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.

Luxury log cabin in Montana, lots of spare rooms for friends, all my family living just down the road. Married to a Jason Momoa type who rescues animals and makes things out of wood. I write published, award-winning short stories, do lots of horse-riding and riding on the back of his Harley.

I have been stalking my dream life for a few years now, having seen the house on rightmove (some bastard bought it) I have redecorated of course ,made a vegetable garden, put in a lovely vintage look greenhouse and turned part of the triple garage into a studio. I am not sure whether or not to turn the derelict stable into two cottages for guests and or staff. On balance I think I probably will, useful for carers in the future , I think I should be employing a gardener and a cleaner and I have no interest in keeping horses. On the lookout now for either a pair of daxies or a highland terrier .

I think it should be clear that in my dream life I won the lottery to pay for all this. Having read some previous posts I now realise I also need a little pied a terre in London, oh dear, Barbican or mansion block near Sloane Square? What a dilemma.

We'd live in the same area, but in a village and in a big gated detached 5 bed. DH would have a more senior, well paid job as he loves to work. The job would come with lots of perks like an in house crèche, free holidays and a company car. I wouldn't work, but I would sing at weddings/events. We would have a cleaner, a personal trainer and a nanny for my DS. I would be slim, go to the health club/ gym every day, get my highlights done every 6 weeks and do daily yoga. I would have lots of friends who actually invited me places and made an effort with me. I would have v regular sex with DH and wear lovely matching underwear every day. I would host amazing elaborate parties for any tiny occasion. I would also have a brood of 4 kids; all polite, gorgeous and v intelligent of course.

A much higher salary. Able to afford a nice flat / house in London, a nice modern place. Weekend trips everywhere. Long haul holidays. A nice active social life with nice friends and dinners out and opera visits. A decent guy who doesnt cheat like all the rest did.

Basically my exact life now except with a partner I'm crazy in love with, and a bit more successful in my current career. And maybe a house in the same neighbourhood I rent my flat in.

Walking Dead redneck wife

I'm pretty content with our life as it is, but my dream life would include an apartment in a pretty, characterful village in the mountains for lots of ski weekends in winter (we used to ski loads before we had kids, but time/money now constrains us to one week-long trip - whereas I'd prefer several long weekends, like we used to do).

It would also include my parents living round the corner to help out with childcare (they're 100 miles away, so we get hardly any help, ever), and abolishing the tedious constraints of term-times, which currently rule our lives.

And actually, if we're talking dream lives here, I'd choose a more relaxed, fun and sporty DP, who loves travel and sex as much as I do. DH is lovely, but he's uptight, not adventurous enough, and a bit boring!

Oh and finally I'd have a lovely place on the Med, where we could spend the entire summer holidays - not just a week or two Greece, Italy, France or Spain - I wouldn't mind which.

My gay friends from Sydney would have you believe that Mr Jackman is not necessarily the husband who'd give you what you need.

Loving reading about everyone else's dreams too, makes me realise that I'm not the only one!

I'd like to live in a house with a countryside view - essentially, somewhere where I don't have to see or hear other people and where there's a lot of wildlife - but within driving distance of a nice town with a bookshop, a couple of places to eat and somewhere to buy nice food we'll gloss over the fact that I can't actually drive.

Neither me or DP would need to work. I would write books and we'd travel a lot and have regular city breaks for museums, theatre trips, the odd bit of shopping etc. DP has a hobby that involves a lot of travelling around the UK so I'd go with him when he was going somewhere nice.

I'd live in a large, tastefully decorated period property with outbuildings for guests and plenty of land.

DH and the kids would be allowed to live there too but I would have my own bathroom, dressing rooms with walk in wardrobes for all my amazing clothes and loads of just for me living space.

We would have a nanny, a gardener and a cleaner. I would work in a job I loved but only a couple of days a week for personal fulfilment. My children would be healthy, happy and well behaved. My mum and the in laws would live nearby.

I would have plenty of me time and sleep. I would be in great shape and have loads of time for exercise. We would go on several holidays a year including a couple of weekend breaks without the children. No money worries.

We would live near a beautiful sandy beach but still close to all amenities, great schools and an attractive town centre with excellent shopping bars and restaurants. (I have no idea where this place is but am open to suggestions!)

I'd like a smallholding and extra land so I could renovate an old train carriage and rent it out as a holiday let. It would have crisp white bedlinen, carefully chosen crockery, a reclaimed luxurious bathroom and a wood burner. I would provide a hamper of my own, and local produce and lots of information about bike rides and walks.

In another field, I would have a comfortable cabin for therapeutic holidays for children who have experienced trauma, and their families/carers. It would also have beautiful bedlinen and a woodburner behind a guard. There would be gentle, rescued Shetland ponies to groom, chickens to feed and collect eggs from, sheep to make friends with and friendly moggies to stroke.

This would be situated around the Ribble Valley, or Trough of Bowland in Lancashire.

I would also have a small, personal bolthole, next to the sea in rural Spain.

It felt nice typing all that out!

I'd be one of those cultural-critics-for-rent who turn up on Radio 4 and the odd BBC4 show to do a segment on Tolstoy or give an opinion on eighteenth-century fashion or whatever.

My actual job would be indeterminate but I'd get plenty of the above offers.

I'd 'take August off' every year and spend it in my picturesquely crumbling old pile in coastal Suffolk or similar, visited by streams of fascinating and bohemian friends bearing bottles and hampers, proof copies of the hottest upcoming books, and fabulous gossip.

I'd have a little flat in Amsterdam, on a canal, painted all white and really simple and sparse, just full of light.

And I'd keep my house in London because I love my neighbourhood, but I'd have the money to finally get it revamped and redecorated.

I'd also have a flat, or a standing invite to housesit, in somewhere urban and cool but by water. Maybe Vancouver.

Theres nothing like hope, is there abd. Its not been taxed, yet.
Having my own island with a yacht on a beach with see through water.
Champagne on ice with chocolate fondue every evening. A large swimming pool and a sauna.
And loads of cute baby animals for pets.. Crocodiles monkeys elephants. Oh and a live in beautician.
All with dd of course. Oh and I suppose dp, as well