Tuesday 30 May 2023
Chris and I are learning a lot by living in a fairly remote, rural area of Scottish Borders, things we would never have encountered living in London. Or indeed anywhere urban. At the moment, I could easily wallow in the challenging elements as we are still without running water (it’s far more complicated than that and there is a modicum of hope for the coming days that we might be able to run a tap at least) and I have been savagely nibbled at by stinging insects (not sure if it’s midges or mosquitoes, but I knew to expect them).
However, it is now very much green and flowery and there has been blue sky for quite a few consecutive days and it is warm in the sun, cooler in the shade and the ground floor of the house is delightfully cool (upstairs gets hot during the day but cools down with a breeze through the windows when we open them). We went out yesterday on an outdoor-chair-buying mission and returned with two deck chairs. They weren’t what we had in mind and they’re not the most comfortable of seats (though outdoor furniture is never going to be armchair-comfy) but they’re easy to move around and look cheery and, as Chris can confirm, they are great for a holiday feel. He sat out on one of them in the early evening wearing shorts and t-shirt and came indoors beaming. There’s a particularly good spot to sit in a corner of the garden where you can hear the river running and see a good mix of hillside and trees. I think that dealing with issues around the house would be significantly more difficult were it not that we still love the house and living here.
As I walked up to the water tank this morning, almost dreading seeing the current recurring sight of water trickling in but the level in the tank still no higher (as I said, it’s complicated and we can see what is probably happening; it is very, very unlikely to be caused by a leak), I wondered if I would rather be living in our flat in Lewisham or this house with all its current water issues. I am still torn between the two, though of course it would be a lot easier to be in the flat in Lewisham. I increasingly surprise myself by sort of appreciating that everyday life isn’t as straightforward here. Yes, we are very stressed about the water situation and, yes, we realise that we will have to have a secondary water source (we are in communication with someone about this) with the increased likelihood and occurrence of drought and extreme conditions in this area, and indeed the whole of the world. And, maybe most challenging, sorting out a plan B will likely involve spending a lot of money. In spite of all this, I am sort of enjoying (possibly “enjoy” is a stretch) finding out about things and having a different perspective on things I have always taken for granted. Easy is not always the most rewarding option. For example, I enjoy driving around these country lanes in my manual, five-gear car. Chris’s car is automatic and, while certain aspects of automatic gear boxes are easier, I like being the one in control of the car through the gearbox and will almost always prefer to drive my/a manual car. I have started Googling things and using YouTube more. It is generally very satisfying to identify a problem, find a way to possibly fix it, follow the instructions and then, ta-daaaa, fix it. While I still have that mindset, I think there is hope for me living in a house in an area where you really do need to do more stuff yourself. I even kind of enjoyed my third jug-and-bowl wash last night. But I am still looking forward to a hot shower and will take the opportunity to have one as soon as our main water tank outside starts filling up.
While driving yesterday, in my manual car, we stopped to see the Clydesdale horses and ponies again. The one standing close to his mother must have been mere days old, it was wobbly and clumsy and utterly adorable. The others, now a couple of months older, seem to have taken to chilling out in the field. It’s always such a pleasure to see those horses.
