Your Perfect (imagined) Life!

[Jitters22]

You have a blank piece of paper and a pen (or a post on Mumsnet) .... write down/describe your perfect life.

What would it be, where would you be living, in what part of the world or would you have homes in more than one place? Who would you be living with or would you prefer to be living alone?

What would your home look like, the rooms, the furnishings, the garden, the exterior? What would you be doing for a career or not, or would you prefer not to have to work?

Would you have loads of money, or be happier with just enough to get comfortable? Or would you prefer to live a more minimalist or even frugal lifestyle with very little in the way of possessions or wealth?

How would you spend your leisure time; would you like to be able to devote lots of time to a hobby or interest, and would you have any ambitions, or not?

It can be anything you like, anywhere you like, as much or as little as you like - but what would be your Perfect Life?

I’d love to be a journalist writing an article

The whole beauty of an imagined life is that you don't have to choose one. You can change details or the whole thing - the attractiveness is in not nailing it down and making it specific.

@BananasApplesKiwi

I’d love to be a journalist writing an article

Brilliant

Please tell us your perfect life OP then others can join in.

@BananasApplesKiwi

I’d love to be a journalist writing an article

You first, op

@BananasApplesKiwi

I’d love to be a journalist writing an article

Hahaha I am as far from a journalist as you are likely to get.

I'm a wrinkled old mumsnetter of many years standing, currently on a name change.

Ask Mumsnet to check me out or report me. Go on! Do it!

I often daydream about my 'perfect life' and thought it would make a nice thread.

Of course I forgot that there is always some miserable cynical fucker on Mumsnet ready to put the mockers on even the most well intentioned thread.

I'd be a single woman with just my cats for company, no children. I'd live in a small seaside town where most people go to retire. I'd work in a library and my hobby would be painting, I'd sit on the seafront painting the scenery. My house would be a small cottage with wooden beams and my furnishings would suit the style of the cottage. I'd have blankets instead of a quilt. I wouldn't have much money but I'd have a spare room to paint/read in. My garden would be a small patio with pots of various plants. I'd be friendly with all my neighbours and they would leave gifts of vegetables and fruits they grow in their gardens, I'd visit them often and they'd tell me tales of their grandchildren and be thankful of my company and a friendly face.

Although I'm single I do have a bit of a thing with my neighbours gardener on the quiet. A few people suspect and for a while people will whisper rumours but it'll die down eventually. I wouldn't have many friends my own age, mainly older folk who are retired and I enjoy listening to their life stories - maybe I'd even write some of them down in my journal.

Thinking about it, maybe this is the life I'd choose because my own parents haven't been great and I like to think of these older people as my adopted parents/grand parents

@ElEmEnOhPee

I'd be a single woman with just my cats for company, no children. I'd live in a small seaside town where most people go to retire. I'd work in a library and my hobby would be painting, I'd sit on the seafront painting the scenery. My house would be a small cottage with wooden beams and my furnishings would suit the style of the cottage. I'd have blankets instead of a quilt. I wouldn't have much money but I'd have a spare room to paint/read in. My garden would be a small patio with pots of various plants. I'd be friendly with all my neighbours and they would leave gifts of vegetables and fruits they grow in their gardens, I'd visit them often and they'd tell me tales of their grandchildren and be thankful of my company and a friendly face.

Although I'm single I do have a bit of a thing with my neighbours gardener on the quiet. A few people suspect and for a while people will whisper rumours but it'll die down eventually. I wouldn't have many friends my own age, mainly older folk who are retired and I enjoy listening to their life stories - maybe I'd even write some of them down in my journal.

Thinking about it, maybe this is the life I'd choose because my own parents haven't been great and I like to think of these older people as my adopted parents/grand parents

Bless you @ElEmEnOhPee for taking this thread in the spirit in which it was intended.

Your perfect life sounds very much like my perfect life, although I would prefer being in the countryside as opposed to a seaside town as I live in one already. I wouldn't mind a nice river or lake or pond nearby though, but hills, even mountains and semi-isolation would be my preferred surroundings.

The cats, the small beamed cottage, not much money and the artistic life all chime with my own dream.

I'd live alone (apart from the cats) and I would like a workshop of some kind outside as I like buying and up-cycling old wooden furniture but I have nowhere to do it at the moment, other than my kitchen table or the garden in summer, and no real equipment. I would love to have a place outside with the space and jigsaws, and bandsaws and lathes and all the gear.

I'd also like a vegetable garden and greenhouses and would get back into winemaking which I used to do years ago, using seasonal ingredients like rosehips, elderberries, and elderflowers, blackberries and so on. I'd also love to have a go at making my own cheese and bread. I watch countless videos about cheese and bread making on YouTube but have never actually tried.

The thought of sitting outside in my cottage garden eating my own bread and cheese and drinking my own wine on a Summer's evening sounds like heaven to me.

Small cottage in the countryside away from everyone else. Cosy interior, garden with plants, herbs and flowers. A few fruit trees. Some chickens and cats. A very quiet life spent crocheting and pottering around. Lots of cups of tea.

@Jitters22 Ahh we can be neighbours! I love the idea of upcycling furniture and would love to join you in your garden on a summers evening, it sounds perfect!

I also live in a seaside town now, I could be persuaded to move to a small village, village life might be better really as long as the village wasn't too far from the sea

Ohh I've thought of another hobby I'd like, foraging!

In my perfect world I'd have a bundle of kids (maybe 4?) and spend my days enjoying them. We'd have more money, naturally, and DW would work less. And a nice big house for us all to move freely around, by the sea.

As it is I only have (and will ever have) 1 DC, who I'm so grateful for, but it does make me so sad.

@BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation

Small cottage in the countryside away from everyone else. Cosy interior, garden with plants, herbs and flowers. A few fruit trees. Some chickens and cats. A very quiet life spent crocheting and pottering around. Lots of cups of tea.

So strange that the three of us who have posted so far (I'm ignoring the cynics up above ) are all opting for the quiet, rural cottage lifestyle.

Pottering around in our gardens, growing fruit and vegetables, making tea and wine and croqueting and woodworking and so on.

Does everyone yearn for the quiet life or are there those you dream of the New York Penthouse, night clubs, private jets and so on?

Post your dreams here.

@ElEmEnOhPee

I'd be a single woman with just my cats for company, no children. I'd live in a small seaside town where most people go to retire. I'd work in a library and my hobby would be painting, I'd sit on the seafront painting the scenery. My house would be a small cottage with wooden beams and my furnishings would suit the style of the cottage. I'd have blankets instead of a quilt. I wouldn't have much money but I'd have a spare room to paint/read in. My garden would be a small patio with pots of various plants. I'd be friendly with all my neighbours and they would leave gifts of vegetables and fruits they grow in their gardens, I'd visit them often and they'd tell me tales of their grandchildren and be thankful of my company and a friendly face.

Although I'm single I do have a bit of a thing with my neighbours gardener on the quiet. A few people suspect and for a while people will whisper rumours but it'll die down eventually. I wouldn't have many friends my own age, mainly older folk who are retired and I enjoy listening to their life stories - maybe I'd even write some of them down in my journal.

Thinking about it, maybe this is the life I'd choose because my own parents haven't been great and I like to think of these older people as my adopted parents/grand parents

You should write a novel! This sounds just perfect!!

I’d live in a little village in Maine. Somewhere near a lake. Amazing views. I would be great at yoga and meditation and have the most beautiful house with the right balance of matching and eclectic furnishings. I’d be contented and not suffer from any imposter syndrome/ intrusive thoughts. My mind would be quiet and contented. Jamie Dornan would be my husband. He’d be an incredible carpenter or artist. Creative, inspiring, attentive. I would keep the children I have I guess .

You should write a novel! This sounds just perfect!!

It would possibly be the most boring and uneventful novel of all time, I aim for a drama free perfect life The only "scandal" would be my secret liaisons with the gardener!

I would keep the children I have I guess

You're far kinder than me. In my perfect life I've erased my DS, I love him and everything but I'd give anything for a bit of peace

@Catsolitude

I’d live in a little village in Maine. Somewhere near a lake. Amazing views. I would be great at yoga and meditation and have the most beautiful house with the right balance of matching and eclectic furnishings. I’d be contented and not suffer from any imposter syndrome/ intrusive thoughts. My mind would be quiet and contented. Jamie Dornan would be my husband. He’d be an incredible carpenter or artist. Creative, inspiring, attentive. I would keep the children I have I guess .

This made me smile so much and actually the line Jamie Dornan would be my husband made me gulp with laughter precisely as I was taking a sip of tea!

My sis used to live in America (upstate New York) and I've always had a thing about New England, especially Maine. If I lived in America then that is where I would like to be.

But ultimately I like our little island, and would be quite happy to have my rural idyll here. First choice would be West Wales, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, West Sussex, Gloucestershire or Yorkshire.

I would stress though, that at my rural retreat, regardless of where on planet earth it might be, I would like an excellent internet connection, so I could connect with other like-minded individuals on Mumsnet.

I'd live by the seaside, within easy walking distance of the beach, in a small town with independent shops, in a house I own, Victorian but with large windows letting in a lot of light and a bedroom where I can place my bed opposite a large window with a sea view. I'll have just enough money to not have to worry about bills etc, although it would be nice to have enough to help my kids out. I'll have a dog, preferably a king Charles spaniel with no health problems, and two siamese cats. I'll have room for lots of bookcases which will be full of books, a lovely old desk to sit at for writing and crafting, a wood burning stove. My friends will be nearby so I can meet up with them for coffee etc in small independent cafes. My kids will all be happy and settled in jobs they enjoy and happy relationships. I'll have a lovely south facing garden with running water feature. I'll be retired, but will volunteer with meals on wheels or keeping isolated people company. I'll swim in the sea every morning.

Well we are currently at risk of being homeless so my perfect life would involve owning a house of my own, nothing too big, a simple 3/4 bed would be perfect for us.
My DH would most probably still be doing the job he does now, I’d be a SEND TA and I’d be driving.
We wouldn’t need lots of money, just enough to get us by each month with a little left over for savings/treats etc and to be able to not worry about the cost of groceries or panicking if something breaks or if the children need new clothes etc, I’d love to not worry about money and just enjoy life, I hate my children having such a stressed mummy at the moment :(

Cottage on the west coast of Ireland, cosy and with a sea view. A couple of holiday lets so I could have visitors any time, but not in the house.

@EmpressSuiko

Well we are currently at risk of being homeless so my perfect life would involve owning a house of my own, nothing too big, a simple 3/4 bed would be perfect for us. My DH would most probably still be doing the job he does now, I’d be a SEND TA and I’d be driving. We wouldn’t need lots of money, just enough to get us by each month with a little left over for savings/treats etc and to be able to not worry about the cost of groceries or panicking if something breaks or if the children need new clothes etc, I’d love to not worry about money and just enjoy life, I hate my children having such a stressed mummy at the moment :(

Oh @EmpressSuiko

I'm so sorry to hear that.

I've never been faced with being homeless in my life and I can't imagine how that must be, especially with young children.

I've lived in houses I've hated and houses I've been happy in, but it's always been a roof over my head and I can't imagine what it must be like to have to worry about that.

I hope things take a turn for the better, and you are able to find a secure home and income for you and your children in 2022.

I would live on a caribbean island, work in a bar and drink strawberry daquris on the beach on my day off or go horse riding

My dream life...

My dh and dc and dpets all with me

We live in a rural house, I look out the windows and all I see are moors.

I buy all my meat from the local butcher and my veg and fruit from the greengrocers on the market

We have land for our own horse
I own my own equestrian facility. Teaching kids to ride and rent from stables (dh can continue to do his job from home!)

This isnt too far from the truth... we live just outside the peak district and today drove 20mins to a peak district town surrounded by beautiful scenery and bought a pheasant for tea (but got my veg in morrisons )
Dc does horseride but its someone elses horse

I look out my window and see other lovely houses and THEN the hills

And I work corporate... not equestrian

Today though i did have a moment where I thought "I am the person I want to be" and that made me happy

Large plot of wood land
In the middle, I'd love in a self sufficient cabin with solar, wood burner, water purifier etc etc.

For.oncome, I'd have a small holiday cottage in one corner of the woodland, rent it out as an Airbnb or holiday cottage etc.

@StopStartStop

Cottage on the west coast of Ireland, cosy and with a sea view. A couple of holiday lets so I could have visitors any time, but not in the house.

Sounds like heaven!|