Home is a curious concept isn’t it? How do you define it? Is it your birthplace, where you spent childhood, or where you’ve lived longest? I’m not sure. What I do know, from my own nomadic lifestyle, of settling and moving to different places is that home has been fluid. It’s changed constantly and I think that’s somewhat unusual.
This past year though has seen us marooned at home in east Norfolk, and, like the rest of the world, we have been anchored, and, apart from the odd weekend of travel to London and Oxford, this NR postcode has been our jail. I use jail in the loosest term as, like the Apple iOS jail, Norfolk is a very nice place to be imprisoned in.
I realised too when looking through memories of photos on Facebook that we’re approaching our 14th year in the Far East, since relocating in July 2008 from the Isle of Axholme (Crowle near Scunthorpe) and, apart from childhood from 0 to 18 in Thorne, Doncaster, it’s the longest I’ve stayed anywhere.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some horrendous times here in the latter stages of my teaching career in two toxic Norfolk schools.
But … the past 6 years and the 5 years before the torrid intermission of two brief stints in schools, have been very happy times. My son moved here at 7 years of age with us and has loved the lifestyle of beaches and zero crime. My daughter, nearly 15, has no memories of the north at all.
They don’t particularly like living in Norfolk – Bradwell, a nice suburb of Yarmouth, won’t have the vibe of Cardiff where my son, James, is studying French and English Literature, whilst my daughter would love to live nearer London (wouldn’t we all?)
But I’ve belatedly stopped itching my feet and can see the bigger picture that Norfolk is an excellent place to call home.
There are irritations about the area – the road network is pants, the winters can be cold, but the skies, the sunshine, the summers and safety of the area compensate in buckets (and spades).
Car insurance and home insurance is low, we’ve seen no crime except a car being keyed in 13 years here and there’s a general calm about the area that I attribute to Vitamin D levels – the sunshine.
I actually love where we live – it’s just 35 minutes to Norwich which is great (by day), we have rural walks on our doorsteps, excellent beaches down the road and market chips in Great Yarmouth to die for!
Finally, I’ve built a very successful freelance web design and copywriting business that is riding high on Google in Norfolk and further afield.
I think, now Brexit has temporarily scuppered relocation to Spain or France, that Norfolk will be home for a much longer period of time – and that pleases me.
