What has been the hardest thing to get used to?

Yep, it's going to have to be an ongoing conscious learning curve for me too, I think.

I know I'm so resistant because the UK wasn't always metric, and they switched "while I popped out for some milk" kinda thing! I feel like an old Luddite but it really peeves me and my acceptance level is poor because this wasn't the UK I last lived in.

Boston, I was about eight/ nine? I think, when they brought in decimal, and I remember that transition being easy peasy because I was such a young child. I think when we are very, very young, we accept and adapt readily. I'm middle aged and cranky and menopausal now and I can't do "new" stuff anymore....

Thank you those who posted understanding about the "feel" issue, the instant meaningfulness. It's this that is coming so hard to me and I get really angry with, although Gottagettolondon is doing what I guess I do need to do.

My life is just stuffed full of too many learning curves these days though, including now facing passing my driving test, and I think I'm exhausted by ALL the adjustments I@m consciously having to battle through!! I really do want to go home and give up...

   

Cool!    And of course they money's changed since then (£ coins and all that).

Cool!    And of course they money's changed since then (£ coins and all that).

Let's see, since then there have been the following major changes (not necessarily in this order), from the 1980s onward:

1/2p. coin scrapped as being of no value.

£1 coin introduced (and £1 note withdrawn in England; Scotland retained them).

20p. coin introduced.

50p. coin shrunk in size.

5 & 10p. coins reduced in size.  The original coins were exactly the same size as the shilling and florin they replaced.  In fact the 1s. and 2s. coins continued to be used alongside the 5p. and 10p. coins until the size reduction sometime in the 1990s, which was probably quite confusing for visitors!

Bi-colored £2 coin introduced.

The word "new" was also dropped some years ago (e.g. "2 new pence" became just "2 pence") as it was felt it was no longer necessary to distinguish new decimal pence from the old LSD pence.

The word "new" was also dropped some years ago (e.g. "2 new pence" became just "2 pence") as it was felt it was no longer necessary to distinguish new decimal pence from the old LSD pence.

They used to call them "new pee" 

They used to call them "new pee" 

Or just "pee," as in "It costs 10 pee" to make it clear one was talking about 10 new decimal pence, not 10d. (old pence).

Watch out for the Doris Day movie Do Not Disturb on TV.  Near the beginning there's a wonderful scene where she's just arrived in London and is trying to pay a taxi driver and gets into state of  utter confusion as various people try to explain pounds, shillings, and pence, and all the nicknames - bob, tanner, nicker, etc.   

Adding 10% is close enough for approximations, e.g. 400m is approx. 440 yards, or a quarter of a mile.

When we went metric for length measurements, the govt came up with a little rhyme, "Metric is easy because, you see, a metre is just about three foot three". (Something like that, the essentials are there.)

The metre being about a yard is the one and only metric measurement that is instantly in the mind -- the rest is a foreign language to me!

When I look at bedding and all they have on the label is "blahblahblah CENTIMETRES" (and some of those labels don't even say a bed size in terms of "full", king size etc) I just tune out. That's how tired I am of dealing.

I totally understand.  When I first came over to the UK I had no idea what any particular celcius temperature would feel like.  After about 2 years, I can now resonably figure out what temperatures are hot and what ones are cold, and now I'm working on figuring out where the borders are

Personally I would put them like this:
between:
really cold and cold - 0 degrees (freezing)
cold and warm 10-15
warm and hot 25
and hot and really hot. 30 or so

Or just "pee," as in "It costs 10 pee" to make it clear one was talking about 10 new decimal pence, not 10d. (old pence).

I hate it when people say "one pence".

I hate it when people say "one pence".

It sounds kind of medieval, "pence" hah hah! "But verily I say to thee, one pence be your reward, fine young sir!"

   

So now I need a utube for the current coins.

It sounds kind of medieval, "pence" hah hah! "But verily I say to thee, one pence be your reward, fine young sir!"

It's because "penny" is the singular, and "pence" the plural. One penny, two pence. Catholics collect "Peter's pence" still I believe.
 

Adding 10% is close enough for approximations, e.g. 400m is approx. 440 yards, or a quarter of a mile.

Easy to picture 400m - it's an Olympic athletics track! Simples! 

It's because "penny" is the singular, and "pence" the plural. One penny, two pence. Catholics collect "Peter's pence" still I believe.
 

I feel like I'm in an episode of "Cadfael"!

And now that we're onto currency, don't get me started on those size changes in the coins -- I did actually make numerous mistakes with those five pees!! Gah this ain't my England! 

Easy to picture 400m - it's an Olympic athletics track! Simples! 

Or if you're into railways, it's the length of a Eurostar train. (Well, 394m actually)