What would your ideal lifestyle be?

[WilburIsSomePig]

I'm generally pretty happy with my lot but sometimes I let my mind wander to a different life.

Maybe I would live in a fishing village on a little Greek island, making wine, eating wonderful food and speaking fluent Greek to my many friends. My DC's would work alongside me when they are old enough and our days would be happy, long and sunny.

Oh and I'd be married to Hugh Jackman who would adore me. Obviously.

I would have staff.

I would never have to drive or clean again unless I wanted to.

As long as I had enough money for ski holidays and long summers in the sun I wouldn't mind where I was based,but preferably New York or London, or Paris.I would spend my days in museums and galleries and having lunch with friends. At the weekend we'd go to the country where I'd watch the children having tennis lessons.

I'll join those of you in Knightsbridge- we can compare apartments I will spend my days wandering around galleries and antique book shops and writing my novel which will see the literary world proclaiming me as an exciting new talent.
I will also have a large number of pedigree cats.

A bit what I am planning in the near future, small place in this city, bigger place in another city (but quieter and close to green space) freeing up cash to work in something I choose to do a few days a week. Time to see grown up kids and lots of time with friends and dogs (and lovers) on trips to nice uk places and abroad.
The key to happiness seems to be spending more time with your...animals!

A lot about my lifestyle is pretty close to my ideal. I live in a truly beautiful apartment in the 7th arrondissement of Paris with everything I want or need on my doorstep. I see lots of my family. I adore the community in which I live - it's full of variety and creativity. And the food is fabulous!

For me it would be a nice big house with a wrap-around porch overlooking a lake somewhere near toronto, ideally with a pool and a decent sized garden. I'd do a job that meant travelling in to the city a day a week and working from home a couple of days a week. Dh would do the same. We'd have enough money to travel home as often as we wanted/ pay for people to come out.

Well Wilburs I have a house keeper for a start not in UK though.

Stay in bed watching netflix on sundays, and going to expensive restaurants and monthly holidays to wherever I fancied. And ide never put on weight. We'd let the mil have a granny annex in our huge house in London so that she can look after the kids when we needed her (paid appropriately with plenty of time off of course) the kids would have an amazing social life and I would have real friends to gossip and drink wine with. I would buy real estate and rent to low income families who just need help and a bit of luck, and open a dog shelter.

But right now I would settle with being happy, in a bigger house than we have, with a bit of disposable income unlike now where we trip over each other and live paycheck to paycheck

lovely thread (though it's a good job all the 'remote farmhouse in Scotland' type dreamers don't have their ideal lives or those remote areas would be overcrowded cities by now!)

I have three alternating fantasies:

1. Living in London or New York as a West End or Broadway Musical Actress/Dancer. Living alone in a lovely central apartment (that would definitely not be affordable on an actor's salary!!) Lots of time between rehearsing and performing to go to lots of theatre, have coffee with all my artsy friends in cool cafes, walk around the city and take dance classes.

2. Moving to Brazil (preferably Rio though I know Belo much better) and live in an apartment by the beach (or near friends if in Belo). Open a dance school in a favela for street children and children who aren't in school regularly.

3. Drop out of life altogether (having already made millions somehow) and set off to travel every corner of the world - completely without aeroplanes if possible - , taking photographs, writing journals and experiencing everything there is to experience. I would stay in hostels and meet a brilliant range of local people and other travellers as I went.

I'd love to own a gorgeous cottage up in the moors, peaceful, secluded but a few minutes drive away from civilisation. It'd be beautifully decorated with a real fire and wooden floorboards throughout.

I would have a husband who worked full time and adored me. We would have enough money for me not to work and I could get dogs, have children and spend my days pottering, cleaning, writing novels and snuggling with animals and babies.

I'd have beautiful clothes and cook meals for when my husband returns from work. I'd also be very crafty and have a booming etsy business, which would give me money to play with.

Wow polly yr location sounds fab !

Divide my time between swish London house near a great school (Georgian, Islington, about 6 bedrooms, maybe?) and Greek island (see original post above). Neither of us working, just being paid generously for vague "consulting" every so often. Kids blissfully happy in school, talented at maths, art and some unspecified sport that we could go and cheer them on at every so often. Polo? Maybe not in central London. Rockclimbing, maybe.

Actually, we have a bargain basement version of some of this. Working on the huge house and being paid for being generally great though.

I would live in a small town by a lake somewhere pretty in the USA, perhaps in Vermont. I'd own a small hotel and restaurant but pay others to do the hard work. I'd float about looking important and wowing my guests.

I'd be a big part of the community, arranging charity events that would be the talk of the town.

At Christmas the hotel would be the place to flock to. Amazing parties and events where I could dress up. It would be utterly beautiful.

Boho/hippy lifestyle, live by the sea, yoga on the beach, librarian, sell home-made soap/candles in my spare time.
Pet pig best friend for my dog.
Boyfriend with longish hair, who keeps bees and sells honey on a market-stall, and surfs.

Basically I desire to live in a chick lit novel

I'll be 40 when my children are 18, so maybe not too old to get a chance to live my 'second life'

What a fun thread.

I would be a successful food writer but just do a column or two a week. And own really awesome restaurant in my London area. With a very limited seasonal menu (in the fantasy London is not fed up with these). I'd have a great manager and head chef so I'd just go in once or say or something to talk menus etc. I'd also go to restaurants in london constantly.

I'd have a house in my exact location but it would be a converted church. With five bedrooms (ours would be at the top with gigantic windows and an ensuite) and massive open living space downstairs.

I'd also have a house by the sea. Really big with amazing views from a cliff and space for everyone to come and stay.

I'd have even more DC than I do now.

I would live in the same area but on a small holding with nearest neighbour being a mile away, up a mountain where we would get snowed in.
I would have a beautiful farmhouse (and cleaner to keep it looking lovely), 2 or 3 children running around, chickens, ducks, dogs, donkeys, goats and a pig. I would keep my DH and we would somehow have money so someone else would do the day to day boring bits and we would just waft around between holidays, petting and feeding the animals.

The reality is that I'm in the right area and have dogs that I walk a lot, spend a small fortune on holidays / travelling but will probably never have anywhere big enough for donkeys and goats

Absolutely silly loaded so no need to work. Somewhere consistently warm with a beach, a nice house and a pool.

Allegretto, I think a few of us feel like that at this time of year!

I'd like to live in a city, possibly Edinburgh. I'd have my dog, and a brain-twisting job for a few days a week. Not fussed about fancy cars or expensive things, I'd like like more time to breathe and maybe knock off my doctorate.

I identify as trans-social.

I genuinely struggle with lifestyle dysphoria and at 40 have managed to cope well with this.

I would in the future like to fully transition and live full time as a minor unknown aristocrat with environmental and literary credentials and frankly would like a better situation for the horse. It's tough, there are lots of people who do accept what I really am but i do fuck it up by having takeaways from the kebab shop sometimes.

Our main home and base would be an English Country Estate. my stud and racing stable would be run from here. All very Downton. It would be a working estate and I would take an interest in the farming and operations. I'd go to Cheltenham as an owner and host Point to Points but really piss off the local hunt by banning them from my land. We might host outdoor concerts and plays in the Summer.

However, England can be cold so think I would have a sprawling Villa in the Italian countryside with a successful vineyard attached. It wins awards but I really just taste the wine and give wonderful advice rather than actually work at it. DH, DS and I would spend most Summers here. At least parts of them.

However, we would also have a vair nice townhouse in London. Cadogan Square or something. Just for trips to town, the theatre etc.

We'd also have a rustic fishermans cottage on my favourite Island - Milos. We'd spend weeks here when we wanted to get back to earth and away from the stresses of running a stud, country pile, award winning vineyard etc. DS would fish for squid on the beach with the local children and we'd BBQ them at night under the stars.

I'd also have some sort of amazing career - like a Human Rights QC - but that I only did one or two days a year when I felt "careery" (but in those 2 days I would make a huge impact on whatever cause I was championing an genuinely help people)

Ahhhhhhhh - reality isn't anywhere close :)

No, but I can send you a Cpl of Barbara Taylor Bradfords Catgirl

MadisonMontgomery

"Little log cabin by a lake in the woods somewhere cold, where I could read and walk the dog and potter around."

You're describing my life in the BC Rockies for the last decade, but do be careful what you wish for with regards to "somewhere cold". Having to walk dogs at anything below -20C gets old pretty quickly! Also, log cabins are an utter bastard for dust when your primary heat is a woodstove. Basically single every log's upper surface acts like a little shelf...something you don't (at least I didn't) think of when you buy the picture-postcard property

*every single log's

I'd be a well respected writer and philanthropist living among the intelligentsia in a central London location. Each day would be filled with effervescent conversation and debate. My son would be a well rounded delight and I may have a DP but that might rather spoil the fun.

We have realised part of our dream. We've sold the car and bought an old campervan. Now we just need money, time and a bit better health to travel. Also need to name our camper if anyone has any ideas?

Veronica !