SaffasintheUK

With all the hurdles that you need to overcome when moving to the UK, (thankfully) there is no need to redo your driver’s test.   I spent a short time in Aus and it’s massively nerve-wracking to write your theory and then take your drivers test all over again. It’s an easy swap and you can find my earlier blog about it here , although that was nearly 3 years ago and I do recommend you check if the processes have changed since we arrived. Before swapping your license out, remember 3 key things: you need a valid SA license (not an expired one), you have 12 months to exchange your license, you can do the exchange immediately on arrival, provided you are not on a short-term visa. But once you have your shiny new card license in your hand, here’s the lowdown of driving in the UK, as a newly arrived Saffa: Driving in bad weather is flat out awful, so don't underestimate what it's like to drive when the weather plays up.  In 3 short years, we've slid off the ro...

It’s been nearly 3 years and one thing that still tickles my funny bone is how literal the street names are in this country.   We’ve left behind the world of suburbs with a common theme such as gemstones or African trees, and come to a world where the street names are quite uninspiring but have a real story to tell you. All the regular names such as Church Street, School Lane, Park Lane and so on, all deliver what they promise.   You’ll find a church, school or park right there.   London road actually leads to London.   Even the London Road in Newcastle…if you follow it on the map (and I did this thanks to Google), it takes you along what would have been the old trade route before motorways were built.   So when the road says London, you are certainly going to end up there if you keep going. But that’s fairly simple, I’ve seen some really peculiar street names in this country and now it’s become a game to google either the meaning or the history s...