The English Country life.

So in the spirit of keeping you all up to date with everything that I have been up to of late, as promised, I thought I would take this cold English day to listen to tunes, sit on the window sill and tell you all about my new dwellings in the English countryside.

So, as most of you know by now, I decided to take up both and job and residence at a live in pub job in Chilgrove, just at the foot hills of the South Downs National Park. When I first found the job advertised online, I was invited to come down and see the place before taking the job as they wanted to know it was in fact something I wanted. They put me up in one of the hotel rooms that the pub has, and I got to spend the afternoon relaxing in the claw foot bath tub, reading Francesca Lia Block tales that I had read so many times before, and wandering the local area.

The ‘town’ of Chilgrove is about 3 hours walk along the road to the nearest town that has shopping and a train station, or alternatively a 10-18 pound taxi ride away. So it is safe to say that I am certainly far away from everyone. This appealed to me, but at the time of deciding, I was conflicted about whether or not I wanted to stay in Scotland or take this opportunity in the countryside. I felt like I hadn’t given Scotland the go it deserved, however was itching to be moving again. I felt like I was in the “waiting place” and needed to be back out there earning some money to continue my travelling dreams, and a live in pub job certainly gave me that.

The people I had met on this day were super lovely, and it turns out that we have become good friends since then. But ultimately the biggest decision making factor for me was on a walk, I found my own little secret hiding spot in amongst the beautiful scenery. This spot felt…for lack of a better term…right. I felt like this was where I was supposed to be, so I took the job.

…and here I am a month later.

It is a nice place to work, it certainly gets busy, but I have enjoyed getting to know everyone. The staff housing is old converted stables and really quite comfortable. I live with some pretty excellent human beings who enjoy socialising, and share a room with a delightful Spanish girl who shares my passion for photography, and a similar sense of humour. She is teaching me some spanish and I am helping with her English, but it means that there are always some wonderful translation errors that cause us to fall into fits of giggles.

Being so far out in the country means I rarely get phone reception or wifi unless I connect at work (and I try not to go there when it is my days off…protecting my stability of mind, keeping both as separate as possible) however this doesn’t always work out so well when I want to Skype home, so I am there most days either working or stopping in. It is a cosy place to be though…

Country life also means that my closest neighbour is a paddock with horses, which makes my heart happy. I have a new ginger friend who see’s me coming home from work, or walking the ten minutes to work, and follows me along the fence line. I now have to budget into my groceries a bag of carrots purely for this new friend of mine. 

Being surrounded by horses I have this real urge to go riding sometime soon. I have a yearning to reach a gallop, feel the wind whip through my hair and a sense of freedom that I have long since felt. The last time I had that sense was in South America, and like a drug I need my need my next fix.

Needless to say, I am more settled than I have been for a while. As settled as a gypsy can be anyway.

Until next time my lovelies,

B xo

A long overdue update of the gypsy life

Hey friends, I realise that it has been epicly long since I last got into contact with you all. For this I greatly apologise….

You know, I find that I seem to be greatly apologising for this quite regularly… so let’s come to terms with sometimes it is going to be few and far between with my blog posts whilst I sort through the madness and exhilaration that is living overseas.

Firstly since I last spoke to you I have been to Oktoberfest, Prague (my heart is currently still fluttering around here seeking out as much beauty as the city can offer), Hamburg, back home to Australia for my sisters wedding, back to the UK where I had planned to move out of London, and yet found myself back in London working in the home where Oscar Wilde used to live, seeking out his ghost, frolicking in a winter wonderland with mulled wine in hand, exploring the Scottish Highlands under a blanket of snow, to Switzerland for a white Christmas and to bring in the new year, to be taken in by friends in Glasgow to now living the country life in Sussex in the foothills of the South Downs National Park after a several day detour to Iceland.

… So I think it is safe to say that it has been an epic one since I last wrote. 

As amazing as it all sounds (and IT IS just as amazing as it sounds) I have had periods of restlessness with my heart still dreaming, my bank account sticking its tongue out at me, and wondering how I can possibly fit in everything I want into a short life. It has been a period of self discovery for me to calm down, to try new things and to experience everything whilst I am in one spot. Not an easy thing for me when my mind is always racing with possibilities and day dreams. If I don’t learn to quieten it from time to time, I may just miss the things the world offers up to me.

So, I have tried new things, I have stepped out of my comfort bubble, saying yes to things that life offers up. 

Currently I am living in the country with some pretty awesome people working long weeks, replenishing my bank account and when possible going to explore the national park which I now reside in.

As for the future of this wandering gypsy, I can now say that this year is shaping up to being an amazing one following the incredible journey of last year. I am going to Cyprus in just over two weeks, my Sally will come to visit me later in the year and we want to road trip around Ireland, I have just accepted a position to volunteer teaching children in the slums of Dehli, India for a month later in the year also, and am sailing Croatia too. And to fill in the times in-between these great adventures I will be seeing Romeo and Juliet performed at the Globe Theatre in London, and just replenishing the old bank account to continue on forward.

I know I still want to see everything the world has to offer, but I also know you need to work hard to get there.

Until next time my lovelies…

Love B xo