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Country Girl – The People We Meet
If there is one thing I know it’s that most definitely people are generally friendlier and have more time for you in the country. Well maybe not in the country necessarily, just in places where the pace of life is a little slower. I think this is my favourite thing about our new life in England. When we left our city life in search of adventure we found many small communities in France, Spain and Portugal who seemed to have more time for each other and more time for simple activities “oh, it’s not like that in England” we would say. But coming back and living in an altogether new part of our country has opened our eyes and our minds.
Take for instance my neighbour; lets call her Felicity – just because she looks like she could be a Felicity (but of course she is not). Within a week of moving in she was round having a chat and within two had spied my cabbages crammed into borders and offered me space in her garden to grow more “I’ll only ask for a few spoils” she said. So now we have raised beds in our back garden ready for salad items next year, a plot in the front for a few cabbages and in the spring we will have a plot next door where we can grow our root vegetables. Felicity is a hoot and has already stood in our kitchen ‘chewing the fat’ over several cups of tea. I think I’m going to like her – not least because she has a parrot that she puts in the tree just outside my back door every day for a stretch of his wings and his vocal chords.
Then there is Bob, a cheery gentleman who helped us with our car the other night when it unexpectedly went kaput on us. We stood in the street and talked for an hour, finding out all about his life before he departed with a: “anything you need help with – just ask. If I can help I will.”
Then there is the elderly lady I bump into when I’m out walking Milla. We’ll call her Pearl (just because I like the name and she has hair the colour of pearls) who maneuvers her trolley and her dog along the road with the ease of a 30-year-old, feeding Molly the dog treats as she goes. I love Pearl – she always has a kind word to share with me and her rosy cheeks and smile make my day.
When I lived a city life there were not enough hours in the day to stop for a chat. Yes I would wave to my neighbours and knew most of them by name, but I never stopped by for a cup of tea and if I saw them in the Supermarket it was unlikely that I would recognise them out of their normal situation. I used to think I wouldn’t like living in a ‘community’ but I realise that actually, I quite enjoy it. A cheery smile here, a little chat there; it’s quite comforting really. And I suppose this is also another main reason why I think we will now always have a permanent base in the UK. Yes we love to travel a great deal and I will forever be in awe of new countries, new languages and new cultures. But I’m English and here is my home (but don’t hold me to it – you know how I chop and change ;-) and when I walked Milla and Isabella out down the lane the other day and bumped into a group of farmers and dog-walkers, it felt great to be able to talk to them with ease about local walks, rather than trying to scramble around my brain furiously trying to find the words in another language.
What are the people like where you live? I would love for you to share some good characters! Or have you discovered a new part of your own country recently? Please share!
Alice Griffin is a writer who lives on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, England. She has just finished writing her first book, Tales from a Travelling Mum, and if you head to her newly revamped website HERE you might even see a few snippets!
Take for instance my neighbour; lets call her Felicity – just because she looks like she could be a Felicity (but of course she is not). Within a week of moving in she was round having a chat and within two had spied my cabbages crammed into borders and offered me space in her garden to grow more “I’ll only ask for a few spoils” she said. So now we have raised beds in our back garden ready for salad items next year, a plot in the front for a few cabbages and in the spring we will have a plot next door where we can grow our root vegetables. Felicity is a hoot and has already stood in our kitchen ‘chewing the fat’ over several cups of tea. I think I’m going to like her – not least because she has a parrot that she puts in the tree just outside my back door every day for a stretch of his wings and his vocal chords.
Then there is Bob, a cheery gentleman who helped us with our car the other night when it unexpectedly went kaput on us. We stood in the street and talked for an hour, finding out all about his life before he departed with a: “anything you need help with – just ask. If I can help I will.”
Then there is the elderly lady I bump into when I’m out walking Milla. We’ll call her Pearl (just because I like the name and she has hair the colour of pearls) who maneuvers her trolley and her dog along the road with the ease of a 30-year-old, feeding Molly the dog treats as she goes. I love Pearl – she always has a kind word to share with me and her rosy cheeks and smile make my day.
When I lived a city life there were not enough hours in the day to stop for a chat. Yes I would wave to my neighbours and knew most of them by name, but I never stopped by for a cup of tea and if I saw them in the Supermarket it was unlikely that I would recognise them out of their normal situation. I used to think I wouldn’t like living in a ‘community’ but I realise that actually, I quite enjoy it. A cheery smile here, a little chat there; it’s quite comforting really. And I suppose this is also another main reason why I think we will now always have a permanent base in the UK. Yes we love to travel a great deal and I will forever be in awe of new countries, new languages and new cultures. But I’m English and here is my home (but don’t hold me to it – you know how I chop and change ;-) and when I walked Milla and Isabella out down the lane the other day and bumped into a group of farmers and dog-walkers, it felt great to be able to talk to them with ease about local walks, rather than trying to scramble around my brain furiously trying to find the words in another language.
What are the people like where you live? I would love for you to share some good characters! Or have you discovered a new part of your own country recently? Please share!
Alice Griffin is a writer who lives on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, England. She has just finished writing her first book, Tales from a Travelling Mum, and if you head to her newly revamped website HERE you might even see a few snippets!
Add a Comment
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Comment by Alice Griffin on November 16, 2009 at 1:52pm -
Lea- hello! well, would you believe that a fellow twittermom linda2love4u just alerted me to my book being on Amazon.com (it must have only just appeared as it's still not on .co.uk so I'm not officially announcing but - OMG!!!) I'm so scared!!!!!
Anyway, noooo - that's a shame. Maybe it will just take a bit of time to meet such folk? I think if anyone can sniff them out - you can ;-)
PS. here is the link to amazon http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Travelling-Mum-Babe-Arms/dp/1905430736/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258408280&sr=8-1
If you do decide to buy it and don't enjoy, one day I will fly on over and take you out for a glass of wine (or tea) by way of saying thank you for buying it anyway :-) xx
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Comment by Lea Curtes-Swenson on November 16, 2009 at 1:44pm -
Alice, is your book officially for sale yet? Can't wait to buy my copy! :)
You know, what you're describing is something that I miss in my new home. I don't if it's because I'm in the city, or if it the much-described "Minnesota Nice/Ice" thing -- but I don't see a lot of that here. Sad, huh?
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Comment by Alice Griffin on November 16, 2009 at 7:12am
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Lynda - hello! EEEK! I'm hoping my book will be a nice read <*gulp*> ... I will be happy if it's a nice read for at least one person ;-) Hazel sounds like my kind of woman ... if the word 'eccentric' is used, I'm usually pretty sure I will like them. I think people who have a bit of something different/interesting about them are usually people who simply enjoy life, enjoy lots of different aspects of it and generally don't care what others think about them. I strive to become more like that every day. Your 'block parties' sound fab. When I was small we had street parties, which I guess are a similar thing. It seems to me that these don't happen so much any more, but in summer just gone there was 'The Big Lunch' here in the UK, which was encouraging communities to all sit down to lunch together on a particular day. I wasn't here at that point, but I hope it happens again next year :-)
Pam - Hello and welcome! Well, we are not completely rural, we live in a small market town in the country. We always dream of owning a place more out in the countryside with some land, but in saying that here we get the benefits of the country, but with all we need on the doorstep. For now I'm enjoying it. Will look forward to finding out about where you end up!
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Comment by pam petrie on November 16, 2009 at 5:59am - we have only lived in the country briefly and really it was not real country. we loved it. we are moving in Febuary and are looking for some place with land
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Comment by Lynda Tatrai on November 15, 2009 at 6:44pm - Your book sounds like it is going to be a nice read! I have some interesting neighbors myself. In my old neighborhood everyone talked and gossiped about everyone and we had block parties on July 4th. People would always visit and the kids with their friends were always running in and out of my house. Now we live in a very quiet neighborhood. The kids are older but still living with us. People are really private here but I have met one interesting character, I'll call her Hazel. I met her over the fence feeding her cat. Another neighbor once said to me," Hazel is eccentric" so I was a little timid about meeting her.She is always moving things in and out of her stuffed garage full of silk flowers and ties her dog to the back of the car to sun itself. It turns out she is as sharp as a tack! She owns real estate and rents them out,owns an antique shop and is very active in theater. She has helped me with my real estate questions and we have wonderful spiritual talks. What I've learned is... pardon the pun,don't judge a book by its cover!
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Comment by Alice Griffin on November 13, 2009 at 12:31am
- Hi Amanda, thank you thank you! ah, yes, this part of the world is beginning to feel like home ... let's watch this space ;-) Thanks for stopping by x
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Comment by Amanda Winters - A+ Plan on November 12, 2009 at 1:55pm - Congrats on the new book! I'm so glad you're enjoying your new home :)
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