Been spending a couple of days in Barnstaple, North Devon. To me Barnstaple always seems to be the name of northern town. A sibling of Barnsley and Bradford, it once went on a holiday down south, probably carvanning, and decided to move and settle there. It now perhaps looks down on its northern brothers, who in turn feel that it has become some sort of southern softie who has forgotten its northern roots.
Anyway, some family members have relocated here and I'm paying a visit - partly to catch up with them all, but also to be a bit nosy. Although they moved only 3 weeks ago, the house looks remarkably lived in and organised - much more than I am in my small flat which still contains boxes to unpack after moving 7 months ago.
It's a great part of the country - yesterday was spent at various bays enjoying the sun, sand and watching the surfing dudes and dudettes whilst drinking hot chocolate - you can see the attraction of relocating. But why do we live where we do? Family? Work? Friends? Lifestyle?
I've lived in Birmingham, Manchester and London - I'm a city boy. I love the outdoors and can see the attraction of country/village life, but could I live there? I doubt it. For me there is a bit of a paradox - you move to the country for the space, but I sense it could also be a bit claustrophobic with people knowing all about your business etc. By contrast the city, though crowded and busy, offers a sense of anonymity and privacy.
I'm enjoying my time in Devon - and I hope it will be the first of many visits - but I sense that if I lived here, after a few weeks I'd really miss not having a local arthouse cinema showing poncey films in french. Perhaps, just like Barnstaple, I've become a southern softie.....
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