Is it better to live in the city or the country?
August 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under Restaurants
Living in the country definitely has it’s advantages over city living. Sure, it’s convenient living in the city – being able to go shopping at all hours of the day and night, being surrounded by every kind of restaurant imaginable, and access to reliable public transport. Schools are bigger, and most city schools offer a wider variety of subjects than the smaller country schools can. But really, these benefits don’t even come close to the far superior lifestyle country living has to offer. In New Zealand, even living in the middle of nowhere, you are still no more than a couple of hours drive to a major city and its services. Yet you get to enjoy the quiet life, and have peace, privacy and tranquility. There are no noisy, roaming dogs to contend with, you don’t have to listen to your neighbour’s shocking (and very loud) music, and if the chap down the road wants to mow his lawn at 7 o’clock in the morning it doesn’t bother you, because you can’t hear him.
In the country, the air is fresher – there is no smog. No noisy vehicles, no smokey exhausts, and no sirens from the emergency services attending to car crashes on over-loaded city streets. When you go to the supermarket, it’s straight in and out – no waiting in long queues for what seems like forever; and chances are, you’ll run into someone you know and be able to have a good old chinwag in the middle of the aisle without holding up harrassed, rushing, over-worked professionals. People are more laid-back in the country. They have more time to stop and say hello, and comment on the lovely weather.
On the subject of weather, country people are much more equipped to handle horrible weather than city people are. It’s just not practical for a high-powered professional to come rushing into an immaculate, air-conditioned office, all dripping wet, dressed in full wet-weather gear and gumboots. Country houses usually have a “mud room” where you can kick off wet boots and clothes and get the floor and walls all wet and dirty, and it doesn’t matter – it’s designed for that treatment and is easy to clean. Most city houses are not designed with wet, dirty people in mind.
Animals abound in the country. Having a pet (or several) is one of the best things that I can remember about my childhood, and it’s easier for kids to have pets in the country. Living in the city, it’s just not practical. Some families manage to have a cat and maybe a dog, but apart from a goldfish or a bird, that’s about it. There is nowhere to keep a horse in the city, or lambs or calves….. Growing up with plenty of animals not only teaches children about nature and the circle of life, it also teaches them responsibility and compassion – invaluable qualities to have which will set them up for life.
Living in the city just can’t compare to country living. The pace of life in the city is fast – relentless and frenetic. In the country this isn’t so. Sure, there are busy times, especially for farmers, but generally, the pace of life is slower, there are no traffic jams, and people aren’t rushing to get places to meet deadlines. Just about every face is familiar, and if you need help, everyone around you will ensure that you get it. And, with all the new technology around – like the internet for example, country living isn’t as isolated as it once was, it’s just more peaceful.
Having lived in New Zealands biggest city, and also its farthest-away places, I know for certain where I’d rather be living. The country wins hands-down every time.
When is Fathers Day?
Unlike Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Pay Day, Father’s Day’s place in the calendar is difficult to pinpoint because it changes from year to year – and, indeed, from country to country. You might think that this gives you a legitimate excuse to forget it, but now you’ve found the internet you won’t need an excuse. Getting your perfect personalised Fathers Day Gifts is but a few clicks away.
To be honest, the chances of anyone who lives within 200 miles of western civilisation forgetting Father’s Day are very slim indeed. The early warning sirens will have given you at least a month’s notice. Card shop windows will be prodding you with subtle capitalised slogans, pubs and restaurants will be advising you to “Book now for Father’s Day”, which is nice of them, and even the new page on your calendar will have that telltale little subheading under the date. And that doesn’t take into account the fact that your dad has started being extra nice to you and asking your mum how she enjoyed Mother’s Day.
But say the card shops all closed down, the pubs were banned from advertising, your calendar and diary have fallen behind the fridge and your dad is on a business trip to the moon. Then how will you know when Father’s Day is?
It’s easy. Ever since the first Father’s Day was proposed by Sonora Smart Dodd in the early 1900s, it has been held on the third Sunday in June. So: in 2008 it’s on 15 June;
In 2009 it will be on 21 June; and in 2010 it will be on 20 June.
Now for the complicated bit. Not every nation follows the “third Sunday in June” rule. The ones that do stick with the rule include most of North and South America, a big chunk of Europe plus China, Pakistan, India, South Africa and the Philippines. However, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium use 29 March.
In Germany it always coincides with Ascension Day, which is forty days after Easter and therefore on a Thursday. It’s also called “Men’s Day”, and is not as much of a family day as is the British Father’s Day; indeed, the men (not necessarily fathers, either) often go off into the countryside an engage in what resembles a pub crawl! Fortunately for the German economy, it’s a public holiday.
In Finland, Norway, Sweden and Estonia, Father’s Day is held on the second Sunday of November, but Denmark holds it on 5 June.
Other major exceptions are Brazil (second Sunday in August) and Australia and New Zealand (first Sunday in September), and there is a smattering of other countries’ Father’s Days or their traditional equivalents throughout the year.
So now you know when it is, you are just left with the exceedingly simple task of deciding what Fathers Day Gifts to get for your No. 1 dad. Well, you need look no further than these very pages, because on the internet you’ll find personalised gifts that will show your old man just how much he means to you. We cover all budgets and styles, from gadgets and golf to magical days out. All you need to know is what country you’re in!
