Car boot sale

Car boot sale is a US garage sale on steroids. There is one near our place every Saturday and Sunday, so let me explain what it is from what I have seen. There is a big school playground very near our place. During our first Saturday here, we saw quite a few cars and a lot of people on the field. We saw it from a distance and had something to do, so we did not bother checking it out. We were passing by the ground the next weekend too and decided to go in. It was like a small fair: there were quite a few people, professionals and amateurs, selling a variety of household goods (new and used) like books, clothes, CD's, small appliances etc, in addition to food stuff like cookies, fudge, ice cream etc. Apparently they bring the stuff in their car boot, so hence the name. Wife was all excited to check out the used books - she bought few books at 20 pence each. We found a booth selling fresh fruits and vegetables. It is very cheap compared to our local supermarkets - we spend about £5-7 and get our weekly fruits. It was all exciting the first couple of times and since then, we just go buy the fruits and get home. We don't need to carry it for a long distance, so it is an added incentive. I found a website with a directory of car boot sales, which will come handy when we move. http://carbootjunction.co.uk.

We have had some great weather the past week or so - sunny in the early 20's (about 70-80F). It is nice to go out in the mornings and evenings, but afternoons get a little too hot, especially without a car. It is hard to find AC here - our house does not have one, the long distance and underground trains do not have it either and neither do the malls, except for a few stores. One has to assume that this is as hot as it gets and doesn't last long, so there is no need for AC.

We have a washer-dryer combo appliance here. The very first time we used it, we were surprised to see that the cycle ran for four hours. Even though I do not require my clothes to be hot from the dryer (like Seinfeld's Kramer), I felt that the dryer did not do a great job. Apparently, combo washer-dryers dry the clothes with condensation rather than blowing hot air. So they take longer and the clothes are not dry enough. We are used to it now - we just let it run and once it is done, hang the clothes for a few hours to get it dry perfectly. At least with the combo, there is one less thing to do - no need to unload the washer and load the dryer.