It’s July now, my lease is up in October and frankly I can’t wait to get out of the city. It was right to move here last year when I was dreaming of cocktails on roof terraces, walking to work and seeing friends in the evenings, but now I’m yearning for a quieter life outside of the city. My feet are getting itchy again (as always).
I know I flip-flop quite a lot between the different ends of the spectrum – a city life with al fresco wine, blogging events and hopping on the train to London; and now the good life, with chickens, a vegetable patch and only the sound of birds singing to wake me up in the morning. I’ve enjoyed being in the city but I find it hard to live somewhere with no outside space during this heatwave – I’m daydreaming of lying on a blanket in a back garden with a good book and a glass of wine on a summer’s evening. As much as I try and live in the present and enjoy what I have now, I can’t help myself from mentally planning to plant a wildflower patch and string fairy lights from the trees (you can browse the range* here if you’re hunting for pretty lights for your garden too). I am worried that it could be a bit isolating to live somewhere quiet but I know that I’ve always got friends and family I can visit if I need to escape my own company.
I’ve been spending more time at my parents’ house lately, especially at the weekends when I can stay over, sleep with the windows open and wake up to the dawn chorus. In contrast, where I am now if I sleep with the windows open all I hear is the sound of lorries going past and men chanting ‘football’s coming home!’ I’m finding myself spending as much time outdoors as possible at the moment; going out for walks, paddle-boarding and running in the mornings. Whilst it’s still nice to run around the parks and be able to walk to the gym I would like to live somewhere in future that is more in keeping with my hobbies, and the older I get the more drawn I am to outdoors-y activities (of course it would be nice to have someone to do those activities with, but that will come in time).
It’s strange how your priorities change over time – and the things you’re drawn to evolve and flex. When I was living somewhere quite rural a few years ago I felt incredibly lonely, the commute was too long and I missed my family like mad. Now I’m in the city I’m finding the traffic and the noise draining, and I think I didn’t appreciate enough what I had on my doorstep all those years ago (I used to sometimes be late for work because cows were crossing the road – that feels like a dream to me now). I’ve always wished that I was a little better at sticking to decisions, a little clearer on what I want and a whole lot better and being present and enjoying what I have now. But for now, I’m going to close the window to drown out the police sirens and dream of tomato plants, wildflowers, climbing roses and fairy lights.