Survival up North - Guest Post from Amelia at Homework

A guest post from my friend Amelia who blogs about interior design and other things over at Homework.  We met at work and kept in touch after ... Well, read the post and you'll see:

18 months ago I gave up a big salary, international business travel and a busy social life in central London and moved to rural Cumbria. My colleagues were astounded. [In between the jealousy and the admiration! - Mrs T].  The nearest wine bar is 10 miles away. There is no 3G in my village, or bus service. But we do have a weekly mobile library (I know, I didn’t think they existed anymore either). And as the average villager is 70+ the WIFI is great, particularly in the evening when presumably they’ve all gone to bed. My family and friends were not so surprised by my decision as they knew I had grown weary of corporate life, but I think even they thought I would take a break and then return. No chance.

My new home in Cumbria

So I spent a few months in the garden. Then I set up a new business as an Interior Designer. No, I hadn’t done it before and no, I don’t have any professional qualifications (yet), but an expert in anything was once a beginner and I was always getting compliments about my home décor so I thought what the hell. If it doesn’t work out I’ll just do something else.

So far it’s working out. I spent more on stationary in my last job than I earn now, but I’m still establishing myself and things are heading in the right direction so no reason to stop. And more importantly I’m happy and healthy.

Before and after shots of a recent project

Mr W stayed in London initially and we embarked on a 5:2 relationship (like the diet but 5 days apart and 2 days together). With all the travel we used to do we didn’t see each other any less. It’s the secret to a long and happy marriage. It did mean learning a few survival tactics though, namely:

1. Always keep a spade, wellies and a torch handy. It rains a lot so at some point you’ll need to unblock a drain/pipe/stream in the dark
2. Get a smart TV and/or Sky. Regular TV is terrible.
3. Make sure you don’t run out of wine, chocolate or salted peanuts. It’s 10 miles to the nearest supermarket.
4. Make friends with your neighbours in case you run out of wine, chocolate or salted peanuts.
5. Find a reliable electrician and plumber and keep them sweet. Things break and it’s cold and dark for a large part of the year so you’ll need them.
6. Keep chickens. The eggs will mean you’ll never starve and you can use them to keep the electrician and plumber sweet.
7. Make sure one of your new friends/neighbours is handy in case you need something lifting, drilling or hammering, or you need a dead chicken disposing of.
8. Make sure one of your new friends/neighbours is proficient in first aid. Particularly if you’re clumsy. I am clumsy. Mr W suggested a panic button when I moved here.

The girls that keep my electrician and plumber sweet

So I managed not to have any serious incidents (only one call for first aid) and I’ve actually enjoyed the freedom and solitude. Don’t get me wrong I’ve had the occasional London trip to get my burrito, sushi and wine bar fixes but I’m always ready to come home after 48 hours.

But now its all change again as Mr W has taken redundancy and we’ve figured out he can afford to retire early. It’s great news but I might need to compile another list of survival tactics to prevent us killing each other…..

AW

I'm hoping that once the survival list is compiled, I'll be able to tempt Amelia back to share it.

Ever made a similar life change?  Let me know in the comments.  Or, if you have some survival tips to help Amelia and Mr W not kill each other, then please share them.

If you'd like to guest post on Someplace Strange, then please contact me on nawood3k at hotmail dot co dot uk.  Thank you

More Amelia:

Website: http://www.ameliawilsoninteriors.co.uk/home.html 

Blog: http://mrsw.co.uk

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/@Mrs__W/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmeliaWilsonInteriors/?ref=hl 

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/ameliasstuff/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrswpics/ 

Houzz http://www.houzz.co.uk/pro/amy-wilson52/amelia-wilson

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