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HELP! People who have moved to the country from London I need your advice (long, sorry)...

432 replies

CountessDracula · 16/03/2005 13:25

Am having a mare

We live in London currently in a lovely house in v nice area (which we are just finishing doing up) with lots of friends, great primary schools, dd just settled in brilliant nursery, easy journey to work etc...

AND NOW....dh has been offered an excellent job in Winchester. I grew up there and am tbh not overly keen on going back, though if I look at it objectively I can see the benefits (near parents, bigger house with garden 10 x size of current one, no planes, traffic etc, dh will have much chiller lifestyle, we will get to do country things (whatever those are, stumbling around in shite IME))

BUT... I love living in London. I have lived here for 20 years, I love it. When I go to the country I go bonkers. Everything is so slow and annoying. The shops are crap. The food is awful and even nice restaurants give you bloody baby corn and mange tout with everything. Culture is non-existant (I love theatre, opera, gigs etc and go a lot). I will miss all my friends. Plus I will have to commute 4 days a week and it would add at least 40 mins each way onto my journey, but not sure I would really mind that as could sleep in the morning and work in the evening (or drink v&t lol!) I would still see dd in the evenings.

My question is, once I am there, would I chill out and stop being such an arsehole about all this or am I doomed to a life of dissatisfaction and woe? I don't want to go if so!

Other downsides - the schools are nowhere near as good, would have to pay for private in all probablility. There is nothing to do as a teenager but get pissed and take drugs. There is NO WAITROSE (ok that is my main problem I admit )

I really really want to do this for dh. He reckons he has no prospects in London. This firm tried to get him twice already and he turned them down (about 3 years ago). They are, for them, offering him the earth. He will take a paycut but will have much better prospects and life. I want to make him happy but I don't want to make myself miserable in the process.

WHAT DO I DO?

OP posts:
alicatsg · 16/03/2005 15:48

Yeah Fulford is where I was (actually Poets Way). Reasonably quiet and very walkable into town. Close to Westgate gets really manic in the school run times.

alicatsg · 16/03/2005 15:48

i can't spell today

CountessDracula · 16/03/2005 15:49

Look on this site it's the one in Fairfield Rd for 1800pcm

Not putting the for sale one on!

OP posts:
CountessDracula · 16/03/2005 15:49

(you have to click available properties first)

OP posts:
Lonelymum · 16/03/2005 15:49

A had a good frien in Byron Avenue, but all I hear about that area now is the fight against a phone mast put up at the top of the hill.

Lonelymum · 16/03/2005 15:52

They want to let it for 12 months though!

CountessDracula · 16/03/2005 15:55

That's ok

OP posts:
CountessDracula · 16/03/2005 15:56

would have to do a year at least I figure to work out if we liked it - look at ks it took her 2!

OP posts:
Caligula · 16/03/2005 16:00

CD, I grew up in London, and yes, I did use it (you do when you're a teenager - I stopped using it in my mid -twenties, when I lived in Fulham and all my money went on rent!)

CountessDracula · 16/03/2005 16:21

Yes so did dh.

OP posts:
ks · 16/03/2005 16:43

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CountessDracula · 16/03/2005 16:45

ooh ks don't go there now, you are happy there are you not? I hold you up as my beacon of "it can be done!"

OP posts:
ks · 16/03/2005 16:49

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SoupDragon · 16/03/2005 16:53

No Waitrose??

CountessDracula · 16/03/2005 16:53

right am off to WAITROSE with my flu
Maybe am just so negative as have flu

OP posts:
Keane · 16/03/2005 16:59

I would say commute first, see what happens. him commute not you

heartinthecountry is moving there from london, dont know what she has to say on the matter

Enid · 16/03/2005 17:32

I moved to Dorset from London several years ago because of dh's job. I still miss London loads. I don't think I am really cut out for country life. It helped me immeasurably to get a job - now I get to spend time with people who think the country is as crap as I do

Seriously, spending all day baking cakes and talking about Cath Kidston/Mark Warner makes you feel insane. A bit of time spent like that is fine - when it is your whole life it is very depressing.

Is there really no Waitrose? Does Ocado deliver to Winchester?

ks · 16/03/2005 17:40

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bossykate · 16/03/2005 17:46

lol ks, can't believe the words cath kidston or mark warner are never even in chiswick!

ks · 16/03/2005 17:52

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lou33 · 16/03/2005 17:54

ks, step away from this thread....

Cod · 16/03/2005 17:56

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Enid · 16/03/2005 17:56

I am sure they are uttered in Chiswick, but people take them very seriously down here. Oh, and Emma Bridgwater too.

Remember that most people you meet down here have relocated from London and are therefore determined to do the whole Country Style Thing absolutely Properly.

Enid · 16/03/2005 17:57

Coddy its alright, I have a new gang now, they don't care about all that so much

ks · 16/03/2005 17:59

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