On the 5th of July, 2011, I wrote the post "Fireworks (again)":
In it, I posted a short video that I had filmed on one of family's last days of living in Littleport, Cambridgeshire. The video featured sound effects of some fireworks that had occurred the night before on the 4th of July. We attributed the Independence Day firework celebrations to the presence of United States military bases and personnel in the area; even so, we did not expect to see or hear any fireworks that evening and we were pleasantly by them.
The post is also significant because it was the first time that my friend and fellow blogger Jessica commented here. This was after I commented on this post of hers. I first encountered Jessica when I clicked on her Blogger profile from another blog, titled Green Eyed Opinons; she also once guest posted on Green Eyed Opinons. Unfortunately, that blog no longer exists.
Showing posts with label Littleport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Littleport. Show all posts
Saturday, 5 July 2014
Saturday, 16 March 2013
Littleport, Iowa
When I began Air Nice-to-Livelands, I was living in the town of Littleport in North East Cambridgeshire. In that linked post, I briefly mentioned our then-house being located on a lower level to the levees holding back the Ouse. Naturally, while my family and I lived there we were worried about potential flooding, but fortunately, nothing ever happened during our time there and nothing has happened since. However, back in 1999, the tiny city of Littleport, Iowa, which is mostly unrelated to the Littleport, Cambridgeshire, was destroyed by a flood.
There is little (no pun intended) available about Iowa's Littleport beyond its destruction. The place hasn't ever had a large population, and in 2005, it lost its city status, resulting in it becoming an unincorporated community; it was already a dying town prior to the flood. It had a population of 26 in 2000, and the only 2010 census information I could find said that Littleport was no longer inhabited. While I have never been to Littleport, nor have I been to or near Iowa, but I can't help feel a touch of sadness for the place. Humans once lived there and now it's another one of the many ghost towns littered across the United States.
The two Littleports have nothing in common except the name and the potential to flood. The Littleport in Iowa was on the decline for decades, with barely over two dozen people living there when it flooded. By contrast, the Littleport in Cambridgeshire is a thriving town with nearly 9,000 people as of 2011 — an increase in population from the decade before. It's unlikely to meet the same fate as its Iowa namesake, for the name is merely a coincidence, but it's always wise to be prepared...just in case.
There is little (no pun intended) available about Iowa's Littleport beyond its destruction. The place hasn't ever had a large population, and in 2005, it lost its city status, resulting in it becoming an unincorporated community; it was already a dying town prior to the flood. It had a population of 26 in 2000, and the only 2010 census information I could find said that Littleport was no longer inhabited. While I have never been to Littleport, nor have I been to or near Iowa, but I can't help feel a touch of sadness for the place. Humans once lived there and now it's another one of the many ghost towns littered across the United States.
The two Littleports have nothing in common except the name and the potential to flood. The Littleport in Iowa was on the decline for decades, with barely over two dozen people living there when it flooded. By contrast, the Littleport in Cambridgeshire is a thriving town with nearly 9,000 people as of 2011 — an increase in population from the decade before. It's unlikely to meet the same fate as its Iowa namesake, for the name is merely a coincidence, but it's always wise to be prepared...just in case.
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
July 4th, 2012
Wishing everybody, in particular my US readers, a happy Independence Day; as of today, the United States has been in existence for 236 years.
I hope those of you who have celebrations planned will have a good time; unfortunately, I have had a bad cough both all day and for this past week. My family seems to be dealing with two colds at the moment (my mother and I have one that I picked up, and Dad and my brother have one that Dad caught), so it is not exactly fun here at the moment.
It would be nice if we get a firework display akin to the surprise one we saw in Littleport last year. That would certainly improve the day!
Happy Independence Day, or even just happy Fourth...whichever you prefer!
I hope those of you who have celebrations planned will have a good time; unfortunately, I have had a bad cough both all day and for this past week. My family seems to be dealing with two colds at the moment (my mother and I have one that I picked up, and Dad and my brother have one that Dad caught), so it is not exactly fun here at the moment.
It would be nice if we get a firework display akin to the surprise one we saw in Littleport last year. That would certainly improve the day!
Happy Independence Day, or even just happy Fourth...whichever you prefer!
Monday, 21 May 2012
Cambridge picture or two (again)
Here are four pictures that I took yesterday during our trip to Cambridgeshire. I was indoors for most of the time out, as I was meeting up with some people; however, I did manage to get a few photographs while in the car. While I was at my event, Dad, Mum, and my brother all went to Littleport to see how much the place has changed since we moved from the town last July. All of these images were taken with my phone:
One of Cambridge's numerous spires, and this particular one belongs to the Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church. There was a bit of a traffic jam in this part of Cambridge as we left the city, but it meant the car was still enough for me to get a couple of good pictures of the building (despite the side mirror present in the picture, I was completely inside the car and my window was closed).
The same church, just from a different angle. I am pleased with how this image turned out.
A picture of a random park area during another time when our car was paused from the traffic. Unlike the region where aforementioned church is, I am not sure what the road the park is located on is called or where in Cambridge it is.
This was on the way back to Northamptonshire. It is blurry, as it was taken while our car was in motion at high speeds (well, 60-70mph). However, I like the contrast of the blurred, green plants in the foreground with the yellow of the flora in the field behind them.
As you can see, I did not take many pictures of the afternoon trip, but I hope the ones I did post were pleasing.
As you can see, I did not take many pictures of the afternoon trip, but I hope the ones I did post were pleasing.
Monday, 9 April 2012
Local ginger cat
A feline named Fudge was the cat we saw the most frequently during our stay in Littleport. When we first moved to our place in Northamptonshire we hardly saw any cats at all, but recently there has a been a beautiful ginger cat wandering around our neighbourhood.
The picture was taken with my main camera through a window on the top floor of our home. It has been good to see a cat in the area around our house: we have seen several cats when goings on walks through the town, but this one is the most prominent at our location.
Friday, 20 January 2012
The Hits Radio
I blogged previously about listening to Heart Cambridge and then Heart Northamptonshire. While I still listen to Heart Northamptonshire, the station I listen to the most is The Hits Radio.
I came across it when looking for a hit/pop music radio station; I certainly appreciate the variety of music Heart plays, but at the same time I really do like a station that plays current music. When we moved to Northamptonshire, I was really lucky to come across The Hits Radio as it satisfied that "requirement" of mine: I did have a pop station to listen to in Littleport, and it was adequate, but it frustrated me because it did not always play everything popular at the time...The Hits Radio, on the other hand, does not have that problem.
The Hits Radio plays current pop music, and songs from the past few years: as an example, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a Kelly Clarkson hit from several years ago played on The Hits Radio (yes, I have Breakaway, but it is still good to hear songs from the album on the radio). The artists themselves are often interviewed; and the station also plays plenty of remixes of songs and dance hits, which I very much appreciate. Even better, it has a high music-to-commercials ratio, which is brilliant because I hear far more songs than I do adverts.
My listening times are mainly between 4:00pm-7:00/7:30, mainly when Chris Younie and then In:Demand are on; and 10:00-12:00 (Matt Spokes). The presenters for when I am listening are all decent people: they accept requests, are good for saying a song's name or its artist, and appear to have great senses of humour (actually, they do not "appear to"...they just do!).
The Hits Radio was a perfect find for me: it is great to listen to and I am happy to do a piece on the station.
I came across it when looking for a hit/pop music radio station; I certainly appreciate the variety of music Heart plays, but at the same time I really do like a station that plays current music. When we moved to Northamptonshire, I was really lucky to come across The Hits Radio as it satisfied that "requirement" of mine: I did have a pop station to listen to in Littleport, and it was adequate, but it frustrated me because it did not always play everything popular at the time...The Hits Radio, on the other hand, does not have that problem.
The Hits Radio plays current pop music, and songs from the past few years: as an example, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a Kelly Clarkson hit from several years ago played on The Hits Radio (yes, I have Breakaway, but it is still good to hear songs from the album on the radio). The artists themselves are often interviewed; and the station also plays plenty of remixes of songs and dance hits, which I very much appreciate. Even better, it has a high music-to-commercials ratio, which is brilliant because I hear far more songs than I do adverts.
My listening times are mainly between 4:00pm-7:00/7:30, mainly when Chris Younie and then In:Demand are on; and 10:00-12:00 (Matt Spokes). The presenters for when I am listening are all decent people: they accept requests, are good for saying a song's name or its artist, and appear to have great senses of humour (actually, they do not "appear to"...they just do!).
The Hits Radio was a perfect find for me: it is great to listen to and I am happy to do a piece on the station.
Sunday, 8 January 2012
The move to Cambridgeshire
It was exactly one year ago today that we fully moved into Littleport in Cambridgeshire. I remember feeling mixed emotions about the move: on one hand, we were leaving my grandparents' home and would be living independently again; but on the other, we would no longer be seeing family on a regular basis...which had been good considering we had not seen most of our relatives since leaving for the United States in 1996.
Moving all our belongings from the storage container to Littleport took two trips in a personal moving van to complete, plus help from my uncle and later my grandfather: the first journey had been done on the 7th, during which time the region in which the storage area was located as receiving a lot of snow: it did slow our work down, but we still got the job done in a timely manner. Fortunately, when we made the second trip the next day (when my grandfather accompanied us), the ground was wet but it was no longer snowing. It was sunny when we arrived in Littleport, but that day we learnt about the strong winds that occur in Cambridgeshire.
Shortly after unloading the van, Dad had to take it back to the local renting agency. I went with him while my uncle followed us in his car (he had to drive down in it to transport himself, my mother, and grandfather), and my grandfather in our car. I remember the moment when we said goodbye and parted ways at the agency, and another moment a little later when I watched my uncle's car travel back up the A1 road back to Nottingham until our own car turned a corner and they were out of sight. That was it...we were once again independent.
Six months later, we had then moved into our current location in Northamptonshire. While our stay was short, I am glad we had the change to experience Cambridgeshire, and can say that we once lived there, but I do admit that I prefer Northamptonshire and am happier here.
Moving all our belongings from the storage container to Littleport took two trips in a personal moving van to complete, plus help from my uncle and later my grandfather: the first journey had been done on the 7th, during which time the region in which the storage area was located as receiving a lot of snow: it did slow our work down, but we still got the job done in a timely manner. Fortunately, when we made the second trip the next day (when my grandfather accompanied us), the ground was wet but it was no longer snowing. It was sunny when we arrived in Littleport, but that day we learnt about the strong winds that occur in Cambridgeshire.
Shortly after unloading the van, Dad had to take it back to the local renting agency. I went with him while my uncle followed us in his car (he had to drive down in it to transport himself, my mother, and grandfather), and my grandfather in our car. I remember the moment when we said goodbye and parted ways at the agency, and another moment a little later when I watched my uncle's car travel back up the A1 road back to Nottingham until our own car turned a corner and they were out of sight. That was it...we were once again independent.
Six months later, we had then moved into our current location in Northamptonshire. While our stay was short, I am glad we had the change to experience Cambridgeshire, and can say that we once lived there, but I do admit that I prefer Northamptonshire and am happier here.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Coin coincidence
An interesting coincidence happened this afternoon. During a walk one morning before we moved from Littleport, I noticed an American dime in the gutter, and after picking it up I was quite pleased I had found it (after all, during our time in the United States we collected several varieties of foreign coins).
This afternoon, I went for a walk, then just as I left the house something reminded me of that dime, and I thought how interesting it would be to find more loose foreign coins around. While on my walk, I found a coin in the gutter, but it was dirty and I could not identify it, although I assumed it was a British penny judging from its size.
Upon returning home, I washed the coin and took a better look at it. On a close inspection, I saw the word "Canada" inscribed upon it: the coin was not British but rather, a 2007 Canadian penny. I was surprised to discover what the coin really was, but also surprised that I had found a foreign coin after thinking about finding them only half an hour beforehand: it is certainly an interesting coincidence.
Since the coin I collected is still too dirty to get a clear photograph of, I looked up pictures of 2007 Canadian pennies and can post a link to one. It depicts both sides of the coin:
http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/showimage.aspx?gid=613286&ppid=1122&image=117972067&images=117972067&formats=0&format=0
This afternoon, I went for a walk, then just as I left the house something reminded me of that dime, and I thought how interesting it would be to find more loose foreign coins around. While on my walk, I found a coin in the gutter, but it was dirty and I could not identify it, although I assumed it was a British penny judging from its size.
Upon returning home, I washed the coin and took a better look at it. On a close inspection, I saw the word "Canada" inscribed upon it: the coin was not British but rather, a 2007 Canadian penny. I was surprised to discover what the coin really was, but also surprised that I had found a foreign coin after thinking about finding them only half an hour beforehand: it is certainly an interesting coincidence.
Since the coin I collected is still too dirty to get a clear photograph of, I looked up pictures of 2007 Canadian pennies and can post a link to one. It depicts both sides of the coin:
http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/showimage.aspx?gid=613286&ppid=1122&image=117972067&images=117972067&formats=0&format=0
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Rumbles Fish Bar
Back in June, I wrote about North East Cambridgeshire and what where we used to live in Littleport was like. I mentioned about the local fish bar, although I did not refer to it by its name, Rumbles Fish Bar. Prior to us leaving Littleport, my brother was able to take a picture of the take-out place:
We have not had any fish bar take-out meals since moving to Northamptonshire, although we have found a local Chinese restaurant that is very nice.
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Aly & AJ
I blogged before about hearing Julian Velard's song "Sentimental" at a store in Littleport, and being glad I heard it. This is not the first occasion where I have heard a song in a store and really liked it: the previous time this occurred was in 2005 during a visit from my grandparents.
We all went to an Ashley Furniture store in Medford, and my parents found a sofa that they found appealing, so they discussed it with each other and with one of the clerks. While this was happening, a song playing from one of the televisions caught my attention: for the next two minutes, I watched the video and listened to the sound of "Do You Believe in Magic" by Aly & AJ (now going by the name "78violet").
This was my introduction to Aly & AJ, and I really liked the song: I took pleasure from the instrumentals that formed the tune, Aly & AJ's vocals, and the overall happy sound to "Do You Believe in Magic". I noted a few of the lyrics to look up when we got back home, and that was my task when I next went on the Internet. During my research I was pleased to see that they had an album out, Into the Rush, and I made sure to ask for it for my birthday later that year (and I received it). To date, Into the Rush is the only Aly & AJ album I own, but I am interested in their second studio album, Insomniatic, and their Christmas release, Acoustic Hearts of Winter.
Whenever I listen to "Do You Believe in Magic", I always think of that afternoon in Ashley Furniture. It seems odd to associate a song with a furniture store, but that merely adds to the charm of the song for me, and besides, I remember it being a beautiful day outside that day.
Regarding the aforementioned sofa, Mum and Dad decided to buy it, though it was ultimately sold in October of 2009, as it was unfeasible to bring to the United Kingdom due to its size. However, I am still listening to and will continue to listen to Aly & AJ's music.
We all went to an Ashley Furniture store in Medford, and my parents found a sofa that they found appealing, so they discussed it with each other and with one of the clerks. While this was happening, a song playing from one of the televisions caught my attention: for the next two minutes, I watched the video and listened to the sound of "Do You Believe in Magic" by Aly & AJ (now going by the name "78violet").
This was my introduction to Aly & AJ, and I really liked the song: I took pleasure from the instrumentals that formed the tune, Aly & AJ's vocals, and the overall happy sound to "Do You Believe in Magic". I noted a few of the lyrics to look up when we got back home, and that was my task when I next went on the Internet. During my research I was pleased to see that they had an album out, Into the Rush, and I made sure to ask for it for my birthday later that year (and I received it). To date, Into the Rush is the only Aly & AJ album I own, but I am interested in their second studio album, Insomniatic, and their Christmas release, Acoustic Hearts of Winter.
Whenever I listen to "Do You Believe in Magic", I always think of that afternoon in Ashley Furniture. It seems odd to associate a song with a furniture store, but that merely adds to the charm of the song for me, and besides, I remember it being a beautiful day outside that day.
Regarding the aforementioned sofa, Mum and Dad decided to buy it, though it was ultimately sold in October of 2009, as it was unfeasible to bring to the United Kingdom due to its size. However, I am still listening to and will continue to listen to Aly & AJ's music.
Friday, 22 July 2011
The ginger and black cat
Remember my posts about the ginger and black cat with the ginger eye patch? Prior to us leaving Littleport, we found out from the lady next door to us that the cat's name is "Fudge".
So far I have not seen any cats at our current location. There have been people with dogs, and judging by the abundance of birds, I doubt there are many cats around this part of our town.
So far I have not seen any cats at our current location. There have been people with dogs, and judging by the abundance of birds, I doubt there are many cats around this part of our town.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Footpaths (again)
One of my early posts was about footpaths in the United Kingdom. Here is an image of what a standard "public footpath" sign looks like:
I should note that most are not crooked like this one is, and they normally also point exactly to a path rather than in the general direction of one (the public footpath here is the bare track going around the bushes behind this sign). Still, this shows what they look like, and this sign is in Littleport.
I should note that most are not crooked like this one is, and they normally also point exactly to a path rather than in the general direction of one (the public footpath here is the bare track going around the bushes behind this sign). Still, this shows what they look like, and this sign is in Littleport.
Sunday, 17 July 2011
"Sentimental" - Julian Velard
A couple of days before we moved from Littleport, I was in a store to get a few last-minute groceries. While in there, I heard a song on the store's radio I really liked the sound of. I took note of a couple of the lyrics, and put them into Google when I got back home. It turned out it was a song titled "Sentimental", by an artist called Julian Velard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6N23rCS26c&feature=related
"Sentimental" is a really nice, gentle song, and I like it: the instrumentals and vocals are great, and I was surprised to see that the album it comes from was released only a few months ago. I think it comes under soft jazz/piano, but whatever the genre, it is a fine song. While I will have to take a look some more of Julian Velard's work, what I have heard so far has been good, and hopefully I shall be adding his new album to my list of albums that I would like to buy. I am very glad I was in the store that morning, otherwise I would not have heard "Sentimental".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6N23rCS26c&feature=related
"Sentimental" is a really nice, gentle song, and I like it: the instrumentals and vocals are great, and I was surprised to see that the album it comes from was released only a few months ago. I think it comes under soft jazz/piano, but whatever the genre, it is a fine song. While I will have to take a look some more of Julian Velard's work, what I have heard so far has been good, and hopefully I shall be adding his new album to my list of albums that I would like to buy. I am very glad I was in the store that morning, otherwise I would not have heard "Sentimental".
Friday, 8 July 2011
The move
Note: this is a long post!
As exhausting as moving day was, it went a lot smoother than I had anticipated. We got up at ~6:00 in the morning to put away the things that could only be packed at the last minute (bedding, the inflatable beds, the kettle, etc.), so that we would be ready for when the removal people came at 7:30. We did have everything ready before then, and were well on time, but when Mum phoned the removal company at 8:30, we did appear to fall behind. Worse yet, the weather looked like it was going to throw down a massive amount of rain.
It turned out that one of the removal guys was sick, and he had to be replaced with someone who was on their day off; plus, they had got stuck in traffic. They finally did arrive at 9:20, and when they came, the three guys surveyed all our belongings to figure out the best way to get them all into the truck. In addition, part of our moving package allowed us to have the moving guys disassemble pieces of furniture if we chose to have them do that, and as such, they had to see what they had to take apart.
Fortunately, with two guys taking the furniture out of the house, and then the garage, and the other guy in the truck fitting everything in, we were soon back on schedule. Even better, the rain only came in a few brief bursts, rather than chuck it down, and the guys were able to use the small showers to take breaks. Despite one of guys also having to disassemble a few pieces of furniture, they got the entire job done in about three hours…a far cry from the estimated 4 ½ hours to complete the task. Once they left to go to Northamptonshire, we did a small amount of cleaning in the house, took a few pictures/movies of the place, say goodbye to our next door neighbor, and then left our (now former) home in Littleport, Cambridgeshire.
We stopped off in Ely briefly to hand back the keys to our old place. While my brother and I were waiting in the parking lot, I spotted both an American flag and an English flag on top of a building! (I am not referring to the flag of the United Kingdom here, but rather, the flag of England itself.) I have never seen these two flags together before, and so I took a few pictures of them. We then left Ely and took the A14 to go to Northamptonshire.
On the way to Northamptonshire, we stopped off at a pub on the way called The Fox Inn to have lunch. At this pub I had a burger, and I have to say that it was the best burger I have ever had. In fact, it was so nice I shared a little bit of with my family (except for Mum, who was already having a burger) so they could try it too (if I think something is really tasty, rather than have it all to myself I prefer to share a little bit of it so others can see how good it is too). Outside the pub, three flags were being flown: the pub’s personal flag, the UK flag, and the US flag!
Our next stop was the agents’ place to pick up the keys for our new home, and once we had done that, we went to our new home in Northamptonshire. The removal guys were waiting for us there, but they had not been waiting long, and besides, our scheduled time to arrive at the place was about 5:00, and we were there before that time. It took an hour to unload the truck (my brother and I helped with this) and for one of the guys to re-assemble the furniture he had taken apart back in Littleport. They left once they were done.
As for the evening, Mum, Dad, and my brother went out to buy some sandwiches for dinner while I stayed to sort a few things out in my new room (I have my own room again now, for the first time in over a year!). After dinner, we got a load of unpacking done, despite the long day, and Dad even got the internet up and running (hence the brief post from yesterday). Not surprisingly, the house is a mess, and it will take time to sort it all out, but we are getting it done. I am glad we are living in a bigger house now, and there are more people around here. At least this was also a short move in camparison to moving halfway around the world last year!
Finally, I do have a few pictures and movies of the trip to Northamptonshire. When the equipment to transfer pictures from my camera to my computer is unpacked, I shall upload them!
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Ouse riverbank
Another walk today, this time all of us going out. We took a walk down the riverbank by the Ouse, and followed it quite a way down before we turned around and headed back home. I took a load more pictures, including the following. I hope you like them!
The above is a picture of the part of the Ouse near where we live.
Ely Cathedral, taken from far away with my camera on maximum zoom.
There you go trolls, trolling the Ouse is banned: you could get a fine!
Finally, the Littleport sign itself!
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
North East Cambridgeshire
As I'll be moving again soon, I thought I'd blog a little about where I currently live! I am residing in North East Cambridgeshire, a district in the county of Cambridgeshire.
To begin with, it's one of the flattest places, if not the flattest place, I have ever lived; ironic, because Southern Oregon, where we lived before, is a mountainous part of the United States. The highest points around here excluding water or bell towers, or Ely Cathedral, are the levees holding back the river (the "Ouse"), which our house is on a lower level to! Of all the places I've so far been to in the UK, this area has the least amount of trees around (by British standards, as there are still quite a few trees around), but that's likely because it's agricultural: when I look out the front windows I can see farmland behind the nearby houses.
As for the town we are in, Littleport, we live on the outskirts next to both a railroad and the aforementioned levees that contain the Ouse: when I first heard that we were going to live near a railroad I expected it to be very noisy, but surprisingly enough despite trains going past every half-hour or so, they're not annoying in the slightest and they can easily be tuned out. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, the town has a lot of footpaths to explore, and these paths are always fun. At least one crosses the railroad!
The central area of our town has a few shops, including a handful of grocery stores (plus at least one on the opposite end of the town to us), a couple of hardware stores, a bakery, and some others. The nearest pub was converted to both a restaurant and a bar, both of which we have tried and are very nice, though the bar area isn't as relaxed as the restaurant. The main take-out place around here is the local fish bar: despite the designation, they do serve more than fish (burgers, kebabs, etc.), and the food there is great! In all, Littleport is a decent place to live.
We're not too far away from a place called Ely: Ely has a population of about 15,000 or so people, but has city status, and thus, is the third smallest city in England and sixth smallest in the United Kingdom overall. Ely Cathedral is the tallest structure in the region as far as I'm aware, and it can be seen for miles. You can see it from our town, and would probably be able to see it from my bedroom window if other houses weren't in the way. :) Ely itself, especially the central area, is a beautiful place, and the cathedral is impressive up close.
I was going to post a picture or two of the area, but I found that I haven't taken any yet! (The pictures taken are all my brother's.) I'll see if I can get a few before we leave. It's really green at the moment, and the farmland I can see from the bedroom window looks pretty. I think I'll take a picture right now.
To begin with, it's one of the flattest places, if not the flattest place, I have ever lived; ironic, because Southern Oregon, where we lived before, is a mountainous part of the United States. The highest points around here excluding water or bell towers, or Ely Cathedral, are the levees holding back the river (the "Ouse"), which our house is on a lower level to! Of all the places I've so far been to in the UK, this area has the least amount of trees around (by British standards, as there are still quite a few trees around), but that's likely because it's agricultural: when I look out the front windows I can see farmland behind the nearby houses.
As for the town we are in, Littleport, we live on the outskirts next to both a railroad and the aforementioned levees that contain the Ouse: when I first heard that we were going to live near a railroad I expected it to be very noisy, but surprisingly enough despite trains going past every half-hour or so, they're not annoying in the slightest and they can easily be tuned out. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, the town has a lot of footpaths to explore, and these paths are always fun. At least one crosses the railroad!
The central area of our town has a few shops, including a handful of grocery stores (plus at least one on the opposite end of the town to us), a couple of hardware stores, a bakery, and some others. The nearest pub was converted to both a restaurant and a bar, both of which we have tried and are very nice, though the bar area isn't as relaxed as the restaurant. The main take-out place around here is the local fish bar: despite the designation, they do serve more than fish (burgers, kebabs, etc.), and the food there is great! In all, Littleport is a decent place to live.
We're not too far away from a place called Ely: Ely has a population of about 15,000 or so people, but has city status, and thus, is the third smallest city in England and sixth smallest in the United Kingdom overall. Ely Cathedral is the tallest structure in the region as far as I'm aware, and it can be seen for miles. You can see it from our town, and would probably be able to see it from my bedroom window if other houses weren't in the way. :) Ely itself, especially the central area, is a beautiful place, and the cathedral is impressive up close.
I was going to post a picture or two of the area, but I found that I haven't taken any yet! (The pictures taken are all my brother's.) I'll see if I can get a few before we leave. It's really green at the moment, and the farmland I can see from the bedroom window looks pretty. I think I'll take a picture right now.
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