New Year’s Day 2024
Well I never, it’s the first day of 2024. This will be my last Is the Grass Greener? post unless/until something new or unexpected occurs that relates to our move from London to the middle of nowhere in Scottish Borders.
So, 2023, an entire year from January to December living largely in Scotland after twenty-one years largely living in London. Overall, 2023 was a good year. We needed change and the move out here brought about more change than I could have imagined possible, in terms of home environment but also, speaking for myself, in terms of learning more about my capabilities and interests.
To answer my own question, is the grass greener by moving from London/city to Scottish Borders/countryside … well, is it? A total cliché but yes, the grass really is greener. Because it rains. A lot. But if I could only give a yes or no answer, I’d say that no, the grass isn’t greener. If I think about the things I love about London (amenities, ease of socialising, not having to use a car, galleries/museums, diversity, variety of cultures and thus food and shops, a buzz), nowhere in the countryside, or even in the towns, can compete. If I think about the things I love about our part of Scottish Borders (the quiet, the natural scenery, fresh air, the sound of running water, appreciation and beauty of the changing seasons, the joy of a blue sky day, wildlife, inspiring views out the windows, shopping in good quality butchers and bakeries, the friendliness of people you encounter), nowhere in a city can compete.
I do genuinely still love both. If I had to pick one, which would it be? I still don’t know but if I absolutely had to choose, probably remote, rural Scotland over inner city London. I would rather feel a sense of calmness and quiet every day than busyness/a buzz every day.
However, it is not as easy or straightforward to live out here than I probably expected. It has also been more expensive (in terms of tradespeople, some of whom have had to charge for coming a long way out) and more challenging to have things delivered than I could have imagined. We knew we’d use our cars a lot, and that’s been as expected, but sometimes I don’t want to spend such a large chunk of a day going out to do basic shopping chores (I have no interest in supermarket deliveries, though that is an option from two supermarket chains). The flooding of the road which then blocks us in one direction has been unexpected and a really frustrating consideration when needing to drive that way on very wet days. There are quite a lot of very wet days. Summer was lovely and I did know there would be midges but I didn’t expect not to be able to sit out for breakfast or dinner (lunch was sometimes possible) due to a combination of midges and it being quite damp and chilly (mornings). The drought and absence of water for almost two months and the inefficient heating have also been unexpected stresses and challenges.
All that said, 2023 was a good year. I wrote my fifth novel, which is set around here, and for the first time I found my work environment ideal for writing and enjoyed it even more than previous books I’ve written, in part because I can easily talk out loud to myself while walking around the valley and talk through some of my writing blockages. The peace, quiet and natural surroundings have been amazing. Today, we drove less than an hour and a half to Southerness, an estuary, and drove back a new, cross-country route. It was all beautiful and another reason why it’s a real pleasure to live out here. All that said, I’m looking forward to my next trip to London, seeing some friends and doing lots of city walks. I have no idea what 2024 will bring, but who does?
