THAT is a really good idea. Unfortunately, this lovely, open and hard-working family doesn’t have a negative story to tell, they don't run the country down and are realistic, but otherwise delightfully hopeful and positive about their life in Britain, they came here to contribute and seem, in general, to have been welcomed with open arms; so I can’t see the BBC being interested.
Speaking as someone UK born and bred, but who has lived both 3 other countries I know that the reason you guys are making a success of your time as expats is because you come with the right attitude - open minded, flexible, wanting to experience different cultures and not to judge. For your kids it will be such a positive experience too and give them a broader outlook for life. Keep up the great content.
Just to say that you and your family have been an absolute gift to this fine country. It’s so wonderful to see my home through your eyes and how much you’ve loved learning about us and our culture. They say we are two nations divided by a common language but I am a better Englishman because of your channel
Hi Mac & Blair. It's been to our nations advantage to have you lovely people in the UK. Your mom is right the kids will be so grateful to you guys for making them way more world wise than many US citizens. Happy new year guys Lee & Christine
Hopefully having a child in the UK will give you both the opportunity of permanent residency. Really love your positivity and how you both articulate your experiences.
Thank you for posting such down to earth, real world info. We are considering moving to the UK in a couple years with two small children and your videos have answered a lot of questions about logistics and how kids handle such a move. Most videos are single people who don’t have that type of issue to handle with kids. This is very comforting to know.
Happy new year and congratulations! Absolutely love watching your videos. As a white British male, married to a black American woman they help me understand how she experiences life in the UK. We live in north wales, so very much enjoyed your visit to Conwy Castle. We’d definitely recommend a family trip to Alton Towers (theme park) And also Cornwall, with its beautiful hidden fishing villages. All the best, Jan & Chris x
Hi I have just watched the 2 year episode and I have an observation , if nobody has pointed this out ,you both seem so happy and much more relaxed than when you first started this journey . I hope this continues and I wish you all the best for year three.
Regarding lamb, British and Irish lamb is pretty highly regarded I would say. I've heard it said that the quality is down to the high quality of grass over here. From Ireland in particular, the grass is said to be slighlty salty from the sea air, which adds a slight saltiness to the lamb meat from them eating it. Plus control over the qualities of meat being more natural ofcourse
Couple of British theme parks- Alton Towers, Drayton Manor, Gullivers World, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventure. Few of those such as Alton Towers and Chessington, it is very common to get 2 for 1 tickets on cereal packets Not a theme park, but places such as Cadbury World and Chester Zoo are fun days out to
We mean Alton Towers. It’s incredible, a theme park and historical buildings/gardens inside. I can recommend some great things around there. It’s the no.1 theme park in the UK and is typical as it’s in the least appropriate place for a theme park but that’s what makes it beautiful. It’s just over the border from Derbyshire in Staffordshire. In between Manchester and Birmingham on the M6
You have such a beautiful family, I am so glad you're enjoying the UK and hope you stay for many more years. I really enjoy your channel, I'm 50 years old, and I'm discovering things about my country through your channel. Keep up the great work and I hope you have a fantastic 2023. 👍
Our country is all the better with you guys being part of it. It's been a pleasure watching your adventures and I look forward to 2023 bringing us more. Have a fantastic year, cheers!
@@MacandBlair it’s refreshing to see a family so positive and enjoying life, your videos cheer me up and more power to your elbow as they say, well done 👍
Fast/processed food in the UK, although still unhealthy is massively more healthy than fast food in the US. Food ingredients are much more tightly regulated and safer in the UK and most of Europe than in the US. I've heard other Americans who've spent time in the UK and other European countries report that they enjoyed exactly the same mostly fast food diet they enjoyed in the US, but lost weight and felt much healthier.
I lived in Canada for a while and eating sliced bread was like eating sugar People get used to is but it isn't good The same brands of food (like Kellogs) have different ingredients in the US and the UK/EU and there's much more sugar, chemicals and corn starch
So pleased that you are enjoying being here. I do wonder if you find the religious thing is different. We do have religious people but they mostly take the view it is private. So many comments on IG, Facebook etc are full of religious comments.
I don’t know how your video popped up in my feed but I’m so glad it did! Going to subscribe just love your content your children are going to be so well traveled and well adjusted and will be able to make friends all over the world, you are exposing them to so many different cultures they will be more flexible and tolerant as adults.
I didn’t realise that you guys were still here. I think it’s brilliant that you all have immersed yourselves in our country and culture. I’m so glad your beautiful family has been here, arguably, through the darkest days, since the Second World War. We’ve not been at our best, but hopefully things will improve!
@JH did you actually live through the 1970s with 3 day week and industrial strife way worse than this, power cuts etc with food shortages and rubbish piling up. How dour and drab everything was followed by 1980s with the added bonus of mass unemployment, which Boys from the Black stuff brilliantly portrayed the hopelessness of it all. I think people need demonstrate more perspective. I know you said since the Second World but please remember people were dying daily by the thousand in the military and civilians having with bombs falling on their houses so again nothing that is happening now is even in the same stratosphere.
@@neilboulton9813 I did live through the seventies, I remember the lights going out without warning and having to scurry around looking for candles as we didn’t have torches. I was living in South Manchester in the early eighties and was made redundant in 1983 because of Thatcherite policies. Had to relocate to London to get a job and never went back. It’s funny that you say how dour and drab things were. I agree! I look back on that time and my memory shows just bleak and rainy days. I’m sure that wasn’t the case, but that’s how I remember it.
HNY to the whole family! 😀 You've really dived into the British way of life, & experienced a lot our great little country has to offer, as well as adding your own hopes, views, & thoughts to our national 'conversation'! It's great to have you here, stay as long as you like! 😀
The BBC license fee is like your contribution to PBS in the USA, except that it’s mandatory if you own a tv set. Its a lot less than a US cable charge and, for it, you get several tv channels and radio stations without interruption by advertising. Competition from the BBC raises the overall standard of British broadcasting. As a British person living in America, the BBC is one of the things I miss most.
The TV license is primarily aimed at the BBC, which is the main UK channel. Funded by the people, it also keeps the channel free from all advertising. The only advertising on the BBC is briefly inbetween shows and just advertise other BBC shows. Theres no ad breaks during their shows, unless its a live show with a planned interlude like half time during football matches
heres a different take on what you said. the BBC also sells all of its content to different countries all over the world, it also sells its content to netflix, so we brits pay for tv show to be filmed then the bbc sells it to netflix and its behind a paywall. i agree with mac, the BBC and the tv license is one of the most backward, outdated and unjust things in the UK. the BBC should be scrapped. PS i would love somebody to explain why i have to pay a tax, to fund a worldwide radio station where 99% of its users are not even british and dont fund it.
@@robinhooduk8255 The world service used to be funded by the government. But the Tory government decided to impose the costs onto the BBC. Same thing with collecting the licence fee. Again the Tory government imposed a percentage of programs on the BBC that must be produced by other T.V. companies. So the BBC also hires out studios and production facilities to other companies.
They have product placement and also advertise their own shows in between shows. Granted not as annoying but I would prefer the choice of subscribing to the BBC or not. Not forced to through non legal threats. They have pissed off the younger generation with this and it is only a matter of time before it dies due to their own incompetance.
Many European countries also have a TV licence scheme to fund public broadcasting and the British one is not the most expensive. The ones that don't have a license per se are funded by general taxation. For example Austria has a separate TV and Radio licences with €334 for TV and €90 for radio per annum. TV in Denmark is €257; Germany €220; Switzerland €331; Ireland €160 per annum.
Great channel 👍 Your easy going, respectful attitude is why you never feel unwelcome in Britain I think. Hope you make it to our stunning south west soon...Cotswolds, Dorset,Devon and Cornwall. You mentioned horses...if any of you are involved with horse riding you won't ever regret it. Such a fabulous thing to do. 👌👌
Happy New Year, Mac, Blair and kids. We are so lucky that you chose our humble little country to call home. I'm in Lancashire, so it's so nice to hear you talk about your home in the Northern part of the country. It's also nice to be able to watch a wholesome, no agenda, easy watching channel with a nice family just being a nice family. Love you guys.
Hiring a barge/boat on the Norfolk broads or lochs in Scotland are great UK holidays. Travelling on a boat with just your family and stopping off at different locations is such a great holiday. The scenery on both holidays was amazing. I also loved mooring up in the evening and eating at different pubs/ restaurants at the side of the lochs in Scotland or the Norfolk broads 👍🏻. In summer with and open air area or sliding canopy is a must. Love this channel 👍🏻
I feel that you and Blair are level headed and intelligent.... it makes adjustment easier. The most important thing is family and health, anything else can be overcome. I hope you stick around a while, you are a benefit to not only the UK, but in a way an example of a grounded thoughtful USA family, which sometimes we struggle to see from afar. I hope you and the rest of the family have a great 2023, and tell Blair to keep shining
Someone suggested Beamish but there is also the Black Country Museum near Dudley. It is similar to Beamish and is a living museum set in the Victorian times. Well worth a visit. I understand your liking for the Nortumbria coast as it's one of my favourite places. I love Bamburgh Castle and the Farne Isles during the bird breeding season.
I was worried that you were going to leave us! Really enjoy your videos and views, looking forward to more next year, you have a ot happening, thanks to Blairs surprise announcement Happy New Year!
County shows are great for absorbing the British Culture, which was a sensitive way to see and feel the country. A wonderful education for your children. If you have time visit some of the cathedrals. Also, if can again visit Iron Bridge where the Industrial Revolution kicked off.
love watching your videos, its refreshing ,wish more people had your take on life, hope you enjoy all of your stay in this country and you are right what you say about the uk people. we need to get out and experience our own country alot more, you have properly seen more of the uk then i have and im 71 and lived here all my live . best wishes for you and your family.
As a Brit that lives in the US, the choice thing is so subjective, depending on where you live in the US, i.e., here in Minneapolis, we have very little fast food, for instance, no KFCs in the city or close-ring suburbs. In the UK, you have many UK products and our version of fast food, i.e., fish and chips, kebabs and Indian, etc. There aren't as many "drive-thru" options in the UK, it's all about the way cities are laid out, and walkability, if that makes sense. It's a different mindset. You have to rethink how you get fast food in the UK, whereas you are more accustomed to the car-centric, drive-up experience, maybe? It can also be because of the more rural setting in which you reside?
What effects will the diminishing number of doctors ( some retiring early, some new doctors emigrating because they are overworked and stressed working in the nhs , some going into part time work, not enough newly qualified doctors etc ), more funding cuts in the nhs, increasing demands on the health service etc have on the waiting times in emergency departments and for routine operations? How about the state of the railways? When will signalling problems, points failures, power failures etc be fixed so that passengers can get to work on time? Do you see train fares continuing to go up and up or will they come into line with the fares of mainland Europe? How long will upgrade works on the railways during peak holiday seasons when people want to travel take to complete this so called "upgrade works". If some upgrade works have been completed then how comes the problems of signal failures, power failures, points failures etc still occur leading to delays for the passengers or complete closures of the railway line? What are they upgrading on the railways? How about the state of the highways? Why are there always traffic jams, roadworks, road closures everyday on the roads? This means longer and longer commuting times which eats into the quality of life, surely? Also I have read that to add to commuting misery, 20 mph ( 32 kmph in real money) speed restrictions will be introduced on all major roads in cities. Surely this will mean even longer commute times to and from work. It begs the question, what effects will this have on work/life balance??? Also there's going to be more "funding cuts" from the government to the local governments due to rising levels of national debts ( poverty ). Do you suspect that the local governments will then have to find more ways of finding money from other sources such as increased parking fees, more speed cameras, more motor offence fines, more and more areas of "clean air zones" where a charge is levied on the motorist to enter a certain zone in the interest of reducing air pollution? How do you feel about the increasing levels of obesity , how will this impact the ailing health service? Have you read up about the latest bulletins from UK hospitals about how emergency department are declaring critical situations? The answers 1. Things are set to get worse in the next decade re health services, rail transport, road infrastructure, obesity levels...etc Or 2. Things will look a lot rosier this year and even better the following year. We will have jam tomorrow. What's your opinion option 1 or option 2?
The comment about Devon made me think. The southwest in my opinion is blessed with so much beauty. All of England is lovely as you know. But the southwest is amazing. Devon and Cornwall are stunning with beautiful coastlines and mountains, towns and villages. But then so are Somerset and Gloucester (ditto for Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire). Bath is an amazingly beautiful town, with its creamy coloured bath stone buildings and houses. There’s Warwick Castle and Shakespeare country with Stratford. Bristol is a smaller city to explore and on and on. . .
Omg congratulations guys!!! Sooo excited for you both and to follow your journey! Love seeing how you find NHS for your pregnancy...it's a breeze to be honest. Sooo happy for you both! Congratulations!! A new British baby! 😊
Yours is a really interesting,intelligent and enjoyable review of a different culture, and I wish more people coming to live here were like you. Thank you, and please stay.
I live in Brighton but moved from oxford , been watching for a while, great channel, and a family to be proud of, well done ! Happy new year from me and my family !
Comic Relief is a charity that has a tv marathon every 2 years. They raise money for people in the U.K. and South Africa. It's due to be aired this year.
Fully agree on the information, when I’m in another country it fascinates me to see how brits and our cultures are viewed. I then like to prove them wrong if it’s whacky, doesn’t often work but is good fun.
Love your family and content, I’ve not watched for a while and I’m so glad I chose this one. It only seems a short time since you put out your first video. I’m so glad to see you have settled so well.
Love your family . Thank you so much for sharing your journey. This vid was fantastic loved it. Congrats on your new addition to be . I look forward to more wonderful vids and vlogs with your wonderful family ❤️❤️❤️😍😍😍👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
Hi,I saw you in Westfield shopping mall in London, you were below on the ground floor and i was above so couldn't shout down as it was so busy but would have said hello,hope your still enjoying your stay in England👍🏴,didn't realise how tall you are lol.
It is well worth visiting the Museum of Welsh life situated on the outskirts of Cardiff. There are buildings and dwellings spanning hundreds of years which have been erected and furnished on site. It is. National Museum so entry is free.
The chicken didn't taste the same because your British now, give in lol.. so glad you love the U.K. it's so nice to hear, come back to Edinburgh, it's my city and I'm so proud you all liked it.. 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Have you guy's been to Brighton yet? Great shopping,weird pebble beach. But an awesome Victorian seaside town. It has a very 'Bo,No vibe. A neat hotel to book into is the Legend Hotel on the sea front. My wife, ' Fiona' and I loved it. A great weekend get away.
You have to go to Alton Towers theme park and stay at the hotel the kids will love it and they open the theme park and hour before it opens to the public to customers who stay at the hotel so you get to go on loads of rides. It’s the best one I’ve been to and I’ve been to at least 4 or 5 here. The rides are awesome.
Love your videos, definitely agree with Alton Towers (a right of passage as a child) also Cornwall is so beautiful especially in Summer but gets very busy in the holidays, the m5 is a nightmare on bank holidays. Padstow, Newquay, Trevone, Boscastle and the Eden Project, some of my favourites down there.
Massive congratulations to you all. What lovely news to start the year. A great day out for the family would be Beamish near Durham, it’s more a living history museum than a theme park. There are different areas focusing on different periods from the past couple of hundred years and what life was like for people and how they lived.
That is an awesome video I'm actually planning on moving to London England and the United Kingdom myself all the way from Mercedes Texas in the Rio Grande valley in the states I have been doing my research on England and the UK and learning in history I have a strong love for the country
You are exactly what this country needs, intelligent, hard working people who absorb into British life and Culture. Long may your stay be welcomed here.
The TV license fee is to ensure the BBC (primarily) can be ad free and provide a public service with a variety of programmes an ad-based broadcaster and streaming services wouldn’t see as good business sense. It basically gives the BBC a lot of creative freedom because they don’t need to chase ratings or anything, so if you compare what the BBC provides daily (on radio and TV) compared to PBS or HBO etc, it’s night and day.
Hi Guys, 'Happy New Year'! Was good to hear Blair speaking to her Mom, excellent to hear that the kids are doing so well at school, and have made so many friends. Have the kids srarted calling Blair 'Mum' yet? lol. Take care and enjoy 2023 x
Yes guys you love it here ,come from BELGIUM live in uk for 30 yrs now .I love my fishing hobby met really good friends,every job I had always help you ,not going back and yes I love Royal familie .you can say I am British true and True ,I always thank ENGLAND for letting me live here,God bless
New to your channel and have subscribed. I really enjoyed your answers to the questions. You seem a really well balanced and thoughtful couple. I would guess that you're good parents and make wonderful and loyal friends. Good luck with the channel and I hope you get more followers. The usual toxic world of social media could do with more people like you two.
I've thoroughly enjoyed watching you experience the UK, and elsewhere. You've been to places and events I never have, although I've lived here all my life. I think that sometimes it takes an outsider to show you what's on your doorstep.This applies to people coming from other areas of the country. My wife had never seen HMS Victory despite being born in Portsmouth, I had been there when I moved down here from Liverpool so I was showing her round. In October some friends of mine from Indiana came to stay with us for a week and we showed them round lots of places we hadn't been to in years. You are a much welcome addition to the country, the problem maybe if you become too British and use our sense of humour when you're back in the US.😂
Thank you for another great vlog and may I wish you both (and your lovely children) a very Happy New Year. Congratulations on your baby news exciting days ahead for you all. x
Hey guys. Happy 2023 to you both. Love your videos. Mac some of my first memories were summers at my family holiday home at Bulmer (not far from Lindisfarne) and playing on the beaches around Seahouses, Bamburgh and Beadnell. If the weather is good the beaches were great as a kid with miles of beaches and loads of rock pools to check out.
The TV tax or license is historical. In the 1950's we only had the BBC and the tax paid for programmes. Then commercial TV came along but we still paid for BBC. Now in 2023 we have so many stations and internet stations, streaming, most people are against the license and i think it could be abolished as the BBC is no longer apolitical. Try going to Cornwall and the Eden Centre, there are lines there and its fascinating visit.
Oh! Did I understand correctly??? How exciting to grow your family!!! Lovely video, so great to hear your thoughts. Thanks for answering my question! Happy New Year! And PS tea without milk it totally legit don’t worry! Lots of people take it black or with a slice of lemon!
If you go to Nottingham, visit Warhammer World. As your boys get older could be cool for them to get in to. My son enjoys the building and painting of the minis
Yes! Lamb. The weird thing is living in Wales a lot of the lamb comes from elsewhere - because we export all ours to the Greeks and people as it is their favorite. I just keep trying to convert people not to plaster every lamb meal with mint sauce, as Rosemary is a much better taste for that meat, and it is so easy to grow if you want your own bush.
Love you guys. Both of you are soo uplifting. Thoroughly enjoy listing to you both. Soo pleasant! Thoroughly enjoyed! Theme parks are like Alton towers and Legoland Windsor. Please visit Windsor and Eaton while your there and the castle. Will love seeing that! 😊
You should approach the BBC and offer to make a series about the UK as seen through your eyes.
That sounds like an awesome idea...👍🏾
@@MacandBlair 'American farmers in the UK' is a hook I don't think I've seen before... go for it!
THAT is a really good idea. Unfortunately, this lovely, open and hard-working family doesn’t have a negative story to tell, they don't run the country down and are realistic, but otherwise delightfully hopeful and positive about their life in Britain, they came here to contribute and seem, in general, to have been welcomed with open arms; so I can’t see the BBC being interested.
What you do is, make the video, do some cool editing, then approach UK channels to sell it.
BBC Country file comes to mind
Speaking as someone UK born and bred, but who has lived both 3 other countries I know that the reason you guys are making a success of your time as expats is because you come with the right attitude - open minded, flexible, wanting to experience different cultures and not to judge. For your kids it will be such a positive experience too and give them a broader outlook for life. Keep up the great content.
Just to say that you and your family have been an absolute gift to this fine country. It’s so wonderful to see my home through your eyes and how much you’ve loved learning about us and our culture. They say we are two nations divided by a common language but I am a better Englishman because of your channel
Wow... thank you. It helps to know that we are having some impact in the world.
Hi Mac & Blair.
It's been to our nations advantage to have you lovely people in the UK.
Your mom is right the kids will be so grateful to you guys for making them way more world wise than many US citizens.
Happy new year guys
Lee & Christine
Hopefully having a child in the UK will give you both the opportunity of permanent residency. Really love your positivity and how you both articulate your experiences.
Thank you for posting such down to earth, real world info. We are considering moving to the UK in a couple years with two small children and your videos have answered a lot of questions about logistics and how kids handle such a move. Most videos are single people who don’t have that type of issue to handle with kids. This is very comforting to know.
Glad to help
Happy new year and congratulations!
Absolutely love watching your videos. As a white British male, married to a black American woman they help me understand how she experiences life in the UK.
We live in north wales, so very much enjoyed your visit to Conwy Castle.
We’d definitely recommend a family trip to Alton Towers (theme park)
And also Cornwall, with its beautiful hidden fishing villages.
All the best,
Jan & Chris x
Hi I have just watched the 2 year episode and I have an observation , if nobody has pointed this out ,you both seem so happy and much more relaxed than when you first started this journey .
I hope this continues and I wish you all the best for year three.
Plans for a new baby. That's awesome. That child is already blessed having such genuine loving parents. All the best to you and your family.
Hello Staffordshire Lass. Good name and promoting the creative county of Staffordshire.
😀
I think the country and the planet Earth are truly way over-populated as it is.
Regarding lamb, British and Irish lamb is pretty highly regarded I would say. I've heard it said that the quality is down to the high quality of grass over here. From Ireland in particular, the grass is said to be slighlty salty from the sea air, which adds a slight saltiness to the lamb meat from them eating it. Plus control over the qualities of meat being more natural ofcourse
Couple of British theme parks- Alton Towers, Drayton Manor, Gullivers World, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventure. Few of those such as Alton Towers and Chessington, it is very common to get 2 for 1 tickets on cereal packets
Not a theme park, but places such as Cadbury World and Chester Zoo are fun days out to
We mean Alton Towers. It’s incredible, a theme park and historical buildings/gardens inside. I can recommend some great things around there. It’s the no.1 theme park in the UK and is typical as it’s in the least appropriate place for a theme park but that’s what makes it beautiful. It’s just over the border from Derbyshire in Staffordshire. In between Manchester and Birmingham on the M6
yea alton towers or thorpe park places like that
You have such a beautiful family, I am so glad you're enjoying the UK and hope you stay for many more years. I really enjoy your channel, I'm 50 years old, and I'm discovering things about my country through your channel.
Keep up the great work and I hope you have a fantastic 2023. 👍
Thank you so much!
Our country is all the better with you guys being part of it. It's been a pleasure watching your adventures and I look forward to 2023 bringing us more. Have a fantastic year, cheers!
I just love this families attitudes to everything, so funny and refreshing, your family is a great benefit to the uk.
Thanks so much
@@MacandBlair it’s refreshing to see a family so positive and enjoying life, your videos cheer me up and more power to your elbow as they say, well done 👍
Fast/processed food in the UK, although still unhealthy is massively more healthy than fast food in the US. Food ingredients are much more tightly regulated and safer in the UK and most of Europe than in the US. I've heard other Americans who've spent time in the UK and other European countries report that they enjoyed exactly the same mostly fast food diet they enjoyed in the US, but lost weight and felt much healthier.
I lived in Canada for a while and eating sliced bread was like eating sugar People get used to is but it isn't good The same brands of food (like Kellogs) have different ingredients in the US and the UK/EU and there's much more sugar, chemicals and corn starch
In the US MaccyD’s fries have 49 ingredients oil, salt, potatoes plus 46 chemicals. Everywhere else it’s 3, potatoes, oil and salt!
So pleased that you are enjoying being here. I do wonder if you find the religious thing is different. We do have religious people but they mostly take the view it is private. So many comments on IG, Facebook etc are full of religious comments.
I don’t know how your video popped up in my feed but I’m so glad it did! Going to subscribe just love your content
your children are going to be so well traveled and well adjusted and will be able to make friends all over the world, you are exposing them to so many different cultures they will be more flexible and tolerant as adults.
I didn’t realise that you guys were still here. I think it’s brilliant that you all have immersed yourselves in our country and culture. I’m so glad your beautiful family has been here, arguably, through the darkest days, since the Second World War. We’ve not been at our best, but hopefully things will improve!
@JH did you actually live through the 1970s with 3 day week and industrial strife way worse than this, power cuts etc with food shortages and rubbish piling up. How dour and drab everything was followed by 1980s with the added bonus of mass unemployment, which Boys from the Black stuff brilliantly portrayed the hopelessness of it all. I think people need demonstrate more perspective. I know you said since the Second World but please remember people were dying daily by the thousand in the military and civilians having with bombs falling on their houses so again nothing that is happening now is even in the same stratosphere.
@@neilboulton9813 I did live through the seventies, I remember the lights going out without warning and having to scurry around looking for candles as we didn’t have torches. I was living in South Manchester in the early eighties and was made redundant in 1983 because of Thatcherite policies. Had to relocate to London to get a job and never went back. It’s funny that you say how dour and drab things were. I agree! I look back on that time and my memory shows just bleak and rainy days. I’m sure that wasn’t the case, but that’s how I remember it.
You are truly lovely people, we have been enriched to have you here experiencing a new culture with such a positive take on your experiences 👍
HNY to the whole family! 😀
You've really dived into the British way of life, & experienced a lot our great little country has to offer, as well as adding your own hopes, views, & thoughts to our national 'conversation'!
It's great to have you here, stay as long as you like! 😀
The BBC license fee is like your contribution to PBS in the USA, except that it’s mandatory if you own a tv set. Its a lot less than a US cable charge and, for it, you get several tv channels and radio stations without interruption by advertising. Competition from the BBC raises the overall standard of British broadcasting. As a British person living in America, the BBC is one of the things I miss most.
Thanks for your insights.
Get yourself Britbox for 7 dollars a month or a VPN and then iplayer
The TV license is primarily aimed at the BBC, which is the main UK channel. Funded by the people, it also keeps the channel free from all advertising. The only advertising on the BBC is briefly inbetween shows and just advertise other BBC shows. Theres no ad breaks during their shows, unless its a live show with a planned interlude like half time during football matches
also ad free radio stations which people seem to forget including the World Service.
heres a different take on what you said. the BBC also sells all of its content to different countries all over the world, it also sells its content to netflix, so we brits pay for tv show to be filmed then the bbc sells it to netflix and its behind a paywall.
i agree with mac, the BBC and the tv license is one of the most backward, outdated and unjust things in the UK. the BBC should be scrapped.
PS i would love somebody to explain why i have to pay a tax, to fund a worldwide radio station where 99% of its users are not even british and dont fund it.
@@robinhooduk8255 The world service used to be funded by the government. But the Tory government decided to impose the costs onto the BBC. Same thing with collecting the licence fee.
Again the Tory government imposed a percentage of programs on the BBC that must be produced by other T.V. companies. So the BBC also hires out studios and production facilities to other companies.
They have product placement and also advertise their own shows in between shows. Granted not as annoying but I would prefer the choice of subscribing to the BBC or not. Not forced to through non legal threats. They have pissed off the younger generation with this and it is only a matter of time before it dies due to their own incompetance.
Many European countries also have a TV licence scheme to fund public broadcasting and the British one is not the most expensive. The ones that don't have a license per se are funded by general taxation. For example Austria has a separate TV and Radio licences with €334 for TV and €90 for radio per annum. TV in Denmark is €257; Germany €220; Switzerland €331; Ireland €160 per annum.
Great channel 👍 Your easy going, respectful attitude is why you never feel unwelcome in Britain I think.
Hope you make it to our stunning south west soon...Cotswolds, Dorset,Devon and Cornwall.
You mentioned horses...if any of you are involved with horse riding you won't ever regret it. Such a fabulous thing to do.
👌👌
Hi Guys....... you seem like lovely people and are very welcome in old Blighty
Such a beautiful family and such a privilege to be able to share some part of your journey with you. Thank you xx ❤️
We are so lucky to have you! Delighted that you're planning to stay and expand xxxx
We have lived in the North East of Scotland for twenty years... Well worth a visit...
Happy New Year and a very big congratulations on the new baby.
Thank you so much!
Happy New Year, Mac, Blair and kids. We are so lucky that you chose our humble little country to call home. I'm in Lancashire, so it's so nice to hear you talk about your home in the Northern part of the country. It's also nice to be able to watch a wholesome, no agenda, easy watching channel with a nice family just being a nice family. Love you guys.
It's great that you're encouraging intellectual curiousity in your children and interest in learning about the world.
I try
Hiring a barge/boat on the Norfolk broads or lochs in Scotland are great UK holidays. Travelling on a boat with just your family and stopping off at different locations is such a great holiday. The scenery on both holidays was amazing. I also loved mooring up in the evening and eating at different pubs/ restaurants at the side of the lochs in Scotland or the Norfolk broads 👍🏻. In summer with and open air area or sliding canopy is a must. Love this channel 👍🏻
Here's to another two years Mac, Good having you mate. All the best to you and yours
Thank you kindly
I feel that you and Blair are level headed and intelligent.... it makes adjustment easier.
The most important thing is family and health, anything else can be overcome.
I hope you stick around a while, you are a benefit to not only the UK, but in a way an example of a grounded thoughtful USA family, which sometimes we struggle to see from afar.
I hope you and the rest of the family have a great 2023, and tell Blair to keep shining
so lucky to have you here. Beautiful family
Someone suggested Beamish but there is also the Black Country Museum near Dudley. It is similar to Beamish and is a living museum set in the Victorian times. Well worth a visit. I understand your liking for the Nortumbria coast as it's one of my favourite places. I love Bamburgh Castle and the Farne Isles during the bird breeding season.
Happy New year to you all your family.
I was worried that you were going to leave us!
Really enjoy your videos and views, looking forward to more next year, you have a ot happening, thanks to Blairs surprise announcement
Happy New Year!
County shows are great for absorbing the British Culture, which was a sensitive way to see and feel the country. A wonderful education for your children. If you have time visit some of the cathedrals. Also, if can again visit Iron Bridge where the Industrial Revolution kicked off.
Many congrats on having a new baby!! x 😀
Thank you!! 😊
love watching your videos, its refreshing ,wish more people had your take on life, hope you enjoy all of your stay in this country and you are right what you say about the uk people. we need to get out and experience our own country alot more, you have properly seen more of the uk then i have and im 71 and lived here all my live . best wishes for you and your family.
As a Brit that lives in the US, the choice thing is so subjective, depending on where you live in the US, i.e., here in Minneapolis, we have very little fast food, for instance, no KFCs in the city or close-ring suburbs. In the UK, you have many UK products and our version of fast food, i.e., fish and chips, kebabs and Indian, etc. There aren't as many "drive-thru" options in the UK, it's all about the way cities are laid out, and walkability, if that makes sense. It's a different mindset. You have to rethink how you get fast food in the UK, whereas you are more accustomed to the car-centric, drive-up experience, maybe? It can also be because of the more rural setting in which you reside?
What effects will the diminishing number of doctors ( some retiring early, some new doctors emigrating because they are overworked and stressed working in the nhs , some going into part time work, not enough newly qualified doctors etc ), more funding cuts in the nhs, increasing demands on the health service etc have on the waiting times in emergency departments and for routine operations?
How about the state of the railways? When will signalling problems, points failures, power failures etc be fixed so that passengers can get to work on time? Do you see train fares continuing to go up and up or will they come into line with the fares of mainland Europe? How long will upgrade works on the railways during peak holiday seasons when people want to travel take to complete this so called "upgrade works". If some upgrade works have been completed then how comes the problems of signal failures, power failures, points failures etc still occur leading to delays for the passengers or complete closures of the railway line? What are they upgrading on the railways?
How about the state of the highways? Why are there always traffic jams, roadworks, road closures everyday on the roads? This means longer and longer commuting times which eats into the quality of life, surely?
Also I have read that to add to commuting misery, 20 mph ( 32 kmph in real money) speed restrictions will be introduced on all major roads in cities. Surely this will mean even longer commute times to and from work. It begs the question, what effects will this have on work/life balance???
Also there's going to be more "funding cuts" from the government to the local governments due to rising levels of national debts ( poverty ). Do you suspect that the local governments will then have to find more ways of finding money from other sources such as increased parking fees, more speed cameras, more motor offence fines, more and more areas of "clean air zones" where a charge is levied on the motorist to enter a certain zone in the interest of reducing air pollution?
How do you feel about the increasing levels of obesity , how will this impact the ailing health service?
Have you read up about the latest bulletins from UK hospitals about how emergency department are declaring critical situations?
The answers
1. Things are set to get worse in the next decade re health services, rail transport, road infrastructure, obesity levels...etc
Or
2. Things will look a lot rosier this year and even better the following year. We will have jam tomorrow.
What's your opinion option 1 or option 2?
Congratulations you two! I hope 2023 brings you everything you want in life, you work hard enough to achieve it
The comment about Devon made me think. The southwest in my opinion is blessed with so much beauty. All of England is lovely as you know. But the southwest is amazing. Devon and Cornwall are stunning with beautiful coastlines and mountains, towns and villages. But then so are Somerset and Gloucester (ditto for Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire).
Bath is an amazingly beautiful town, with its creamy coloured bath stone buildings and houses. There’s Warwick Castle and Shakespeare country with Stratford. Bristol is a smaller city to explore and on and on. . .
Omg congratulations guys!!! Sooo excited for you both and to follow your journey! Love seeing how you find NHS for your pregnancy...it's a breeze to be honest. Sooo happy for you both! Congratulations!! A new British baby! 😊
🙂
You both inspire me to spend a lot more time out of doors, and seeing new places. Thanks!
And a very happy new year to you and your family! All the best for the New Year 🎊🎉
Yours is a really interesting,intelligent and enjoyable review of a different culture, and I wish more people coming to live here were like you. Thank you, and please stay.
You have embraced British culture and the British people have embraced you.
Happy New Year’s Day to you Mac , Blair and your family❤🇺🇸
I live in Brighton but moved from oxford , been watching for a while, great channel, and a family to be proud of, well done !
Happy new year from me and my family !
Awesome! Thank you!
Comic Relief is a charity that has a tv marathon every 2 years. They raise money for people in the U.K. and South Africa. It's due to be aired this year.
Thanks for the great videos so far and looking forward to many new ones. Happy new year to you all.
Yay for choosing Brum as your city of choice if you had too.
Congratulations. Good luck with your future adventures in the UK and elsewhere.
Loving that you're discovering country shows. Great days out
Fully agree on the information, when I’m in another country it fascinates me to see how brits and our cultures are viewed. I then like to prove them wrong if it’s whacky, doesn’t often work but is good fun.
Love your family and content, I’ve not watched for a while and I’m so glad I chose this one. It only seems a short time since you put out your first video. I’m so glad to see you have settled so well.
Thank you so much!
Love your family . Thank you so much for sharing your journey. This vid was fantastic loved it. Congrats on your new addition to be . I look forward to more wonderful vids and vlogs with your wonderful family ❤️❤️❤️😍😍😍👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
Thank you so much!!
Hi,I saw you in Westfield shopping mall in London, you were below on the ground floor and i was above so couldn't shout down as it was so busy but would have said hello,hope your still enjoying your stay in England👍🏴,didn't realise how tall you are lol.
It is well worth visiting the Museum of Welsh life situated on the outskirts of Cardiff. There are buildings and dwellings spanning hundreds of years which have been erected and furnished on site. It is. National Museum so entry is free.
Thanks for the recommendations!
The chicken didn't taste the same because your British now, give in lol.. so glad you love the U.K. it's so nice to hear, come back to Edinburgh, it's my city and I'm so proud you all liked it.. 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Congratulations on becoming parents again I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to stay another year xx
Have you guy's been to Brighton yet? Great shopping,weird pebble beach. But an awesome Victorian seaside town. It has a very 'Bo,No vibe. A neat hotel to book into is the Legend Hotel on the sea front. My wife, ' Fiona' and I loved it. A great weekend get away.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Have a lovely new year and I hope you stay for many years to come.
Happy New Year beautiful people 💖 Thank you for answering my questions 😊
You are so welcome!
You have to go to Alton Towers theme park and stay at the hotel the kids will love it and they open the theme park and hour before it opens to the public to customers who stay at the hotel so you get to go on loads of rides. It’s the best one I’ve been to and I’ve been to at least 4 or 5 here. The rides are awesome.
You are a lovely family and a credit to the UK. Best wishes for the new year
Great video you guys are just a amazing couple really enjoyed your content over the years hope you have a fantastic new year 😎👍❤️
Love your videos, definitely agree with Alton Towers (a right of passage as a child) also Cornwall is so beautiful especially in Summer but gets very busy in the holidays, the m5 is a nightmare on bank holidays. Padstow, Newquay, Trevone, Boscastle and the Eden Project, some of my favourites down there.
Massive congratulations to you all. What lovely news to start the year.
A great day out for the family would be Beamish near Durham, it’s more a living history museum than a theme park. There are different areas focusing on different periods from the past couple of hundred years and what life was like for people and how they lived.
That sounds great thanks for the recommendation!
That is an awesome video I'm actually planning on moving to London England and the United Kingdom myself all the way from Mercedes Texas in the Rio Grande valley in the states I have been doing my research on England and the UK and learning in history I have a strong love for the country
I'm from the Valley, Roma. I've lived in the UK for 3 months. I want to move back. I encourage you to go ahead and do it!
@@PrissyPoodle1922 thank you so much but I decided that I'm going to be staying in the United States especially here in the state of Texas
Congratulations to you both! I've no need to say you'll make great parents because we already know you are! Fantastic news x
You are exactly what this country needs, intelligent, hard working people who absorb into British life and Culture. Long may your stay be welcomed here.
Congratulations! An English child!
The TV license fee is to ensure the BBC (primarily) can be ad free and provide a public service with a variety of programmes an ad-based broadcaster and streaming services wouldn’t see as good business sense. It basically gives the BBC a lot of creative freedom because they don’t need to chase ratings or anything, so if you compare what the BBC provides daily (on radio and TV) compared to PBS or HBO etc, it’s night and day.
Hi Guys, 'Happy New Year'! Was good to hear Blair speaking to her Mom, excellent to hear that the kids are doing so well at school, and have made so many friends. Have the kids srarted calling Blair 'Mum' yet? lol. Take care and enjoy 2023 x
Happy new year! I am not sure if the kids call Blair mum... I will have to test it.
I am from the midlands I call my Mom, Mom as opposed to mum. difficult to find cards with it on even though quite common in the west mids.
Happy New Year! 🎉 ✨ Fellow Brit 😄
Wow Americans who can pronounce Leicester! You guys are really going all the way!
Lancashire cheese is supposed to be good. Oh and congratulations for the future new arrival.
I was wondering why you liked the county shows so much...only today did I find out you are a farmer. It all makes sense now!
Just loved this Q & A thank you
Yes guys you love it here ,come from BELGIUM live in uk for 30 yrs now .I love my fishing hobby met really good friends,every job I had always help you ,not going back and yes I love
Royal familie .you can say I am British true and True ,I always thank ENGLAND for letting me live here,God bless
Happy New Year. Your great and so is your channel! Onwards and upwards!
The Notting Hill carnival in London is on two days and the first day is traditionally for children. Of course, you can take children!
Congratulations! Amazing news on the addition to your family, wishing you all health and happiness into this new year
New to your channel and have subscribed. I really enjoyed your answers to the questions. You seem a really well balanced and thoughtful couple. I would guess that you're good parents and make wonderful and loyal friends. Good luck with the channel and I hope you get more followers. The usual toxic world of social media could do with more people like you two.
I've thoroughly enjoyed watching you experience the UK, and elsewhere. You've been to places and events I never have, although I've lived here all my life.
I think that sometimes it takes an outsider to show you what's on your doorstep.This applies to people coming from other areas of the country. My wife had never seen HMS Victory despite being born in Portsmouth, I had been there when I moved down here from Liverpool so I was showing her round. In October some friends of mine from Indiana came to stay with us for a week and we showed them round lots of places we hadn't been to in years.
You are a much welcome addition to the country, the problem maybe if you become too British and use our sense of humour when you're back in the US.😂
Thank you for another great vlog and may I wish you both (and your lovely children) a very Happy New Year. Congratulations on your baby news exciting days ahead for you all. x
Happy new year Macand Blair x
Happy new year!!
Hey guys. Happy 2023 to you both. Love your videos.
Mac some of my first memories were summers at my family holiday home at Bulmer (not far from Lindisfarne) and playing on the beaches around Seahouses, Bamburgh and Beadnell. If the weather is good the beaches were great as a kid with miles of beaches and loads of rock pools to check out.
Thanks!
The TV tax or license is historical. In the 1950's we only had the BBC and the tax paid for programmes. Then commercial TV came along but we still paid for BBC. Now in 2023 we have so many stations and internet stations, streaming, most people are against the license and i think it could be abolished as the BBC is no longer apolitical. Try going to Cornwall and the Eden Centre, there are lines there and its fascinating visit.
No one asked the question do you feel safer living in the U.K.?
Oh! Did I understand correctly??? How exciting to grow your family!!! Lovely video, so great to hear your thoughts. Thanks for answering my question! Happy New Year! And PS tea without milk it totally legit don’t worry! Lots of people take it black or with a slice of lemon!
🙂
To piggyback off that lovely comment; you guys are wonderful parents. Your children are blessed.
You are so kind
If you go to Nottingham, visit Warhammer World. As your boys get older could be cool for them to get in to. My son enjoys the building and painting of the minis
Yes! Lamb. The weird thing is living in Wales a lot of the lamb comes from elsewhere - because we export all ours to the Greeks and people as it is their favorite. I just keep trying to convert people not to plaster every lamb meal with mint sauce, as Rosemary is a much better taste for that meat, and it is so easy to grow if you want your own bush.
Love you guys. Both of you are soo uplifting. Thoroughly enjoy listing to you both. Soo pleasant! Thoroughly enjoyed! Theme parks are like Alton towers and Legoland Windsor. Please visit Windsor and Eaton while your there and the castle. Will love seeing that! 😊
Very wholesome