Requiring the remote
I have lived in London for almost exactly three years now. We only really ever thought it would be two and then perhaps Scotland would be next but the excitement of living here has caught us and we are now hopefully buying a flat. Living in London can be quite intense without you really realising it. Everything is fast, everyone is motivated and there is lots and lots of achievement. You live like that too which is exciting and stimulating and you get a lot done but every so often you see a photo of the countryside or hear of how someone else lives and you unexpectedly get knocked off course and yearn to sit on a hill and look at the view of the sea and just for an hour or so not consume anything.
Yesterday was one of those days. An old colleague from Bristol posted photos of his Autumnal swim in a Cornish rock pool, including the walk through the valley from his home to the beach. It turns out he moved to Cornwall on a whim and now works at the YHA at Lands End. I was so jealous. I wanted to be in Cornwall swimming in the rock pools in October rather than in a flat in Brixton. I then spent the afternoon looking of ways to get to Cornwall and of places to stay. Turns out it’s actually pretty difficult going there for a weekend from London, too far and too expensive without a car.
Then Tom showed me the beautiful houses of Under the Thatch and it opened up a whole new world of possibility. I am thinking of a January/February birthday break and Pont Esgobon looks like it could be the one for me. This photo of toasting crumpets on the wood burning stove from Emma Bradshaw really sold it to me. Luckily I don’t have to wait that long to get some cottage action as I am off to Stroud this weekend with Kate for some knitting and country views.
In the mean time I spent part of my lunchtime today in Cleaver Square, Kennington, one of the earliest formal squares to be laid out in South London (1783 ish). I sat on a sunny bench, listened to Radio 3 and looked at the trees and I didn’t consume anything for about 20 minutes. That will have to do for now.
* Me being remote in Arctic Norway