Have you ever heard the old cliché that everything’s better in the countryside? Claiming that problems never seem to follow you into the fields and trees of the country.
I’ve always thought it was rubbish to be honest. I never imagined that simply by leaving the clutter and bustle of the city behind me would ever make the slightest bit of difference to my mood. Well, as it turns out, I may have been wrong.
My hometown is by no means a small place, it’s actually quite a large town meaning it gets quite crowded quite a lot of the time. So when the opportunity arose to go and visit my grandparents deep in the countryside, I could hardly say no.
The small village where my grandparents live is like something you might see on a TV soap. It’s idyllic, the sort of place where everyone knows everything about everyone else, and the sun always seems to shine.
Even the sheep seem to have a curiously optimistic outlook on life. Every time I visit I feel live I have stepped back in time thirty or forty years, to the days before Facebook ruled the world and Jeremy Kyle was king. You can genuinely relax in the country.
Another event made me have a change of heart happened on the trip. We had decided to stop at a nearby farm and stock up on eggs, because well, that’s the sort of thing you do in the countryside.
The farm shop, and I use that term very loosely because in face it was little more than a shed with a supply cupboard, didn’t have a shop assistant, or a cashier, or even a cash till. Instead there was simply a tin where you put your money after you’d taken what you wanted.
In any other circumstance this would be classed as stealing, but because this is the countryside it’s done on faith, and hence the tin was bulging with loose change. We also met what must be the world’s sloppiest guard dog. In between uttering pleasurable moans and dribbling on my new trainers, it was meant to guard the change pot.
I think that’s what has swung the argument in favour of the countryside for me. It’s just such a nice, friendly place to be. Oh sure, there’s virtually no internet about, and if you even think about mentioning Twitter you’ll be strung up from the nearest lamp post. But everything is so laid back and relaxing that any problems you might have brought with you on your exit from the city are quickly vanquished.
This comes from speaking as a man who has a less than modest collection of wool jumpers, the countryside is also a place where I feel relatively fashionable – an upside.
Thankfully, Lincoln is one of those places that’s somehow right between the two worlds. It’s both a city, and an idyllic village. Yes it’s a big place, but it’s also nestled right on the edge of some of the best countryside in Britain. That’s probably why I love it so much – it’s the best of both worlds.
So my advice would be to get out and enjoy the countryside in what’s left of the summer break. You never know, it might do you the world of good.
I happen to live in the countryside. Surrounding my house are rolling fields and woods (if you look beyond the other ugly 1960s houses which blight all Lincolnshire villages) The sound of sheep gently bleating can be heard through open windows on a balmy Summer’s day (along with the constant drone of aircraft noise from the nearby RAF airfield). Yes we do have broadband (although it’s only slightly faster than semaphore)and mobile phones do work (if you stand on one leg with a wire coat hanger on your head). However, there is no pub and public transport is a joke, so driving everywhere is essential. It’s not even cheap to live out here, as many people (the poor, deluded souls) actually want to live in quiet villages!
Personally, I’m all for moving to the city, getting a trendy apartment and blowing the petrol money on beer. Now that would do me the world of good!