So what difference does it make?

Having moved out of London in late December, we have been here long enough to feel settled in. We know several of our neighbours, we can find our way to various supermarkets/DIY stores without having to use the satnav and we are beginning to find new routines. Not working full time has opened a realm of possibilities and has changed many things.

1. Exercise – firstly, the writer her indoors is able to indulge her exercise passion on a weekday morning, rather that struggling into lycra and t-shirt last minute at 7.54 pm on a Tuesday and risking missing the start of a class she’d rather now not be doing because her day went completely tits-up at work. I run, or should I say jog; less Mo Farah, more Brendan Foster post double hip-replacement. In London, having once suffered a painful ankle injury courtesy of a wobbly pavement, I learnt to jog looking down at my feet. And, whilst this also had the advantage of hiding my exercise face by and large, it did mean that I was confident about surviving a run. Here, in the country, I am learning to look up, look around and be able to enjoy the countryside views, one of which is above. It also means that I can see and thus avoid the tractors which take up 9/10ths of a road…..In addition, there is carte blanche to say ‘good morning’ to passers-by and not feel like the token ‘nutter in the park’.
2. Cooking – I am one of those sad people who, when we used to have dinner parties in London, would have an idée fixe about a recipe to do, only to be thwarted by the line 2/3rds of the way down the page which said:’now leave in the fridge for 24 hours’, noticed 2 hours before friends arrived. I am lucky enough now to have the time for beef to marinade for 8hrs, for cheesecakes to ‘firm up in the fridge overnight’ and to try out new recipes on people because I have to time to re-do them if it all goes pear-shaped.
3. Eating – We are still enjoying several weekends with friends visiting, which means a greater number of three course meals than we are used to on a Friday and Saturday, with more finishing up left-overs on Sunday/Monday evening. This has opened the door to some interesting mix and match suppers – frittata and cumin quinoa was not a success: veggie moussaka and coleslaw was fab – shouldn’t work, but it does. I am keenly enjoying the range of foods that coleslaw complements, even when it has no right to whatsoever.
4. Reading – In full-time employment, reading was definitely only a holiday activity. I developed a love of short stories to try to compensate for this, but even then, all too often, Christmas presents were enjoyed fully at Easter or in July. Now I have the opportunity to sit and indulge, almost when I want and, most importantly, not to feel remotely guilty about it.
5. Watching – With young kids, we used to watch soaps, as 7.30pm provided a real focus for them to be in bed and sorted. As they grew up, habits and the technology changed. The ability to record and store tv programmes made life so much easier (apart from when the box went wrong and we lost a variety of episodes of series we had been saving up!). The box set culture was great for holiday watching and really changed how we engaged with some favourites. ‘Spooks’ was a particular world we loved spending time in and watching 3 or 4 episodes in an evening really enhanced the feeling of being with Ruth and Harry. The same was also true of ‘Madmen’. What is different now is that we can inhabit different worlds now at different times of the day. Our current favourite, a mediochre but engaging medical series, works really well if you start at 4.00ish and then just keep going…

So what difference does it make? Morrissey was wrong with his ‘it makes none’ assertion. The combination of not working full time and living in the countryside has opened up new possibilities, new routines and a renewed enjoyment of some old hobbies.

Eating: Slow roast tomatoes with goats cheese and squash frittata. Served together with basil oil and roast red onion chutney. Recipes from Skye Gyngell, A year in my kitchen.

Drinking: A lovely and local English sparkling, with nibbles and prior to eating the above.

Listening to: I don’t know if you ever wake up with a song stuck in your head for no reason, but I do, so this week I have been obsessed by the late, great Colin Vearncombe, lead singer of Black, best known for ‘Wonderful Life’, a song written when he was broke, so I appreciate the irony; also a favourite for use in adverts. My preferred song – The sweetest smile. I love the fretless bass on the original and there is also a great live version from 2001, recorded in South Africa.