describe in fews lines the area where you live

[cacian]

just to get to feel of each other's environment and get an idea.
they do say we are the product of our environment.
you may post some pictures which would be nice :)


I live in in area of London that is neither poor or rich.
I am more on the ''affluent'' side where lots of teachers live.
the adjacent road at the back of my house is surrounded by the flats, en expression for vast fields of green and a couple of tiny lakes.
it is peaceful and sometimes busy.
I would say I could do with more country side but there you go considering where I live is called forest gate there is hardly a forest of or a gate.

how about you?

[PeterL]

I live on a smallish planet that has a variety of plants and animals. Among the animals are the autochthons; some of which think they have intelligence. Most of the autochthons that I encounter think that I am one of them, which means that I am a fair actor. You wouldn't believe some of the things that I observe the autochthons doing, so I won't bother you with those matters.

[cacian]

I live on a smallish planet that has a variety of plants and animals. Among the animals are the autochthons; some of which think they have intelligence. Most of the autochthons that I encounter think that I am one of them, which means that I am a fair actor. You wouldn't believe some of the things that I observe the autochthons doing, so I won't bother you with those matters.

Peter hi.
autochthons?? are you referring to the Divine Invasion?
what things do you observe do please tell it sounds like fun :D

[YesNo]

I'd like to know more about the autochthons as well especially how one can fake being one. Even though they are not as intelligent as one might think, are you sure they are so easily fooled?

For myself, I live in a village 45 minutes north of Chicago. There is a large forest preserve that is close enough to bicycle to with miles of trails as well as the botanic gardens and the lake. I am within walking distance of a good library, cafes and restaurants as well as a large park system.

[cacian]

I'd like to know more about the autochthons as well especially how one can fake being one. Even though they are not as intelligent as one might think, are you sure they are so easily fooled?

hi YesNo autochthon I looked it up means this:

in greek mythology, people born straight from the earth, with no human parents
or
indigenous people.
they are also a type of butterfly.
or
characters from the novel
The Divine Invasion.



For myself, I live in a village 45 minutes north of Chicago. There is a large forest preserve that is close enough to bicycle to with miles of trails as well as the botanic gardens and the lake. I am within walking distance of a good library, cafes and restaurants as well as a large park system.
Chicago? that sounds nice.
you are lucky you are near a reserve. it must be very peaceful.

[Dreamwoven]

I live in a small old croft in rural Sweden (southern Norrland, ,a bit isolated but very beautiful) with my Swedish wife. The forests here are quite wild, with brown bear (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_bear), wildcat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildcat), elk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose), and wild boar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_boar), and the occasional wolf. Being a Londoner by birth I find it sometimes slightly scary. When I was younger I used to love mushrooming for golden chanterelle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_chanterelle), picking blueberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueberry), rasberry and wild strawberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_strawberries).

[cacian]

I live in a small old croft in rural Sweden (southern Norrland, ,a bit isolated but very beautiful) with my Swedish wife. The forests here are quite wild, with brown bear (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_bear), wildcat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildcat), elk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose), and wild boar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_boar), and the occasional wolf. Being a Londoner by birth I find it sometimes slightly scary. When I was younger I used to love mushrooming for golden chanterelle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_chanterelle), picking blueberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueberry), rasberry and wild strawberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_strawberries).
hi Dreamwoven your place sounds lovely I have never been to Sweden it sounds magical.
is old croft the same as a house made of wood?

[PeterL]

Peter hi.
autochthons?? are you referring to the Divine Invasion?
what things do you observe do please tell it sounds like fun :D

autochthon: One of the earliest known inhabitants of any country. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/autochthon?s=t

Are the Divinities invading? I thought that they were among the autochthons. I think that my nex blog post will be on how to improve the human race.

[PeterL]

I'd like to know more about the autochthons as well especially how one can fake being one. Even though they are not as intelligent as one might think, are you sure they are so easily fooled?


Much of my blog has been about the autochthons of Earth.

[cacian]

autochthon: One of the earliest known inhabitants of any country. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/autochthon?s=t

I have found many meanings to this word.


Are the Divinities invading?I thought that they were among the autochthons.
no it is Philip K that say it is
here is the link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Divine_Invasion

I think that my nex blog post will be on how to improve the human race.
LOL and how do you propose to start??

[PeterL]

LOL and how do you propose to start??

That depends on several factors, so I do not yet know. Are you interested?

[Helga]

I live on the ice. in a town close to the capital. my house is literally built into lava, like most houses in this part of town. it's the second oldest street in my town. close to the sea.

[cacian]

That depends on several factors, so I do not yet know. Are you interested?

yes I am haha ;)

[cacian]

I live on the ice. in a town close to the capital. my house is literally built into lava, like most houses in this part of town. it's the second oldest street in my town. close to the sea.

that is Iceland right?
do you have any pictures?

[PeterL]

yes I am haha ;)

Then I should go there. :)

[YesNo]

I live on the ice. in a town close to the capital. my house is literally built into lava, like most houses in this part of town. it's the second oldest street in my town. close to the sea.

I tried to find it with Google Earth. I think it might be Hafnarfjörður because there are houses built on lava there. A street near the sea in that town might be Suðurgata.

[Dreamwoven]

Iceland is the one Nordic country I have not visited. It is fascinating by all accounts and very beautiful.

[Dreamwoven]

hi Dreamwoven your place sounds lovely I have never been to Sweden it sounds magical.
is old croft the same as a house made of wood?

Not quite, it is made of wood but more like a croft in the Scottish Highlands before the Clearances. There is a plot of land to grow potatoes, turnips and other vegetables, and usually a byre to keep animals for milk, ploughing and a wagon for hauling wood and other heavy items. A greenhouse is handy in the short summers of Norrland, too.

But Sweden is lovely and well worth visiting.

Central Stockholm is particularly beautiful, especially its mediaeval Old Town: there is even a website on it: http://www.old-town-stockholm.com. and it is sometime called Venice of the North (http://www.stockholmmuseum.com/information/general-info/stockholm-venice-of-the-north167.htm), and Gothenburg is called Little London (http://www.ilovegoteborg.se/goteborg_facts_en.asp). Both cities have archipelagos and forested hinterlands.

[Helga]

I tried to find it with Google Earth. I think it might be Hafnarfjörður because there are houses built on lava there. A street near the sea in that town might be Suðurgata.

I do live in Hafnarfjörður but not on Suðurgata but it is close to me, of course here most streets are close to the sea. I live close to the main street, the shopping street, here that is just one street.

Unfortunately my town has now been labelled as home of the elves, I believe. there is a woman who takes tourists on a walk through the old town and tells them about the elves and hidden folk (huldufólk) who live there she walks them by my house cause apparently me and the elves are close neighbours.

[Iain Sparrow]

I live in the historic district of Jacksonville, Florida... just a stone's throw from downtown.
Love the area, love living in the big city, hate trying to find parking though.
This is my house, which was built turn of the century and that I've been renovating for the past three years. It's been quite the learning experience!
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x426/Sparrowyn/Photos/SH_4_zpse201a107.jpg

[YesNo]

I do live in Hafnarfjörður but not on Suðurgata but it is close to me, of course here most streets are close to the sea. I live close to the main street, the shopping street, here that is just one street.

Unfortunately my town has now been labelled as home of the elves, I believe. there is a woman who takes tourists on a walk through the old town and tells them about the elves and hidden folk (huldufólk) who live there she walks them by my house cause apparently me and the elves are close neighbours.

I was going to ask you about those elves. From Wikipedia, I understand it is also a center for musicians in Iceland and has a Viking festival. It sounds like a nice place to live.

[YesNo]

I live in the historic district of Jacksonville, Florida... just a stone's throw from downtown.
Love the area, love living in the big city, hate trying to find parking though.
This is my house, which was built turn of the century and that I've been renovating for the past three years. It's been quite the learning experience!
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x426/Sparrowyn/Photos/SH_4_zpse201a107.jpg

That's an impressive house. I like the porches.

[YesNo]

hi YesNo autochthon I looked it up means this:

in greek mythology, people born straight from the earth, with no human parents
or
indigenous people.
they are also a type of butterfly.
or
characters from the novel
The Divine Invasion.



Chicago? that sounds nice.
you are lucky you are near a reserve. it must be very peaceful.

I looked up autochthon as well after I realized this was a real word.

The area I live is in peaceful. Downtown Chicago is more hectic. We use divvy bikes when we are there to get around. The area along Lake Michigan is a huge park system.

[cacian]

I live in the historic district of Jacksonville, Florida... just a stone's throw from downtown.
Love the area, love living in the big city, hate trying to find parking though.
This is my house, which was built turn of the century and that I've been renovating for the past three years. It's been quite the learning experience!
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x426/Sparrowyn/Photos/SH_4_zpse201a107.jpg

wow that is a house an a half. what date is it exactly?
and does it have a name?
the palm trees are stunning. you are the lucky one ;)

[Pope of Eruke]

I live in a middle class place, round the corner from a rough council estate, about twenty minutes from Belfast. It's a unionist place.

[Iain Sparrow]

That's an impressive house. I like the porches.


Thanks!.. if it's one thing we Southerners do well, it's porches.

[Iain Sparrow]

wow that is a house an a half. what date is it exactly?
and does it have a name?
the palm trees are stunning. you are the lucky one ;)

The house was built in 1906... I call her, Casa de Sparrow.:)

[cacian]

I live in a middle class place, round the corner from a rough council estate, about twenty minutes from Belfast. It's a unionist place.

what does a unionist place do?

[Pope of Eruke]

what does a unionist place do?

It doesn't do anything haha, it is an area that is unionist, other areas are nationalist.

[Pope of Eruke]

The house was built in 1906... I call her, Casa de Sparrow.:)

That is a wonderful house mate

[cacian]

It doesn't do anything haha, it is an area that is unionist, other areas are nationalist.
ah I just needed to ask. :)
I only know about Ireland and the troubles that affected it through tv.it must be a different story living it.
I have been to both northern and southern Ireland. beautiful places.
I take it a unionist is opposition with the nationalist.
are you in any political or belong to either of these parties?



The house was built in 1906... I call her, Casa de Sparrow.:)

haha tu casa es mi casa :D

[Pope of Eruke]

ah I just needed to ask. :)
I only know about Ireland and the troubles that affected it through tv.it must be a different story living it.
I have been to both northern and southern Ireland. beautiful places.
I take it a unionist is opposition with the nationalist.
are you in any political or belong to either of these parties?


Yes unionists want to remain in union with the United Kingdom, Nationalists want a a United ireland. I live in an area that is Unionist and my family are unionists (But that doesn't mean they belong to a party), but Im not unionist, im not really nationlist either. I dont like politics. I am cultural nationlist perhaps.

Anyway don't worry about it! Haha Im sure it's bizarre to someone not from here.

[cacian]

Yes unionists want to remain in union with the United Kingdom, Nationalists want a a United ireland. I live in an area that is Unionist and my family are unionists (But that doesn't mean they belong to a party), but Im not unionist, im not really nationlist either. I dont like politics. I am cultural nationlist perhaps.

Anyway don't worry about it! Haha Im sure it's bizarre to someone not from here.

well I am from London, once we got stopped in the City of London whilst driving through going home.
my ex-husband looks Irish. and so the police stopped and searched the car.
that was weird because he was English and the police English too.
I think it is not bizarre it is unreal. Same people different parties is unreal.

[Calidore]

Good thread idea, Cacian.

The short description of my neighborhood in Chicago would be "melting pot." Albany Park and its zip code (60625) are said to be among the most ethnically diverse in the country. According to Wikipedia, "Although the majority of those foreign-born residents are from Latin America, the majority from Mexico (especially from the state of Michoacán) and Guatemala, substantial numbers are from the Philippines, India, Korea, Cambodia, Somalia, the Former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia), Romania, Pakistan and the Middle East (especially Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon)."

This variety spills over into the surrounding neighborhoods as well. A nearby public high school, Nicholas Senn H.S., was even at one time written up in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most diverse high school in the U.S. According to its current website, 415 of its 1067 students were born outside the U.S., with 55 countries represented. 663 of the students speak a total of 44 languages other than English at home.

Most of the various ethnicities are spread throughout the area, but there are also pockets. Lawrence Avenue, a few blocks south of me, has a large Korean presence. A roughly one-mile stretch of the street was even given the honorary name Seoul Drive. A little further east, in historically German Lincoln Square, you can find taverns, a sausage shop, and even an old-school apothecary. Also located here is the famous Old Town School of Folk Music, where you can buy instruments and hear live music from everywhere.

Further north is Devon Avenue, which even has its own Wikipedia write-up. Quoth them:

"The street has been settled by many immigrant groups, which is perhaps most evident between Kedzie and Ridge Avenues in West Ridge, Chicago. Here, one will encounter concentrations of Orthodox Jews, Assyrian Americans, Russian Americans, Indian Americans, Pakistani Americans, Bangladeshi Americans, and others. Portions of Devon in this area have been renamed in honor of Golda Meir, Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, respectively.

"Devon's Desi corridor is one of the best-known and largest communities of its kind in North America. It exists mainly on Devon between Ravenswood Ave. and California Ave. South Asian shops, restaurants and grocery stores abound along this strip, and it has become a popular tourist destination. Vivek Mukherjee of Rediff.com writes, 'There are similar desi markets in New Jersey, at the famous Oak Tree Road or in the Bay Area, but nothing like Devon Street. [...] Devon Street's sidewalks are even speckled with the paan stains.'"

In addition to the restaurants and groceries mentioned above, you have shops selling saris and other clothing, trinkets and bling, videos, electronics, and what-have-you. The west end of this stretch of Devon then moves into a heavily Orthodox Jewish area. As a result, you'll see Jews and Muslims mixing on the sidewalks and in shops without a hint of strife.

This area's cultural mix-and-match also shows itself in the houses of worship. Just within a few blocks of my house are two Korean churches (one is Presbyterian; not sure about the other), at least two Jewish temples and schools, a Mormon church, and on opposite corners just a few blocks south of me over the river, a Muslim temple and a Romanian Pentecostal church.

Needless to say, if you like eating out, the options just within walking distance are extremely wide-ranging. It's probably best for my weight that I can't afford to do it nearly as much as I'd like.

[Dreamwoven]

I agree its a good thread idea. I'm learning a lot from each post.

Devon Avenue (Chicago) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_Avenue_(Chicago))

Its a big city, but I never knew about this road. But then Chicago (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago) or more accurately Chicagoland has a population of 10 millions, the third largest conglomeration in the USA: I didn't know that either!

[Lemonade]

I live in a small village (1300 inhabitants), in the southern part of the Netherlands, just a skip and a half from the Belgium border. It's build in the years after the war (1956) when housing shortage was a major problem. We don't even have a church any more, that's how quiet the village is. We do have a 'pub' and a tiny grocery store (it's so small, I think it might fit in my living room). The sole reason of existence of our village is the huge sugar factory.
The nearest libraries are inadequate for me (hardly any English books) and a decent book store is at last 45 minutes car ride away from us. However, I love our home, and the quiet sleepiness of the village is exactly why we moved here a little over a year ago.
We have a few small forests around us, lots of farmland and the beach is only a short ride (approx. 30 minutes). If we need to do some big city shopping, there are several large cities we can choose from, in the Netherlands, but also in Germany and Belgium.
9321 9320

[Iain Sparrow]

I live in a small village (1300 inhabitants), in the southern part of the Netherlands, just a skip and a half from the Belgium border. It's build in the years after the war (1956) when housing shortage was a major problem. We don't even have a church any more, that's how quiet the village is. We do have a 'pub' and a tiny grocery store (it's so small, I think it might fit in my living room). The sole reason of existence of our village is the huge sugar factory.
The nearest libraries are inadequate for me (hardly any English books) and a decent book store is at last 45 minutes car ride away from us. However, I love our home, and the quiet sleepiness of the village is exactly why we moved here a little over a year ago.
We have a few small forests around us, lots of farmland and the beach is only a short ride (approx. 30 minutes). If we need to do some big city shopping, there are several large cities we can choose from, in the Netherlands, but also in Germany and Belgium.
9321 9320

Wow, pretty area you live around... but I think after a short while I'd go bonkers and miss the hustle and bustle of the big city.:)

[Iain Sparrow]

haha tu casa es mi casa :D

... and that's about the extent of my spanish, the little of it that I remember from high school.
And I can also tell someone that my shoes are red, and ask for a glass of milk.:)

[Lemonade]

Wow, pretty area you live around... but I think after a short while I'd go bonkers and miss the hustle and bustle of the big city.:)

I used to live in Rotterdam, that was enough hustle and bustle for about the rest of my life. My parents and siblings still live there so plenty of opportunity to go back. A few weeks ago we visited my parents and after that we needed some groceries, so we decided to go to 'our' old supermarket. We both had a headache and were shocked by the behaviour of both customers and staff. And but a few months before we didn't even notice...
And yes, it's really pretty here, I love having so much nature around.

[cacian]

... and that's about the extent of my spanish, the little of it that I remember from high school.
And I can also tell someone that my shoes are red, and ask for a glass of milk.:)

go on then let's put you to the test haha :D
this reminded of an ex whom when I first met said,
the only French he rememberd from school was:
the monkey is on the three.
I laughed and said how useful is that for a sentence.

[Dreamwoven]

Wow, pretty area you live around... but I think after a short while I'd go bonkers and miss the hustle and bustle of the big city.:)

That, of course, is the downside of living in a small village. The sugar factory and the church are closed. But its a beautiful place, I looked it up on the internet. Stampersgat (http://www.idfa.nl/industry/tags/project.aspx?ID=8c846806-af37-46c0-b588-b38cc5603136) is very pretty.

Something similar happened in the village near where we live. One of our two supermarkets are now gone (bankrupt), the church is still there as is the railway station but we all suffer from the same - urbanisation - the flight of capital and people to the cities. The old idyllic days of village schools and shops are gone, while the cities have grown. Left is an old generation of residents, the youngsters move to the town to get work and the night life.

I'm still amazed that each one of us who has contributed to this thread has a different story, and it is very international. The big advantage you have is that from the anywhere in rural pars of the Netherlands its easy to reach big cities, distances are minimal, communications excellent.

[Iain Sparrow]

go on then let's put you to the test haha :D
this reminded of an ex whom when I first met said,
the only French he rememberd from school was:
the monkey is on the three.
I laughed and said how useful is that for a sentence.

I figure I'm not yet comfortable with English as my native tongue, never mind butchering a second language.;)

[Iain Sparrow]

I'm still amazed that each one of us who has contributed to this thread has a different story, and it is very international. The big advantage you have is that from the anywhere in rural pars of the Netherlands its easy to reach big cities, distances are minimal, communications excellent.

In America it's a bit different, we're very regional here.
Where I live now in the Deep South is way different than where I grew up in Southern California. The people, politics, religion, and the landscape is quite diverse from one part of the country to the next. And it's all very spread out... what brings us together as a nation, is McDonald's.:)

[Nick91]

I have to agree with everyone else, great thread!

From somewhere in southern Sweden:

I live in a yellow brick apartment building, three stories high, in a town that left it's glory days in the fifties.
It is a town in the middle; exactly between the two closest towns of note, surounded by water, though none
of it closer than 100 kilometers; and more or less right between the country's two largest cities. If I feel the
need two flee, there is a train station and good, nearly empty (by non-swedish standards) roads.

It is a nice town though, nested at the very foot of a forested hill with a full view east across a valley and into
the sunrise. The earth is black around here, good farming land. On the valley floor are fields criss-crossed
with lush, mosaic hedges and groves of hazel, juniper and birch. On gentle rolling meadows oregano and thyme
grow in abundance, a rarity this far north. Here you can sit in the shadow of a crabapple tree not 500 m from
asphalt and yet feel a hundred years away.

[Dreamwoven]

I would guess Örebro, though that doesn't fit with "surrounded by water, though none of it is closer than 100 km". But all over Sweden there are large and small lakes...

[Lemonade]

That, of course, is the downside of living in a small village. The sugar factory and the church are closed. But its a beautiful place, I looked it up on the internet. Stampersgat (http://www.idfa.nl/industry/tags/project.aspx?ID=8c846806-af37-46c0-b588-b38cc5603136) is very pretty.

Something similar happened in the village near where we live. One of our two supermarkets are now gone (bankrupt), the church is still there as is the railway station but we all suffer from the same - urbanisation - the flight of capital and people to the cities. The old idyllic days of village schools and shops are gone, while the cities have grown. Left is an old generation of residents, the youngsters move to the town to get work and the night life.

I'm still amazed that each one of us who has contributed to this thread has a different story, and it is very international. The big advantage you have is that from the anywhere in rural pars of the Netherlands its easy to reach big cities, distances are minimal, communications excellent.

Actually, the sugar factory is very operational, we can hear it most of the time and in "de bietencampagne", the months the sugar beets are being transported to the factory form all over the country, it's quite busy here. Loads of trucks. I think we're about the only village in the country that have a traffic sign that says: 'Beware of mud on the roads.'.

We did the exact opposite of most people, we moved here, and we're only 29 and 37. We hope to have children and I prefer to raise my children in a village.
We do however, luckily, have a very good school here in our village, people from other village's (who have their own schools) bring their kids to our school.

I love living here, and I wouldn't want to go back to the big city.

[Dreamwoven]

hi Dreamwoven your place sounds lovely I have never been to Sweden it sounds magical.
is old croft the same as a house made of wood?
Yes, it is a small 2-up, 2-down, made of wood using heavy timber for the frame. Painted in red with white trim. A bit like those in google images. And the picture on my avatar.