A world of difference across the pond

David and Anita Hasbury-Snogles
Published: April 1, 2008

It's difficult to describe, this feeling of physically being "home," but not actually being at home in spirit. You see, Anita and I have returned to the U.K. for a few weeks to tie up some loose ends before we head back to our new home in Virginia - well, when I say "new home," I actually mean new area of Culpeper/Orange County, because we haven't actually found a home just yet. We have been looking for a number of months now, but apart from the one place we just got beaten to by a whisker, there hasn't been anything that is really what we want.

You have to remember we aren't just looking for a house for ourselves; we are looking for a home for our two horses and Ginny the dog too.

What has been interesting since we got back is how different our perspective on things has become as a result of having lived in the U.S. for a while. Like most of you folks out there, the prospect of the $4 gallon has been quite disturbing to all but the moneyed oil barons amongst us, yet when we saw the price of diesel at our local garage here in Fovant (that's near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK), we realized how cheap it still is in the USA. Over here fuel is charged by the litre, and at £1.17 a litre, that averages roughly £5.00 a gallon, which in your money is pushing $10. OK, so the Imperial gallon is slightly larger than the US gallon, but you get the idea.

Of course, the cost of housing in the U.K. is astronomical by U.S. standards, and I certainly wouldn't envy anyone trying to make the switch from the U.S. to the U.K. - you would have to be close to a dollar half-millionaire to even get a foot on the property ladder here. By the same token, the salary bill is much higher over here to compensate for the much greater cost of living, and we have a state-provided health service.

There are two sides to every coin though, and a lot revolves around the quality of life, not the quantity. Britain is a beautiful country with rolling hills, green pastures and clear, running streams, and many of our villages have lovely old stone buildings, with narrow winding lanes.

The U.S. may have sunnier days, bigger, more open landscapes, and some of its own fine architecture to parade, but it is sadly lacking in one main feature that I fear we will always have more of in the 'old country' - that of public rights of way. Whether they be footpaths, bridleways, or cycle tracks, we in England have a lot of what you might call "greenways" to enjoy.

I know the States has historically been developed under the concept of "ownership," and in particular property ownership, and like anyone I am a great believer in the freedom and the right to own your own land. But hey, is it so much to ask that we start thinking in terms of recreation, leisure and just the basic enjoyment of Mother Nature's best-

Greenways are the way forward, for us all and all our generations to come - let's start thinking on our own two feet and putting them (one foot in front of the other) on a path that for once doesn't involve us in having to drive in our gas-guzzling autos to find the nearest state park. It's just a thought, but one I feel we really should think about, not just here in Culpeper, but throughout the nation as a whole - and on that note I will get back to my beautiful, albeit rather wet public footpath!

Until next week ……..

David Snogles can be reached at david_hasbury@ yahoo.com