Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Found out today that a couple of our best friends are leaving the area. After a lot of thinking they have decided to head up to Scotland. It’s got me thinking about our situation, I’ve never lived anywhere other than Bristol, and the same is virtually true for Orynthia. She has lived here for as long as she can remember.

Now this brings many advantages, we’ve lead pretty sociable lives, so whenever we go out in Bristol it’s pretty likely that we are going to bump into a friendly face or two. It’s also true that Bristol is a great place to live, lots to see and do, good travel connections and generally a nice relaxed atmosphere.

And yet… I did feel a little pang of envy. I love the idea of the bold new adventure, heading off to a place where you have no obvious links with anyone or anything. Just the two of them together, working out how things in that community work, how to fit in with the people around you, where to buy your bread, the best way to get from A to B or even C.

Then again our friends have both moved around England during the course of their working lives, so I guess they are well prepared for the challenges ahead. We’ve always been steady, organised, no risk sort of people. That makes us sound dull, it’s not meant too, because I think we’ve had a fantastic life. Seeing and doing so many different things.

As I write this the wonderfully simple song by Smog called “Let’s move to the country” has just come on the CD player. Now you could never call Orynthia and I country folk, but it really suits our friends. As the song says, “ Let’s move to the country, just you and me. My travels are over, my travels are through.” I don’t know if their travels are through, but they might well be. Then again if you are used to relocating every few years can you ever completely settle in an area or does the urge to reinvent yourself come along every few years?

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