A Country Life

I feel like a country girl born and bred. Since I was a tiny baby we have either been on long walks in the countryside or lived in houses slap bang in the middle of it. The house where I spent the first years of my life was a two up two down in a suburban cul-de-sac but looming on the slope above the houses stood a dense wood of wizened trees. To get to the little gate that lead to the wood we passed our best friends’ house. I remember my older brother and his friend being allowed to venture into the wood alone whilst I had to wait behind for the grown ups.

Our next house was the renovated old pig barn of a local farm and had miles of fields and woodland surrounding it. I was a little older by this time and remember spending hours at a brook with over-hanging trees which made a tunnel of foliage that surrounded you once you were inside. We would damn the stream with sticks and stones and then head off to the post office in the village to buy sweets. The farmer whose land it was probably didn’t find our childish endeavours very helpful and, after an encounter with him in which I’m sure I saw him cocking his gun, we lived in constant, gleeful fear of getting caught.

Our next move was back to another cul-de-sac in a rural town. Every weekend saw us getting dressed in walking boots and cagoules and setting off into the surrounding countryside for long family walks. I was nearing teenage hood and sometimes battled against going along but by now being outside in nature was in my blood.

When we found our dream family house with its own fields and piece of woodland I immediately fell in love with it. By now though I felt more adult than child and wished we could have lived there all my life so that I could have played hide and seek in the woods, made up fairy tales in the meadow and maybe even have owned my own horse! Now that I have moved away and lived solely in cities I treasure my time at our family home and hope that my parents will chose to stay there until I have children who can make the most of the land and grow up, like I did, in the countryside.

Due to my rural upbringing I find it difficult, at times, living in the city away from green spaces and open horizons. Most weekends see me and D wrapping up warm and taking a trip out to the beautiful countryside that surrounds Edinburgh. I have never wanted to move to a huge city because too many large buildings, pavements of grey concrete, crowds of people and traffic make my head feel cramped. I dream of having a house in the countryside where I can open the front door and walk straight into fields and hills. Until then I will make like my mum and set out on walks of a weekend.