Home Sweet Home -- Part Three

5. Utilities. Gas and electricity are much more expensive here. Thus, it is quite rare to enter a home that is heated to oven-level as one sometimes finds in the U.S. Hot water heat is the norm, and boilers are on a timer so that the heat is off entirely at night or when the home's occupants are away at work during the day. Often rooms are closed off by interior doors so that only the rooms that are occupied are heated. Air conditioning is not common, but would seldom be necessary in this climate.

Our boiler is on a timer -- no heat at night or when we aren't at home.

6. Decor. The way a home is decorated inside, of course, reflects the tastes of the individuals who live there. These vary considerably in England, just as they do in the U.S. But on the whole, I'd have to say that Brits tend to have less "stuff" in their homes -- fewer things on walls, fewer "knick-knacks," even less furniture than most Americans have. One might expect smaller homes and smaller rooms to be more crowded, but the opposite tends to be the case. It's a natural human trait that "stuff" expands to fill the available space, but my general impression is that English homes tend to be less cluttered than those in the U.S.

Our home decor might be described as "modern thrift shop," but is not typical. We are in institutional housing, after all. The woven throw over the chair is for keeping warm on winter evenings, as the fireplace is not currently functional.

Of course, our home here is rather out of the ordinary in that it has had a series of occupants over many years. The furnishings are a bit spare and somewhat mis-matched. There is nothing fancy here, as everything technically belongs to the College. Directors move into it as it is, leave their own small, personal touches, and then leave it all behind to their successors. As we've often commented, it is a house "decorated by committee" over the years. Still, it's comfortable and serves our needs, and we're happy to call it "home" for the year.