Farm to town

Always happy when back enjoying the countryside.

When my first real job started to look uncertain I decided to take a huge leap and leave the comfort and security of the farm and my childhood home and see what a big town had to offer. To be honest I surprised myself with the decision, I've always loved being at home more than being away and I had no real want to go out and experience the big wide world. Though the day came when I knew I couldn't keep sitting and waiting for opportunities, so the big wide world it was.

The first thing I noticed in my new town life, other than it smelling and sounding so different, was that I could actually look out my window and see people coming and going from their houses. Alright, it's not that exciting, but you never know, they might have stopped off at Asda after saving the world, or could have been Ed Sheeran in disguise. It was completely different to counting how many cows I could see out of my window anyway.

The next thing I noticed was the choice, I could shop in pretty much any supermarket chain that I wanted to. Plus, these supermarkets didn't just sell food like they did back home, they sold clothes, movies, pillows, kettles… I could buy bacon, false lashes, a birthday card and a movie all at the same time. I even bought a ready meal and a microwave to cook it in, just the once, I didn't make a habit of buying microwaves, but I could have and that was pretty amazing considering I couldn't even name a shop that sold microwaves in my hometown.

I didn't even need to head out on a road trip to a supermarket anymore, there was a supermarket on my way home from pretty much anywhere I went out to. Gone were the days of having to put up with whatever I could get. Now I had supermarkets lining up knowing that it was so convenient that I was bound to forget something and when I did they were ready to convince me to buy sweets, cakes, deserts and anything else they felt like.

Then there were all of the activities I could do. I went from sitting on the green in the town centre and visiting the local garden centre (yeah, I did actually do that as a teenager, even when I could drive) to, well, not a lot, it felt really expensive moving out of home. But, if I wanted to do something, I could and I could get there within 20 minutes. I could go to the cinema, swim, go ice skating, play crazy golf or go for a ride on a mini train if I really wanted to.

The joys of living near a coffee drive thru.

I even traded my local fish and chip shop that myself and my mum would always stop at after a journey out to watch the ice hockey for a choice of chip shops, curry houses, chinese takeaways and fast food chains. To be honest the choice didn't really make up for living a good 40 minute drive away from my favourite creamy curry back home all finished off with cheese, but at least the new town tried.

When it came to being able to pay for living in this world that felt crazy and busy to me, there were so many jobs too. They weren't particularly easy to get, but you could do so many things within a short drive from home if you put your mind to it. The little office with three or four people in that I used to see as my 9-5 home seemed a million miles away.

Fourteen years, three houses, a few boyfriends, one husband, one child and one pandemic later, I have a bit of a love, hate relationship with where I live. On one hand, I'm spoilt. I can get fresh brewed coffee within a few minutes at any time of the day or night, I had too many toddler activities and groups to try before lockdown and I might not have as much as those of you in a big city, but I've got most things I want with a sprinkling of countryside for good measure.

On the other hand, I miss home. This town can be quite lonely, with so many people and so much to do, it's easy to get lost, to be just another face. I miss the friendliness of the little town back home, the family on the doorstep and small offices of people. I even miss the cows outside my window a little bit, even though I don't miss their smell.

I might not know what the future holds, where my forever home will be, but I'm pretty lucky to have had a life in the country and the town that I'm proud of.