American Reacts to Unexpected Things About Living in the UK

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In this video I react to some of the most unexpected things about living in the UK. I learned a lot of new, interesting facts about the UK in this video. I had no idea that British people get their mail delivered through a slot in their door or some people have a house name instead of number for their address.
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[@milliemillsters7463]

Never in a million years would I have even considered that someone might put poison through my letterbox.

[@lizbignell7813]

I think this says quite a lot about his world view!

[@davebirch1976]

I think it's just Americans paranoia, it's like when they say they keep a gun in their house for protection in case anyone breaks in. If they're breaking in they're doing it to steal your TV, not kill you 😂

[@cdeford]

More likely to be excrement. But I remember at least one incident of setting a fire through the letterbox.

[@suedouglas5455]

The only reason I would use a washing up bowl is if I had a sink that could easily get scratched by pans. Dishwashers are still not in every home in the UK, my dad and two younger sisters don’t have one. These days with the material used in modern sinks, it’s not too much of an issue, so I don’t use one now, but I also have a dishwasher so wouldn’t be using the sink to wash day to day crockery/pans anyway. Amazon Prime is generally either same day or next day delivery. Royal Mail post can also be guaranteed next day if you pay for it. As for house names, anyone can use them but we would also have to use the number if it’s on a street with other houses. If the house is in the middle of nowhere, you probably would just have a name and not even have a number, but you would also have your own postcode that is just for your house, if you don’t have other houses close to you (there is generally a different postcode for each street/road in the UK, if it’s a long road you might have more than one postcode). So because of the postcode system it’s easy enough to find houses that just have a name in the UK.

[@robertshaw6996]

Islam. Wake up.

[@newblackdog7827]

In the U.K. the Royal Mail have a legal responsibility to deliver direct to your door. So, if your home is at the end of a 5 mile track, they have a long journey… Also, as we invented postage stamps, we’re the only country in the world that doesn’t have the name of the country on our stamps. 😊

[@bertieballs]

As part of its universal service obligation, Royal Mail must deliver to every address in the UK, every Monday to Saturday. But for some addresses, it is not possible for Royal Mail to deliver mail right up to the door.......

[@1970kingbob]

I’m an ex postman the service not only goes to the door and letterbox but it must be pushed through so that the letters can’t be pulled back out and stolen

[@jangarrett3169]

​@@bertieballs😂😂

[@carollooby3600]

We also have postcodes like your zip codes.

[@maryirish8382]

unfortunately quite a few arsons have been caused by people pouring through letterboxes in the uk, people have lost their lives.

[@annbottelli5682]

I find it so sad that an American immediately thinks that something like a letterbox could be used to harm them!!! Why would anyone want to harm you?!!!!!! It must be nerve-racking to live in the U.S.A.

[@susanashcroft2674]

I tend to agree with you, the vast majority of people have no intention of sticking anything malicious/dangerous through your letterbox. Yes there are instances of people who have done something untoward or malicious, but generally as you say people don't normally have that mindset that someone could or would want to cause harm to them via a letterbox.

[@juliedowning7782]

Nothing I watch in these type of channels would ever make want me to go live in the USA!

[@marleyboro]

I'm from northern Ireland and people pour petrol through them and set fire to your house

[@tenniskinsella7768]

Woulnt live in america if ybpayed me unless I was very rich

[@DatDirtyDog]

I heard a story once of a phantom hotdog mail dropper. Every now and then someone would post a hotdog in to the letterbox of every house down a street. It caused a neighborhood hotdog watch. Very rare someone does something malicious through a letterbox, your more likely to get in a car crash.

[@TanksRock]

The UK postcode is quite simple and each part narrows down the location of the property. The first part identifies the region, the numbers then identify the area within that region, then the last number and two letters pretty much identify the exact street. So. Having a name on the house really isn't an issue in the UK

[@deanpainter8536]

Try delivering to house/cottages/highrise flats(named highrise's. Its a nightmare, rural areas are worse as a 1 postcode could stretch to a gd 2-4 mile radius. We have to rely on navigation experiance snd apps designed for building names. Ex ups driver 😂, it makes more sense in the country side as u dnt have rows of house that often but wen u get house name nd no numbers on normal residentail streets its becomes a vain to the job ;)

[@MGForums]

Was going to mention postcodes too, my house doesn’t have a number either however I use pickup points for Amazon, I don’t think the delivery driver even tries.

[@robng15]

@@deanpainter8536 Exactly, we live in the hills above Loch Ness on the southside. All houses are named, and the postcode is well over 2 mile radius. As we live off the main road, we get a lot of lost delivery drivers.

[@UHDGamers-re2xj]

As an English man I find these videos fascinating. It shows although we are practically cousins we are a lot different culturally. I have ordered on Amazon and got the item the same day. Amazon normally delivers next day.

[@russellbradley454]

2 Nations divided by a common tongue George Bernard Shaw.

[@faithpearlgenied-a5517]

I can honestly say I've never worried someone might put something poisonous through my letterbox 😅

[@darrenwilson1170]

There's nothing more annoying than needing to use the sink and it's full of dishes so if the dishes are in the bowl you can just pull the bowl out of the sink

[@Zooumberg]

With the bills alone, that is poison enough.

[@naomiturtle4404]

I never use a washing up bowl , they are stupid.

[@naomiturtle4404]

The reason behind a washing up bowl is a good question , I’ve lived here since 1975 still don’t know

[@mrs_h_makes]

To keep the sink clean and to have a place that you wash your eating things in rather than the sink which all sorts goes in

[@frglee]

We have a lot of local bus services. Living in rural Scotland and over 60, I'm given a national bus pass, which allows me to use any bus and quite a few long distance coach services in Scotland for free. Small buses, such as 14-18 seater minibuses are quite adequate for many rural bus routes here. Most areas also have volunteer driver Community Bus services fully funded by fares which can also be rented by local clubs, groups and schools for trips.

[@cyflym11]

My son is disabled and can use buses anywhere for free too.

[@cezra833]

@@cyflym11 I love my disabled bus pass. When my dad was in hospital long term I was able to visit him every week even though he lived 3 hours away and I never would have been able to without my pass.

[@shelleyjackson8793]

The name of a house is part of the address but the street name and postcode means it’s not that difficult to find. Often they are really old houses from earlier centuries which is why they’re not numbered. Also in the 50+ years I’ve been alive nothing untoward has ever been posted through my letterbox! 😊

[@valerielockwood1113]

Yes we mostly have letterboxs here. Maybe as a novelty some thing different we would have them in rural areas. Or maybe house is big difference from road. We now live in highrise flat apartment to you. And yes we still have letterboxs in our door.

[@wonton8983]

As a newspaper delivery boy in the UK in the 80's when newsprint was king, letter boxes in house front doors was a thing of beauty and horror. The Daily Observer and its colour supplement had to be fed through section by section which took ages, but to add to the drama if the house had a dog especially a terrier the paper would be shredded.

[@yootooooooob]

I feel your pain. The last door on my rounds on a Sunday with the Times. They had the smallest letterbox you can imagine and it felt like I was putting pages at a time. Plus the fact having to carry all it around my entire round was a pain but at least they tipped well.

[@craigbirks7075]

The worst letterbox was the small vertical with the spring loaded flap

[@paulwallace4332]

....and many a Crossword was done.

[@juliemcgugan1244]

@@craigbirks7075Yep, would snap your poor fingers! Hated those! Eventually learned how to open and close it very, very carefully!

[@femcymoedd535]

Oh gods, yes!

[@alangilbert8627]

Plastic bowls were largely used when you had a ceramic sink because crockery breaks easily with the slightest touch against the sink.

[@tedroper9195]

The UK has relatively expensive water, and in the past, when water and heating were even more expensive and less widely available, a small bowl made sense. It helps to conserve water and create different zones in an oversized farmhouse sink. It’s also a great place to stash dirty dishes in a hurry. The used water from the bowl could also be used for watering garden areas (especially during dry periods.) - just a few theories!

[@JLO72]

That depends on where you live as water in England is privatised, whereas in Scotland, it's not and goes on size of property instead. The bowl is because many homes in the UK only have one single bowl so when washing up, you can pour liquids or scraps down the side of the bowl, keeping the soapy water as clean as possible.

[@mark_8719]

I pay £16 per month for water, wouldn't really say its expensive, not for me anyway.

[@bordersw1239]

Less than £2 for 1000 litres of drinkable water is not expensive!

[@peterharridge8565]

@@JLO72 I have lived in Scotland and England and England is cheaper by a mile. For singles/couples. Because my DD is £18 with a meter, even that is too high, I reckon am using about £14 over the last 5 months because primarily I was away for a bit. But we will see if they put the DD down in July. But back to Scotland I was in a B council tax band and I paid (consult your council tax bill) about £23 per month with a 25% discount (single person), so that is £30 for a couple. Anyone (any couple ) could easily beat these amounts with a meter even with baths. The issue for me is A) You pay for a meter (I was quoted £200 plus an extra £200-£900 for the survey) and they couldn't tell me if it was £200 or £900. And in England it is the law to get a meter if you move and it is free. Its the law but not really acted upon. So anyone single definitely will pay less in England and most couples. What doesn't Scotland understand, we are trying to save water. And by the way, I had a water leak which I didn't know (was the case when I bought it) so they lost a lot of water (Scottish water) before they eventually let me know. I said can't you sort it, and they said down to you. I said aren't you concerned about losing all this water (and believe me it was a lot), so much thta I turned it off unless I used it while I waited for a repair. So A) Cheaper in England despite privatisation, B)People are wasting water in Scotland as no meters and C) Leaks are not being fixed if even known about because no meters. If I had no money wouldn't have been fixed and I notices all the worms I had under courtyard went away after fixing. So its not rocket Science, fix meters so people know. But of course as you highlight it must be very expensive in a band G council tax house. Which you may reckon is correct, but why is it as their water use may not be any higher. Lastly it is not helping Council tax revenue, a reason why Argyll and Bute council charged me £65 for a roadside pickup for items and Durham only charged me recently £18. And it has to be said a 3 weekly pickup of both normal refuse and recycling (in Scotland and 2 weeks in durham). No food waste pickup, no garden waste pickup. It is because of water (in my opinion) being on the council tax bill. And not only very high cost for businesses to go to the tip. One business I used had a man on the inside where he bunged a tenner or 20 to, so corruption going on because of high costs to business. And you may like to know I had a load of rubble etc under the floorboards which when the Gas CH was on I smelt a burning smell, that's the other option for businesses. I had it out of there sharpish and put it into the main refuse bin (over weeks or months). Lucky I had storage, I didn't have to dump it on the street. Or they could fly tip it which I expect many to do. All is the result of water being on the council tax bill.

[@alexandermills9965]

For me the reason why I use a washing up bowl is so your not putting food remains down the sink

[@jukguy]

reason for having a washing up bowl is so that you can save water when you wash up, you tend to break less porcelain dishes, and you can drain whilst washing up

[@Jeff.Lippman.Presents]

I'm an American who has been living in the UK for over 40 years. The history of the washing up bowl comes from the time before "mixer taps" (faucets) were common in UK kitchens. The idea was you would fill up your bowl with soap and water from both taps to get the appropriate temperature soapy water, in which to soak and wash your dishes. Of course these days most UK homes have mixer taps in their kitchens, and frankly I would say that now a days a majority of people here use dishwashers.

[@vitalspark6288]

You do realize that a sink can also be filled from two separate taps, right? I don't understand why you think a bowl would be beneficial for this. Washing up bowls are a thing for two main reasons: historically a lot of kitchens had HUGE sinks, and filling them with water was wasteful and took a long time. Also, a lot of kitchens still only have a single sink, so if its full of washing up water, you can't pour anything down the drain. Washing in a bowl allows things to be drained in the gap at the side. Personally I've never liked washing up bowls and have thankfully had kitchens with double sinks.

[@Arcadia61]

@@vitalspark6288 I thought it was to protect china plates from chipping when it comes into contact with the hard sink surfaces, as plastic is kinder to crockery. I might be wrong but I'm quite sure that is how it was explained when I bought the sink and the basket came with it.

[@deanpainter8536]

Most people like myself either cnt afford a dishwasher or nt enuff room loool wud luv one tho

[@russellbradley454]

​@@deanpainter8536used to have one when I had a family but now in a retirement bungalow on my own do😊 no need one

[@russellbradley454]

Not need one

[@katebatt7538]

House names are really common in villages/rural areas, especially for old houses. For example, my home was a pub centuries ago, so it has retained the name of that pub and had cottage added to it. Addresses usually have "house name", "road name", "village name", "County' "post code".

[@Enigmatic..]

Ok, i'm a Brit and as for the letterbox thing yes, people can put dodgy thinks into them, but you can get actual steel boxes that attach to the back of the door on the inside to prevent it. Also speaking of mail in the UK, the postman or delivery driver won't leave a package unattended on your doorstep if you're not at home. They will either give it to a neighbour and post a note as to where it is or leave it at the nearest post office for you to then pick up. Sometimes they will even hide it in your paper bin ( trash can ) and leave a note letting you know. We have multiple bins ( trash cans ) in the UK for recycling and no, there is no chance of it getting emptied and you losing your package because the bin men ( Garbage men ) won't empty your bins unless they're put out on the street, they won't enter your garden to get them. Occasionally some dick head driver will just dump it on the door step but its very rare in my experience.

[@WabbitHunter68]

I'm in Kent, UK and when it comes to Amazon deliveries I get most items next day. I believe it depends on which warehouse an item is stored. I ordered some items at 11pm last night and one of them is coming today and the rest tomorrow. As for homes being named - the reason why postmen know where to deliver is that post codes refer to relatively small areas. Sometimes a street may have more than one postcode. Public transport in the country depends very much on how good the local authority is. If you have a decent one then you'll probably have a regular, but infrequent bus service.

[@stevegray1308]

I live in a rural area in the UK. We have public transport coaches going past my street, about 1 per hour in most directions.

[@ChrisDN]

One reason addresses can easily have names is because our postcodes (your zipcodes) are much more specific. As in usually to the specific road. You can basically send anything to anyone with only person's name, house number, and postcode... none of the other info really matters. A usual UK address of: 123 Example Road Example Town Exampleshire EX1 2YZ ... could be written as just 123 - EX1 2YZ, and mail would get there, because the postcode EX1 2YZ literally refers to the road name, town/city, and county.

[@audreybagshaw5231]

I live in a very rural area ...our buses are very good .morning buses to take us into town and evening buses to bring us home...a few throughout the day ...six days each week ..none on a Sunday ...and none late in the evening...also if you’re elderly...over 60 ..we have countrywide free travel on the bus ..

[@brendagore1115]

You can have a box on the wall by your door. you can have a cage attached to the door that catches the mail. Also, you can put a gadget so people can put things through your letter box, especially if you go one holiday You have to live in uk for five years to become a citizen and not have broken any immigration laws. a washing up bowl, it uses less water, and there 16:08 are no scratches in your sink and the water can go on your plants if they have pests also the small sink you can have a basket with holes and wash yours veg and drain them

[@shelleyphilcox4743]

Im not sure whether this is quite as frequent as it used to be, but the Royal Mail would even still try to deliver letters without the address, where someone would put the persons name and vague area, with perhaps directions or a landmark near to the property, and they might still get it. The Postal service is suffering in the modern world of email and so many delivery services, and the workers are under a lot more pressure, but they still have an investigative team who will try to find out how to get it there. The Guardian newspaper ran a story last year about some very obscure ones that still got to who they were meant for! The article headline is Lives across from the Spar’: bizarrely labelled letter finds way to UK address If anyine is curious just how obscure some of the directions were!

[@VMM34]

We didn't know the number of our friend's house when we sent a postcard on holiday. So we just put "The house next to the electric substation, opposite the Victoria pub" and it got there 😂

[@marycarver1542]

I live in a small village 5 miles from the nearest town. We have twice an hour, all day long, buses ! Also, if you are more than 60, they are FREE. The local council provide you with a free bus pass !

[@IsisBarom]

That is not true of everywhere. In England , it is up to your local council to determine at what age a fee bus pass is given, In my city it is 67. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland I believe everyone gets a free bus pass when they reach 60.

[@christiner302]

​@IsisBarom I first had a disability pass and when I retired I was issued with a OAP bus pass. We have buses every hour and a half or so in my rural village.

[@polo6669]

The sink thing, you can wash off the soap/grime on the side without polluting the washing up bowl.

[@jackierice4254]

The majority of people don’t have dishwashers. The plastic bowl stops dishes from getting chipped against the sink, it also means you use less water. Also the main sink is possibly used to wash clothing or dirty boots or other stuff but the washing up bowl is clean.

[@marycarver1542]

I find that most people DO have dishwashers these days !

[@itsyaboiiizxc]

@@marycarver1542 ive seen more people not have dishwasher than do have dishwasher. I've only seen like 2 in my lifetime in Ireland itself

[@avmavm777]

Washing up bowls are plastic, rather than the metal or ceramic of the sink, so glass items are less likely to break. Also, the small sink next to the main one which is used to pour water or liquids down is a relatively modern invention. Most houses did not have them. So having the plastic bowl creates a space by the side of the bowl where you can rinse items out - it creates a second space

[@peterjackson4763]

My parents' house had a name - "Brook House". It is not in a rural area now, but was when the first part was built. It also has a number. The brook was culverted and is basically a sewer now. There is a bus stop outside there. There are two within 15 yards of my current house - one for each direction, with a service every 20 minutes. I am in a semi-rural area very near the end of the bus route. When I lived in a flat there were boxes on the ground floor with letter slots on the outside. They had locks on the inside.

[@johnsbone]

Named houses are all indexed by the postcode NE1 1TL for example, is just one group of 25 homes/addresses. As homes and buildings are erected, the local authorities obtain the new unique postcode from the Royal Mail . You can buy the whole postcode database on a dvd for use in your PC. So you can check if a given address is real.

[@nicoletucker8898]

A lot of these experiences on the US side seem to be regional. For example, I grew up in New Jersey and also lived in Los Angeles. We had a mail slot growing up, used a dish "tub" for dishes given that we had a large kitchen sink, and we receive Amazon packages same day or next day.

[@lewilewis3944]

Such an American mindset to immediately think of the possible crimes associated with a letterbox. It's rare, chillout. Remember, our crime rates are much lower than in the US. Washing up bowls are so versatile, great for Spring cleaning. I use mine for wiping down all sorts of things with soapy water, like skirting boards and windows. Buses are generally excellent, however I went on holiday in Cornwall when the pandemic ended and was staying in a tiny village just outside St Austell. The buses stopped running at 6pm which was incredibly frustrating, rural taxis/Uber's cost a fortune. I've worked for the Post Office, both in the sorting office and delivering on a round. You have racks on a bench to sort the letters on, the slots are set out in sequence as the route would be. House names are always in the right place on the route, so as long as the letters are kept in order when being delivered the house is easy to find. Logical and simple. I came across more than one Rose Cottage and Dunroaming.

[@RAYRAAMSALU]

It isn't just mail - newspapers are usually put through the letterbox. The letter box is about 9inch wide and 3 to 4 inch deap. Many letter boxes have a mesh frame on the inside so letters don't necessarily end on the floor

[@lindachallinor5154]

A Bowl in the sink you would wash potatoes in days gone by when they came full of soil, in the sink and the sink has a drain a germ ridden spot, hence the bowl to keep everything clean.

[@wobaguk]

Most of the benefit of washing bowls come with the lack of a second sink, or split sink. If your only sink is full of dishes and water, its hard to use the sink for anything else like washing vegetables. With a bowl, you can lift it out. Id also say fewer people have dishwashers, so theres more of a chance of plates and cups etc accumulating in the sink during the day, to be washed later.

[@carolineeades2270]

The washing up bowl uses less water. We then use the dirty water to water our garden in the summer when we don't get a lot of rain.

[@4tmorris]

The main disadvantage of the letterbox is that the dog gets to your mail before you do, so you may have to reassemble it.

[@catherinehaywood7092]

Post codes in the U.K. cover a small amount of properties. For example in the street I live there are 4 different postcodes. They usually cover about 10 houses. I live in an apartment block and the block has its own postcode. The postcode consists of (usually) 2 letters, 2 numbers and 2 letters The first w letters relate to an area. WR is Worcestershire. The next 2 numbers relate to a district within the area and the last bit is the sector within the district. They look something like this AB12 3CD You can literally address a letter with the house number and the postcode and it will get there. So if you were sending a letter to say 3 High street, Anytown, Madeupshire AB12 3CD all you need to put is 3/AB12 3CD

[@bblair2627]

UK dogs love the letterbox as when the posty delivers the mail they freak out and its a handy reminder that the posty has just called

[@ghostofsosaria7534]

The washing up bowl was created to protect delicate crockery. All original kitchen or scullery sinks were large & made from pot (like toilets etc). In the Victorian era the richer people began to show off with elaborate & delicate crockey but if you drop a delicate plate or cup into a pot sink there's a good chance it would break. So the bowl was created to help cushion/soften the impact. Staff who worked in the larger houses used them & took the idea to their own homes & the Bowl became a must have kitchen item for everyone. Even after we began using steel sinks & they became unnecessary many people were so used to having the bowl that we just continued using them. They did become less popular in the 1970's but over the past 15 or so years it is has become more & more fashionable to have a Butler Sink in a kitchen (which is basically the old pot sink given a fancy name) which means that the need to protect your delicate crockery & glassware has returned & the washing up Bowl has been revived.

[@sarahdavies9698]

I live in the middle of England and can get same day delivery from Amazon on certain products. We use a washing up bowl so you can pour the slops down the sink and not into your clean water.

[@mubbles1066]

It’s obviously more convenient to have a car in rural areas but in general you can get to where you want without one,and in places like London it’s much more convenient not to have a car if I’m being honest.The country’s public transport system isn’t perfect but it’s good enough that you can do without a car pretty much anywhere.

[@nigelheath7048]

It really depends where you live. I live In Devon and apart from the two cities and the few large towns the bus services are woeful. And I'm not talking about rural Devon countryside.

[@wildthing6668813]

The washing up bowl is because many kitchens don't have the room for a dishwasher so they have a bowl that uses less water than a sink of water to wash up pots, pans, any other stuff used when making food and eating. In the UK you can have a water meter but most family's find it dearer to have a water meter it only works out if you are single and don't use a lot of water.

[@lindakirk698]

Brits dont normally go around putting stuff in someones letterbox to kill them etc! To become a British Citizen you need to study our history & then sit an exam. If you pass you are invited to a special presentation ceremony & make the allegiance. We have a NY friend who married a Brit, lived here for several years before doing the history study. She found it hard as there are no guidelines as to what you need to know. Sometimes its quite trivial questions. She passed her exam & about 4 months later had her ceremony.

[@terencecarroll1812]

Every village, town and city has bus routes to link them. It keeps people in touch with services which are not available where they are. You can literally go anywhere by bus or train including the seaside for a day trip

[@marycarver1542]

and bus travel is free for the over 65s!

[@g-man4297]

@@marycarver1542 Free in Scotland when you turn 60 just recently got mine, even though I do have a car.

[@irishandscottish1829]

@@g-man4297 also free for under 25 now in Scotland so they can travel to college/Uni and the disabled now also have free bus passes which in my area you can use for the taxi company that has a contract with the council for village to village as the bus routes have been cut

[@ekatep6362]

Numbers were essential when large scale house building began, but before massive cities there were villages(all older than the States) and cottages/houses would be described by the way they look or the family name, in cities people still like to name their houses for fun but still have numbers, but in villages everyone is local and know their area

[@alanaw27]

The Postmen and women know the area well and become friendly with the locals. One advantage of coming to the house door is that they see if mail is piling up or if things look unusual and can notify the police. Many people have been helped. My postman helped my mother and I’m very grateful.

[@shellingout9826]

Washing up bowls are used for also peeling potato's and vegetables in we dont have a lot of houses using sink macerator so its easyer to take peelings and put them in the compost pile or into the bin this way .also bowls protect the sink and stop them scratching or looking old a lot of stainless sinks are very thin and at my first house i peice one with a knife by putting it into a sink with no bowl in it .and finally i find a bowl actually is easyer to keep clean and tidy think of it like a coaster for a table haha

[@wendywilson858]

My sister lived in a cottage called Pickles Cottage. It was named that when she bought it. Our post has post code's so house's are easy to find. X

[@katebatt7538]

I live in the countryside, Amazon generally delivers next-day as long as you order before 10pm.

[@barrycarrigan5584]

We live in Wiltshire are cottage is called Amy cottage, when the old lady named (Amy ) passed away in around 1800 she left it to her two daughters , they named it in her honor. When we moved in we bought two kittens we named one Amy , so Amy name is spoken all the time.

[@cyflym11]

Some people do have a cage on the inside of their letterbox to catch things but that's normally because they have a dog that likes to eat letters! You also have to make sure you don't leave your keys anywhere near the door because thieves can 'fish' through and get them then steal your car or get into your house. Apart from that it's great. There's nothing like the sound of the post plopping on to your doormat (unless it's a bunch of bills of course!). You can also peek through if you haven't seen your elderly neighbour for a few days to make sure they aren't lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs...

[@tributenews1]

Ok. The wash bowl is plastic and won't smash your glasses or plates. Because the actual sink is metal or porcelain plates may break more often

[@johnchristmas7522]

All UK addresses have a Postcode, which tells the mail man/woman, the street or road your property is in. Naming a property, most mailmen/women learn by heart. Numbers come into play when there are a lot of terrace houses(there are a LOT of terrace houses in the UK) or flats (apartments). Some apartments have a single mail boxes on a wall at ground floor level.

[@staceypowell9640]

True about the busses, we live in a village in Yorkshire and we have busses every half an hr stops off at other villages and goes to the city, and we have a train station in every city and most villages have a train station, Also house names are normally older houses, mine is called The Pinfold, as a pinfold was a area of land that collected escaped farm animals and taxed the owners to get them back, mine dates to the 1600s, its normally a descriptive reference.

[@lozzles87]

I live in a tiny village of only 25 houses, most of them have names instead of numbers. We share a name with a house in the next village though and we often get each other's post by mistake! We are both "The Old School" in our respective villages. The address also includes the road name, village, county and post code (zip code). Also, can confirm there is no local bus service here, the nearest bus stop is 3 miles away :( However in larger towns the bus service is generally pretty good.

[@kenslater7354]

Every address has a letterbox. Most people have an ornate cage on the other side of the letterbox to catch the mail. This is more to stop your dog getting it than worrying about someone putting something bad through

[@AndrzejJeczen]

I'll blow your mind even more regarding letter boxes safety. We, in the UK have glass panels in our entry doors, which makes it very easy for burglars to break in. And almost no one does break in. Vacations abroad is not a choice, but a necessity for us. If I could go somewhere hot within my own country, I would. In the UK even council blocks of flats have fancy names, like Lion Court. We also have something that is genius, like our electrical sockets - POSTCODES. They allow you to pinpoint the exact address within metres. You can have a store that uses NW9 7EE and another place around the corner will use NW9 7EL. People often use just postcodes to find places.

[@juliamaitland7160]

I always use a washing up bowl because it uses less water, is better when washing glass and can be lifted out of the sink if necessary. I had a dishwasher but when I retired and my family were grown and left home I never used it for my few pots so I got rid of it. Ps my local posting box is a Victorian one and the slot for the letters is tiny. I live in an old stone built farm labourers cottage which is called the Shepherds House. It was built in 1860 but thats not that old by UK standards

[@Peejay1966]

My house name in the late 1970s, through the 80s and into the early 90s was Ardarroch in an area of Dundee, Scotland (although it also has a street name and number, as well as postcode, of course). Lots of houses still have names, even in cities.

[@dammit_janet]

With a washing up bowl you can have the water rinsing the dishes to the side of the bowl, so it doesnt dilute the soap and allows the watercto run clear

[@icikle]

It's interesting to me that the American would worry about someone abusing your letterbox to stuff hazardous materials through, but wouldn't worry about someone stealing your mail from a readily accessible box at the end of your drive. There's also things you can install to the inside of your door that captures whatever comes through the letterbox, like boxes/cages etc.

[@ines_uk]

I live in a flat and we don’t have letterboxes, but postboxes on the wall outside our main front door. It’s because our individual flat doors are not accessible to a postman. But I’ve had a letterbox in a previous flat where the postman had an access to it.

[@stevieinselby]

Rural public transport is not as good as in some other European countries (Switzerland is probably the apogee) but it is light years ahead of the USA. Most small towns (down to about 5000 people) will have at least a bus service to the nearest big town or city running hourly from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday - and many villages will have several buses a day, especially if they are on main roads and so can be served by buses running through on a longer route. Buses are particularly well used by older people - pensioners get free bus travel across the country* outside of the morning peak hours. Some smaller villages may only get buses one or two days a week but it's rare to find any that have no service at all. There are also rural areas popular with tourists and hikers that have buses running at weekends and/or during the summer only to bring people in from nearby towns and cities and get them around the area. * only applies to whichever of England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland they live in. House names rather than numbers usually only applies in villages or on streets with lots of older houses, or very rural areas where there are only isolated houses. Sometimes new houses might get a name but no number if they are built on a street where every other house has a name. The address will usually include a street name as well as the house name, except in some _very_ small villages. There are lots of people who give their house a name because they thing it makes them sound posher or richer to live in a named house, even if their _official_ address is a house number.

[@callum4796]

We use a washing up bowl in our sinks gor convenience. It can catch debris and stop it getting stuck in the drain and also if you hav excess washing up to do you can pull the bowl out and place it next to your sink thus giving you 2 sinks

[@BlameThande]

If I remember correctly, the lack of letterboxes in the US is legally related to the fact that political leafleting is illegal or heavily restricted in a lot of states, which is one reason (though not the most important one) why US politics has all that wasted millions on TV attack ads which don't work (which, conversely, are illegal in the UK).

[@Thx1138sober]

I live in a small town in Kentucky (USA) and my home has a mail slot and has had a mail slot since it was built in 1919.

[@davidsherriff9632]

When my wife and I bought a cottage in a village in France, it didn"t have a name or number. We asked a neighbour how the postman would know how to find us. He said "You tell the mayor and he tells the postman." I found later that there was a number, 10. I mentioned it to a neighbour, and he said, that was given by the Germans,so we don't use them. Other places the address was au village, or Grand rue, which a friend till they numbered them and his was 619.

[@deerhound1952]

I live in a very small village in the Cotswolds and so my address is just the name of the house and the village name. In larger villages you'd normally include the street name as well. All properties now have a zip code (we call them postcodes) and some places have both house numbers and house names. Often the names are descriptive or they may be historic and sometimes they are just an amalgamation of the people's names who live there. I once lived in a house called Ann Thomas (a bit bizarre even by UK standards!). It was named such by Ann & Thomas who had built the house 100 years earlier. These are great videos, absolutely fascinating. I'm learning a lot from watching them :)

[@crazyfroggie6546]

Washing up bowls protect your plates and cups. If you were washing plates in your sink and they slipped out of your hand, chances are the impact against the solid sink would chip or crack them. With a plastic bowl, they just bounce off, no damage done.

[@eskhaphey2873]

To become a British citizen, you would need to register as Leave to Remain, live in the UK for 5 years, then register to be a British Citizen 12 months after completing Leave to Remain period... The wash up bowl, just makes it easier to move the water out of the sink if you need the sink for something else. And it the washing up bowl helps keep the sink scratch free, and we rarely have any issue with the sink plug itself, because we use a washing up bowl so the plug is used less so doesn't get worn down much. The side sink is mostly used to wash off grease and other food dirt before actually washing that item. House names stem from Victorian times, but the house will still have a number. As a lot of houses that have been converted from Victorian buildings keep their Victorian names. The postal address for that property just use the house number, to match up with any new building on that road. It is bizarre that she picked up on house names despite most houses don't have names. A houses name (if it has one) would have been named when it was built, much like a ship being named once it is complete. As for public transport, the transport route is usually just that local area. For example my local area has two dozen bus routes. The main ones being two bus routes between the two local towns (takes about 40 minutes). One route that goes between these two towns and a third (takes about an hour and a half). Then one more route from the north most town to the next city north (takes about 2 hours). Anything beyond this would require a coach.

[@katebatt7538]

Because generally we only have one sink in the kitchen (those 1½ sinks aren't in every house, normally it's a single bowl sink with a draining board) where in the USA you generally have two bowls to your sink, it can be very useful. For example, if you start washing up, then need the sink for something else, like washing some potatoes/vegetables or to strain water from some rice you are cooking, you simply lift the washing up bowl out of the sink, do whatever you need to then put it back. Also, as they are usually made of plastic, I've found that it reduces the chances of breaking things while washing up.

[@munnziemoo4867]

My boyfriend's house had firework put through the letterbox. Also the amount of times I've lifted the washing up bowl out of the skin, so I can use the sink, and then put it back again are the reason I'll always have one!

[@kirk123]

In my village we had 1 bus on a Friday that came back a few hours later, not that useful. I just checked and it's now Monday and Wednesday so that's an improvement :)

[@RonSeymour1]

In rural villages, everyone knows everyone else., including the postman. I suspect that the houses do have a numbered address, they are just not used. It has been known for a letter addressed, for example, to "The old lady, with the blue coat and wicker basket, near the old stream", to get delivered because they all know her.

[@Zeamus634]

Amazon usually gets delivered within 2-3 days but sometimes you can even get it the same day!

[@catherineharrison9441]

The positives far out way the very rare negatives to our letterbox system. One other thing in England is parcel deliveries. The couriers do not leave packages on the doorstep, they will text you to say they will be delivering on this date at this time. If no-one is available they will keep your package and arrange another more convenient time to deliver.

[@ReReNotMe]

Ngl the vusses are great. I moved to Scotland from England when I was 9 to a village with a population of only 200. It's 13 miles from the nearest small town where the high school was. The morning bus was free to school kids. Recently all young people under 22 in Scotland get free bus travel and for a while we've had free bus travel for over 65s. It's honestly great. As a uni student I'm on multiple busses everyday and it doesn't cost me a penny. Would recommend :)

[@jackybraun2705]

I can't imagine washing up without a plastic bowl. Why would you put the plates and glasses THAT YOU EAT FROM into the same sink that you fill your bucket for washing the floor? How do you not continually break glasses on the hard steel or ceramic sink? Where do you put the slops? Why do you need a whole sink full? Far less water wasted using a smaller bowl.

[@chriseyres9995]

The only unwanted items I have shoved through my letter box are bills!! They keep coming through even though I don't want them

[@welshtiger86]

The washing up bowl is used to collect any leftover food debris, unlike in the U.S, the U.K does not typically have sinks that dispose of food.

[@LexiLaughs]

A great thing about being in the in Europe is we can travel to other countries without using (vacation) holiday time, I’m in England and I’ve just popped to Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland and various other places just for a little weekend break I love that I can do that and visit so many beautiful places

[@dianneagain3830]

Washing up bowls keep your sink from getting scratched and dirty. When you empty it the food bits stay in the bowl for disposal and don't risk clogging the sink. They don't generally have garbage disposals over there and the plumbing and construction in general are a bit different. About the house name addresses it's just the house name, town and zip code. It's not a big problem for the carriers because they have postal sorters who set things up for them so they just look for the next house name on their pile. But those are in neighborhoods where you have at least a 3 or 5 acer lot.

[@louisimission2153]

4.20 - nice, that's Scarborough, My hometown 👋 Hello America

[@DiamondSu48]

My washing up bowl is used in the sink with clean soapy water, whilst allowing me to both rinse dishes of suds under tap and also dispose of water (from soiled pots and pans I'd been soaking) down the side of bowl into sink/down drain. If one used just a sink how would you rinse dishes and where would you get rid of dirty water from same soaking pots and pans? 😮 OK maybe if you have half sink too a bowl wouldn't be necessary. For the most part my washing up bowl protects my beautiful porcelain sink from scratches and chips. 24 years on and it's like new. Thanks to the washing up bowls. 😊

[@Rose.Archer]

Washing up bowls are so common. I personally don’t use one. My mum will use it to soak pans in if they need to soak and then she can still use the sink.

[@eclipsesonic]

Amazon UK delivery times are so good over here. I live in Wales and Amazon do a great job of delivering the parcel to my home over a couple of days.

[@panman1964]

Next day? How slow lol. But seriously there are occasions that it is possible to get same day delivery (not necessarily just Amazon but places such as Argos)

[@wildridegaming874]

Amazon Prime in the UK you can get it same day if you order before like 10am at least in London, next day would be more rural.

[@leroyc88]

If you have a ceramic, resin or composite sink then using a washing up bowl lowers the chance of damaging it conversely it also lowers the chance of damaging your plates etc

[@LB-my1ej]

I live out in the sticks and my bus service is excellent. I chose a time when I want to travel and the bus will pick me up at the end of my drive, after I finish my jobs in town the bus delivers me back to my driveway.

[@petergenius9096]

I think mail boxes are really silly, as you have to go outside in the rain the collect your Mail (post) and there's a danger of it being stolen, where we have it put strait in our houses.

[@cherryred8265]

The plastic washing up bowl is a hangover from the 50's to 70's when most homes didn't have imstant running hot water. We wouldn't heat a whole tank of water, but would boil a kettle. The bowl means you use less HOT water and if it gets gtimey you empty the bowl and boil the kettle again..

[@waaaghzag]

A lot of people don't use washing up bowls anymore. Also on the subject of Amazon, we get 2-hour delivery in some areas with Amazon. Next day delivery is the standard across the mainland for almost every delivery company though. It's only some of the Scottish "Highlands and Islands" areas that don't get next day because of needing a ferry or a person to spend half their day driving out to the Highlands.

[@collettemchugh9495]

I think the names of the houses are named by the owner, there would be still a number on the door as part of that address

[@andyroo8uk685]

live in a village in the uk busses are around 30min to 1hr to other places ...i used to live in Swindon Wiltshire and busses from 7am to 11pm are every 6mins to 10mins depends upon route

[@wildridegaming874]

Mail slot, yes its convenient, but also its known for people to throw lit fireworks through it. Rare but it has happened.

[@StephenButlerOne]

Every row/street of houses in the uk has a unique post/zip. So and adress looks like Your name Number or name, and street name Town name County name Postcode But all the postman actually needs is the house number or name, and the postcode. Thst pinpoints the excaxt house. So you could just put somthing like (made up example) 11, LL4 2JZ on a letter and it would arrive where its ment to.

[@petenikolic5244]

That is why the UK electrical system is simply the best in the world . letter boxes are from memory 9.75" wide and 2.75" tall normally and you can have an internal box on the inside of the door to catch your post/mail , Bowls save a LOT of water it is a historical thing from before Sinks existed . We have post codes each post code has a number of address connected to it so dingbang house thatt road dg12er would give a very close location for the house

[@BlueRoseHelen252]

The washing up bowl is designed to be used in a single sink... So if you fill up the sink without the bowl in it you then don't have anywhere to rinse dirtier washing up first and the bowl is smaller which means you can fill that up and thing that is dirty and can be rinsed next to the bowl and poured down the sink leaving your washing up water for just cleaning your dishes efc. These tend to be used to save water and also the single sink bowl design is still a common sight in many UK homes. More modern designs of sink eliminate the need for a washing up bowl there are now also double sinks, 1¼ bowl sink and 1½ sinks where it's not as needed for a bowl to be used because there is a second sink to rinse the dirtier items before washing them up.

[@GarrySturley-vq1ir]

Hey Steve, you should definitely check out the UK postcode (zipcode) system. The postcodes identify the exact street that the address applies to - for some longer streets it identifies the exact part of that street. So a letter will reach its destination with just the house name or number plus the postcode. Nothing else is needed. For example: Church Cottage, AB14 5XD Everyone habitually includes the street and the town in addreses, but they are actually unnecessary if you write the correct postcode. Cool huh?

[@franktuckwell196]

A washing up bowl stops the sink from getting scratched, plus if you want to wash your feet, you can take the bowl out of the sink, put it on the floor and wash your feet, saves filling up the bath tub. Yes you can get people who's address would be "The Firs", or "The Beeches". Quite common. Postmen use post codes ( you call them zip codes), and a postcode only ever covers about 12 houses at most.

[@Pmherbie1988]

Number of Reasons for a washing up bowl 1. transportable some people will use it for washing and peeling their vegetables to which you can then easily take the peelings to the waste or compost 2. allows for other liquids that might contaminate your washing up water to be drained away 3. no chance of accidental pulling the plug out draining your water 4. most common uk kitchen sinks dont have built in waste disposal so the bowl helps minimise the risk of debris going down the plug and blocking the pips

[@vallyman11]

you was talking about the sink having an extra bit to it i think you called at "a sink and a quarter" the bucket acts as that without having that extra sink, pour unclean water away add new water, acts as an extra sink type deal