Bzzzd1's Profile

I agree, mzp. This is all second nature to me too. I have lived in Ireland for 16 years (more than half of my life) and these are commonplace in every home. I've managed to get in quite a bit of travel in that time and I've seen these practices in nearly every country across Europe and in many over Asia and S. America as well. I'd also like to say that many of these tools are available and are used in the United States.

Since I was reared in the States, I remember the convenience of a dryer and I somewhat resent having to hang damp clothing up to dry in a damp house on a damp day. I'm not allowed to hang a line up outside my apartment either, so without a dryer I hang clothes on radiators, in the bathroom over the shower and on the railings. It takes a few days to dry.

I pine for a large refrigerator with a proper sized freezer. The tiny little boxes we get over here barely fit a sandwich.

House construction is poor quality by American standards and poorly insulated so you have creeping damp and mold in drafty houses, no matter how long you leave the heating on. This combined with the huge rates we pay for electricity, gas and heating oil has made the Irish a nation of energy misers. Watch us when we're out of the country though - we'll indulge when the luxuries are available to us.

As for good quality clothing and less of it - isn't this one of the most important and widely known rules of classic style? Anyone I know, anywhere in the world, who is really stylish and put together has a streamlined wardrobe. There are plenty of people in the States who Fit that description.

The one thing I couldn't live without is a kettle - a microwave is no place to make a cup of tea. The electric kettle though uses quite a lot of energy with every boil and compared to a stove top kettle, I'd question it's energy-saving value. I don't question it's tea-making value. They only last a year or two anyway and what's the use in that?