I'm going to spout off here without even reading the article just because.
You're looking at it from the inside of the cage, Dana. Like criticizing Carrot for thinking giraffes and humans are both tall.
Ironing? you may not do it, but you know what an iron is. You've probably done it in your life. You see it on soap operas and don't think "what the hell are they doing?". The only reason people have irons here is to fuse plastic craft beads together. It's so different the first thing I noticed when we moved into our fully furnished apartment was NO IRON. Immediately went out and bought one and never used it until the children discovered the craft beads. MANY years later.
Children here are generally completely unaware that this exists as a concept. You may not iron, but the majority of British families do, even if it's just shirts for special occasions. I'll accept that not everyone line-dries, but the amount of people who do is enough to make it seem like everyone to someone from here. Here it is banned by many neighborhood associations and is an activity associated with the Amish (a religious group who shun all things modern). tumble-dryers are huge and fast compared to the UK. Washer-dryer?
crazy idea. Why would you not have a washer and a dryer -they perform opposite functions! And yes, we had one. OMG they take forever. We used to have to split the load into two after the wash to dry it. My sister still has one, I know it still to be true.... Ann Arbor is a hippie city. almost everyone here is into energy conservation, pollution reduction etc and experiments with line-drying. No-one keeps it up.
There's the occasional basement. That doesn't make the general concept untrue. As a % of the whole, there are no basements. And those that do exist don't really register to someone used to American basements. In old houses, they're cold, damp, and only used for storage (same as here, but almost all houses here are "new" by British standards). Here, unless you're in a region where the rock is too hard to cut, you can't sell a house without a basement. there are, of course, regional differences, and basements are more essential in tornadoland, but basements are so important (and big) that builders will do all sort sof tricks to include a "basement" when it seems impossible/impractical (like not putting windows in one side of the lowest level then part-burying it
).
Walk-in closets. See basement answer. They were becoming more popular in new construction in the UK even years before I left, but there's so little new construction there I would still estimate that as a % of the whole, there are no walk-in closets. Most here are bigger than the third bedroom in your standard UK semi. (That's a duplex to any yanks reading. And they're all built to the same plan. really.) Mine is tiny compared to most I see. It's 6'*5'
To give an American perspective, here rooms can only be called bedrooms if they have a built-in closet. These are typically standard door height, 5 feet wide and two feet deep. They would probably be marketed as walk-in in the UK
Cold. With all due respect, You (the Brits) don't know cold from schmold -Britain -all of it-- is very temperate given it's latitude. It's far enough north to be compared with Canada. So that's what Americans expect. Down here in Michigan (way below and way warmer than Canada -further south than the UK) it's -4 centigrade this morning (mid November), there's snow on the ground, and isn't expected to get above freezing all week, even though it will be clear and sunny. How often does that happen in the UK? And in how much of it? And we'll stay at these temperatures or colder for the next 5 months. there may be bits of the UK or the occasional day that seem very cold to you. That doesn't make it cold. And I have wintered up north.
Strip mall? Can't think of one. Can you post a pic? Maybe that has changed since I left. Places like the Arndale are regular Malls. Strip malls are half miles or more of businesses on the road with decent parking, intended to be reached by car/attract passing commuter business.
I think you can drive across the Yorkshire Moors for an hour without seeing a petrol station or commercial building. not that Brits often drive for an hour without taking a break
I should stop. My tumble-dryer is telling me that -30 minutes after I put it on- a week's worth of shirts and trousers are dry and warm and ready to be hung -crease-free- in the closets
