Six months ago we moved from being country kids to townies. I had predicted this would leave me bereft. I thought I would feel trapped and yearning for real air and quiet.
Quite the opposite has happened, which is a curious thing. I will always love the country more than the city but our lifestyle here has been much more than we had hoped. The reason for moving was to give the wee one as many opportunities as she could grasp in her few remaining years at high school. We were also feeling burdened by pouring so much of our time, energy and money into a place that wasn’t ours. Commuting seemed a waste of precious time for all of us. Almost two hours of every day was spent on the bus for her, let alone the extra hour we had to add to any events in town.
So now here we sit, quite unburdened and watching with delight as our daughter sparkles, coming alive with all the possibilities in the life she has ahead. While the noises here are harsh and more violent, it is actually quieter. While running through town does have me coughing when a stinky car accelerates away, it feels safer in the earlier hours of the morning. We walk everywhere and almost forget we have a car at times. Living so close to town means every shopping trip involves only a backpack each and some decent jackets. No more parking hassles and no more fretfully watching the clock to see when we need to leave by. Our trips into town are now welcome moments filled with much more lighthearted chatting and catching up.
So while we are unable to fulfil some of our dreams of sustainability and self-sufficiency, we have discovered other fantastic ways to reduce our impact and quietly prepare ourselves for life-after-children—ways that would not have been possible in the life we were living before. This is a constant surprise to me, but a very welcome one.
It has taken us this half year to settle in and find our feet. The perfectly manicured garden we inherited is now quite fluffy around the edges, which I am sure would make the previous owners cry. But we have been unable to bring ourselves to maintain their use of chemicals and rigid control over nature. We are letting this land (tiny though it is) breathe a bit and let its tummy hang out. We are determined to sneak in more living things like birds, worms, bees and butterflies that aren’t being commanded away by the artificial sentries they have previously found here. I have even had the sacrilegious thought of making room somewhere between the box hedges, ridiculous roman fountain and paving stones for some hens. There is a delicious naughtiness about the idea.
Yesterday we planted some brassicas which feels like a turning point in our experience here. Perhaps, as winter starts to progress and spring feels a little closer on the horizon, we are beginning to feel a more personal ownership of our new space.
I think our move, while intended to benefit our lovely girl most, has seen us sparkle in as many ways too.