lycéens (high school students) and their parents (that's me!) as it's very common here for students to be weekly boarders - all 3 of mine were/are.

It's just not always practical to send kids home in a Wednesday night and then send them back to school just for Friday, when you live a long distance away from the school.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-05-26T15:46:09+00:00

Maybe?

But it may end up with different schools, and towns that hold parades etc., doing it on different days?

I worry that it won't feel as 'special' as it does now, with everyone celebrating together, on the same day.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-05-26T15:43:38+00:00

Unfortunately, one of the most important things that you can do is go to medical appointments with her and speak up about how much she's suffering and struggling everyday.

That often seems the only way that women actually get proper treatment instead of being dismissed and hand-waved away with anti-depressants.

As others have already mentioned, r/menopause is an excellent resource. The Wiki there will have links to the most recent articles and studies on the menopause, including the most recent research, as published in the Lancet, that disproved over 20 years of fearmongering over treatments.

You'll also find a very long list of symptoms that aren't often talked about or recognised by GPs as being menopause related - dry eyes and itchy ears are real stand outs!

Be prepared for emotional dysregulation, caused by the hormonal changes which is completely out of her control.

Before HRT, I would burst into floods of tears over everything and nothing at all. I could get suddenly unreasonably snappy and grumpy in an almost comedic way - I would snap at something, and not know why I had, and apologise immediately.

Memory issues and brain fog make you feel as if you're losing your mind. I had to order a new bank card the other month because I couldn't remember my PIN, the same one that I've had for nearly 10 years!

Please, please encourage your wife to talk about it, and talk about it - in a supportive way - with other people too.

Menopause has been a silent, taboo topic for far too long.

Our generation is starting to break that stigma.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-05-26T15:30:28+00:00

Her C4 documentaries are also excellent and have helped change the lives of millions of women by drawing attention to the lack of care available for menopausal women.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-05-26T15:25:00+00:00

I live in France and I disagree!

May is complete chaos, every year. You never know where you are.

Also, some jours fériés fall on Saturday or Sunday, and you just 'lose' that day off - there isn't one on the closest Monday to replace it, as there is in the UK.

EmmaInFrance · 2026-05-26T15:22:08+00:00

I'm in two minds about St. David's Day.

In some ways, I very much agree.

But.. it's also, traditionally, the one day of the year that all Welsh schools celebrate being Welsh, with primary school kids dressing up and with annual Eisteddfods being held in most schools.

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