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
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