I moved to the ‘new Cotswolds’ after nearly 40 years in the city. But it’s so lonely here and I miss my old life… this is the brutal truth about rural living: KATE SPICER

It was nice to visit my friends and relatives in the Western country for nearly 40 years, but returned to London’s Paddington Station, and the walls covered with graffiti and tower blocks always gave me a relaxing excitement. Where my home and my life are. Or it was.

I felt a kind of grief from the North Kensington neighborhood, I spent 35 years of recognizing it and spent 100 miles of west on Somperset.

But when he keeps telling myself, nobody dies and nobody dies. Obviously, moving to the country wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to me.

“ New beginnings, ” everyone said. ‘Change is good.’ ‘You will love.’ Even the government seemed to cheer me up, the three -month prosperity statistics made the South West inhabitants most happy. ‘Welcome! It takes only 20 years to be accepted in the country. ‘

Leaving London was not a dream of a dream, instead of the least bad option. About 15 years later I left with my long -term partner.

The division has been on the cards for a while, but I was still shocked. If you were clearly grew up to leave me, and if you’re not a kind of iron woman, it takes some time to get rid of it. One time, my current income to spend a place to live has decreased and I had to face economic facts. I looked at the existing accommodation options for myself and my dogs, two large Pencos, Buffo and Leica.

There were four options: urban but quite ridiculous with a garden for dogs; a gloomy suburban reconciliation; Get rid of dogs and rent a smaller circle or move to the country. I chose the last one.

As I said, it looked at least bad, so like many other people, I am an economic immigrant to the country.

In March, I rented a house in a small town called Bruton, which is what real estate agents call a ‘desired’ neighborhood. A beautiful town and a lot of famous inhabitants have been done. Unlike some reports, there is no lamborghinis on the street, but there are many old Londons. When I told him that I would move to Bruton, as my friend said, it was ‘a safe and soft landing’. And this is true, I felt safe to join the town’s other old city people, that is, some of the DFLs I already knew (down London). When I published something about my movement on social media, I received a cranky interpretation from some men who were defined as ‘only bloody, we need another DFL’.

I was very good with this apparent insult. Yeah, I’m a DFL. I liked London Life. London is one of the big cities of the world, from simple things like a thousand collections twice a week to magnificent libraries, restaurants and royal parks. Even writing about separation makes me feel a little tear.

Here, in Bruton, a thousand men get your weekly recycling and real garbage every three weeks. Bodies (ie ME) who cannot put the wheel trash box regularly on Monday (ie ME). Your garbage will smell from the next collection.

There was a lot to be happy. I have a garden that takes the sun all day in a pachoresque town where I have the area I have in London and where everything is within walking distance. And summer is here. Life continues. I used to work. Probably.

The days left from London were so fussy that a few weeks ago I forgot a conversation with the host of my hire. Another popular and larger Somperset town called Frome suggested to rent his other house.

I told him I didn’t want to live in Frome, I wanted to live in Bruton – so why did I rented the house from him? It is a house that I haven’t slept yet, even though it has deposited more than 5,000 £ and rented to the front. This fashion is quite standard for an old concert house in the town of the country. I justified my choice when I pushed me to think of Frome ‘more cool’. No thanks, I had friends and my family here, I asked my nephew and my nephew to visit me after school. I liked the sagging of the surrounding area that will attract my friends from the city: a hotel with beautiful gardens called Newt, gardens and sculptures and an internationally accepted Hauser + Wirth.

Then there were a few names in all restaurants, osip, old pharmacy, three horse horseshoe, higher farm, Briar, chapel, Bradley Hare.

And other than that, it wasn’t ideal for my frome dogs because I would have to use the car to take it for a half good walk.

Kate loved her friends from the city.

All this came at a time when I reluctantly collected my belongings and sent them to the sticks. I didn’t pay attention to what I did. As a result, it was a little confusion before my new life in the country came.

The day I left London, the minibus continued and I followed him. Before even hitting M4, my dogs curled up in a pile of clothes in the boat, my landlord stole from the real estate agents he put the house I rented six weeks ago.

Oh good. This is his privilege. It made me understand how much my conditions changed.

In important forms, I mark the boxes marked as ‘single’ and ‘tenants’, not ‘in a relationship’ and ‘host’. Legally and with only two months difference, I could be homeless if he sold the house again. When I needed full security, he was gone.

The smell of being temporary remained hanging about me. I invited to visit a family in Wiltshire, but quite reasonable, they said it wouldn’t make much sense if I wouldn’t be there. They would come when I had a suitable house. My mother offered me some curtains. ‘Why is it uncomfortable?’ I asked.

When I looked back, I didn’t feel happy here in April. After more than four months after moving, there are still piles of books, sad echo, semi -empty rooms and full boxes, but now I’m saving some joy.

Bruton looks quiet, but a fun town. A quick glass of wine, both in the beautiful middle class bar and other worldly more interesting people can grow some interesting people.

I’ve already hit a few friends. First, he also found an interesting local boyfriend after discopinosis.

Net migration from urban areas to rural areas has been growing between every demographic except young adults aged 15-19 years since 2020

Go home after so long to go home discombouting. If you are not a kind of Zen Monk and are not connected to all people, places and physical things, there is a real feeling of loss not to have community and not to have the familiarity of the neighborhood you know very well. When I first returned to London, I was good every time I turned down a familiar street. I am very glad to see not only my friends, but to see everyone. Among the people I have embraced, the man who operated the gas station, the staff in the coffee shop and the old dog hikers – actually all the familiar faces in every street corner.

It is a strange comfort to know that I am not alone in this change from urban to countryside. According to the National Statistics Office (Ones), net migration from urban areas to rural areas has been growing between every demographic except for young adults aged 15-19 since 2020.

Comparing rural and urban population, Ones data seems to summarize my indecision quite well. In rural areas, suicide rate is higher, but loneliness rates are lower. In rural areas, crime rates are lower, but the purchase of large tape and telephone can be evil. I mean, if it doesn’t work, what is the meaning of notching your phone?

A really interesting 2017 research from York University found that the higher the air concentrations of the air oxide in the air, the higher the quality of life of low people. The effect of a dirty air on a person’s welfare, ‘could be compared with many major life events such as unemployment, separation and widows’. Maybe the fresh air can cheer me up a little? In short, the movement is a good and bad mixture.

People say I look cheerful and tanned. But I was constantly negative in my answers. ‘Probably all the fresh air,’ I can say, rolling my eyes. Or, ‘Don’t worry, I will be pure leather according to Christmas’.

I had a harder answer for everything. Bruton, as a real estate agent told me, a ‘fashion town’ that will match the house prices. It is not possible that I can continue to live here in the style I want. “ Don’t worry, ” I said the troll in my Instagram account, ‘This dfl will live in a wheelbird in WinCanton in the autumn.’

Fortunately, he can wait for that wheeled garbage box. My landlord told me that he decided to get the house out of the market soon.

Perhaps it was time to count the blessings in my life, not the bum notes.

He was a London friend who told me that I was painful, and I am grateful to him because I was uncomfortable at first and then pointed to him. The pain is not a good look.

We create our own stories. I had to learn to look at the bright side. It was just his life, he was doing what to do: sometimes good; Shit for others. My mother used to say: ‘That face pulling, the wind will change’. The same applies to moods and emotions. The country had to stop before this negativity. It was time to take myself.

I’m a little more worried about exercise. We know that reducing drinking, eating healthy diet and increasing sleep, as well as the fastest way for a better mood.

I wrote the names of the people I met in the post-i-i note-mail Dylan, Mavi Top Host Piers, Nicky, Jess and Angie, Rose and Lyons, Cute Shop with Funny Birthday Cards. I’m trying to be friendly and open -minded.

There is an expression for numbers that stands around in computer games but actually cannot do anything. It is called non -player characters or NPCs. Young generations use ‘NPC’ to describe everyone who is irrelevant, dull or insignificant. Not only in games, but alive. Round Bruton, I feel completely an NPC.

I used to walk like a crazy woman on the street in London, giving everyone cheerful waves. Here and for the company, I understand how much these ordinary interactions create my social world. No one speaks on the phone, and living in the country means that some people think of me to stay out of painting. This is a little death.

Although they know completely well, the only thing to do is to go there and meet people, I find myself reluctant to do this.

There is something very easy about reconstruction while extracting or extracting dead grass from the belligerent grass in the rental property. After 40 years in London apartments, even a dirty, hairless grass like this is a real innovation.

Composting is a strange pleasure. It protects gray water for plants. Where is the social woman I was once?

Thank God they still have suitable bars in this town. This is my biggest package from the first four months on the solo with my two dogs in the country.

Last week, I walked to the blue ball with a glass of Rosé to celebrate the end of a week. A little Squiffy, but a cheerful and talkative lady came and said: ‘Who are you? Why are you here? I admitted that I wasn’t in the ‘fashion town’ under the dream conditions. Why are you bothering to lie for a complete stranger?

“ Oh, don’t worry. I have never met anyone descending in dream conditions, ” he said. The story of ‘moving to the country’ involved in a successful career because of the long Covid, motherhood and half good life in London.

‘You will get used to it. You will love, ‘he promised and showed me a website of his new company, which seems to be a great success. “ There are a lot of interesting, fun and beautiful people and many interesting women who start a second life.

‘You won’t even miss the city in a year or two.’

He’s not the first to say that to me. But I’m not there yet. For now, at least I will have to take his promise.