Why move to a place that doesn't hold the same sparkle that you loved about the town from which you came from? Love for sure but there is something about the lure of normality and doing things like shopping in Tesco using a car rather than getting overpriced shopping delivered by Ocado that has it's bonuses. Money is saved, you can browse all the different types of condiments, something that I have honed into quite a skill, I really didn't know there was such a thing as salad cream with piri piri spice?? You just don't get such low rent items on Ocado.
Love yes, a man brought me to live in the East Midlands. Having met the man of my dreams, as unlikely as our match has seemed to others, it was decided that cheap rent, more space and a Tesco Extra on your doorstep is enough of a lure to get you to pack up your stuff (then get it nicked, but that's another story) and head off up the M1, turn off at Northampton and take the A45.
It has to be said that our house is amaseballs. In London I lived in a one bedroom new build/no soul box in London Bridge all for the princely sum of £850 per calendar month, add to that the council tax, bills and average cost of a pint of milk in London and you have a whole heap of cash, merrily walking out of your bank account on the 1st of every month. It was in a cool part of town, with Borough Market round the corner and I had a view of Tower Bridge from my balcony, I guess this semi justifies my landlord raping my bare arse each month. No here, it is much more realistic. A three bed detached house with garden, conservatory, utility room and study will set you back less than that and you still have change to get that milk. Yes I am smug, yes I like telling my friends in London this sort of information and yes I like looking at their faces drop when I tell them that work also agreed to me working from home 3 days a week so that I could move 2 hours away. Some people are just assholes aren't they?!
Cheap rent, my soul mate and some space away from the London Crazies made me move here. I've been here since last August. That's what, 8 months ago now? Since then I can literally count the number of people I have personally met from the area on one hand. The aforementioned window cleaner Joe (who looks like Eddie the Eagle), the eternally grumpy woman on reception at the Waendal Leisure Centre (who looks like she could do with being in the gym herself or perhaps would look better looking like Eddie the Eagle), I have also met on many an occasion the lovely girl that works in New Look in the Swansgate Shopping Centre, who tells me all the time that what I am buying she has had her eye on and she's going to get it for her uniform pay day. Apart from that my world is made up of the various faces in Tesco, Waendal Gym and the people that get the train into London twice a week. It's not what you call buzzing round here. In London I was used to walking out the door, taking a wander along the Thames to look in the Tate Modern (talking to the person looking at the freaky Austrian actionist movement art) on the days when I didn't have much to do, taking in a coffee at Monmouth and then popping into the Design Museum round the back of the flat to buy postcards of cool, designy things.
It it is with this stark comparison of lifestyles that I have decided after 8 months of not meeting anyone that looks remotely like they might be interesting, creative, funny, mate material (after joining a gym, attending classes, striking up conversations randomly with girls in the street that look like they are on my wave length and vaguely in my age group).... I am going to take action!! Now I'm not sure how this will manifest. I have some ideas around joining some sociable/interest clubs of some sort but I guess I need to develop an interest in something first. Shopping in New Look and Tesco doesn't constitute as an interest in normal peoples eyes. While looking for this "club" I will continue to hijack people in the street to see if they are normal or if they browse condiments too but I need a creative outlet I think. Somewhere where I can explore my creative inner being while eyeing up potential friends who have clubbed together at the back where you can't penetrate their circle.
Yes that is what I will do.
Ciao ciao xxx
Ironically, even I questioned (on twitter) today where women find/make new friends. I fear that in the modern age of communication, we don't know how to communicate with people in the flesh. I think most women make new friends either at work or at the school gates. Rather depressing if you work at home on your own and you don't have kids!
ReplyDeleteI wish you luck in your quest and eagarly await the next installment :)