Should probably point out je needs to be pluralised to nous, but Edith Piaf may turn in her grave.
No, we really have no regrets.
About moving.
Rewind to January 2022 and we had this idea of living in Norwich and after so many false starts, of deciding to relocate before, this time we meant it. The house went up for sale, sold within 3 days, and after a few false turns, we found our new home, a 2 bedroomed fifth floor apartment in NR3 with river and cathedral views from a builder with a superb reputation.
Now to say we’ve adjusted and coped is a massive understatement. We love every aspect of city life – the walks, the cycle rides, the retail and restaurants, the architecture, the cosmopolitan vibe of the place, along with a perfect home.
As you may know, we sold a 5 bedroomed detached home with double garage in Bradwell, Yarmouth and abandoned 3 bedrooms, a home office, a garden for a 2 bedroomed “condo” (I watch YouTube a lot sorry). We’ve a container filled with belongings in storage in Lowestoft, in case city life became shitty life, but no, we have no regrets.
My working week is still the same – I work Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm with breaks at my standing desk from home. I write blogs, email campaigns, manage social media for a select few and design websites. I don’t over-work at all – I’ve done enough of that with teaching for 27 years, but I’m diligent, creative and reliable and make a good living from that electric desk, perched next to the drip of a Nespresso machine.
The difference now though is that instead of punctuating my schedule with daily dog walks around Bluebell Woods, we swim, walk, cycle, paddle board, dine out, shop in one of the best cities in the UK – Norwich. It’s a place we’ve always gravitated to at weekends as there’s so much to see and do here.
But now, we live in Norwich and love it.
I’ve managed to land in the promised land of the “Google map pack” for the search term “Norwich web designer” and its variants, meaning I’m rubbing shoulders with web design agencies who employ big teams, whilst me, Stuart Walton, has managed that ascent single-handedly without a marketing team, without copywriters, without SEO experts.
Good isn’t it?
Yesterday, with it being Saturday (a day I used to work on), I joined a group of swimmers at Cow Tower on the Wensum to swim with them at 10am. It’s a regular Saturday event and I was sceptical until I saw one of the group, Simon (blind from birth) bravely enter the river. That takes courage, so I plunged in.
1.5km swimming done, I felt wonderful and have promised to partake again most Saturdays.
Today, Sunday, we hired paddle boards from Lee at Norfolk Paddle Boards, and he, Eric and Amelie were delightful in helping and guiding us on only my second outing after Fritton Lake.
Despite not standing, just sitting and kneeling, the experience from Bishop Bridge to the sluice at New Mills Yard was wonderful. Tricia fell in near the Ribs of Beef pub, but she got back on again no problem and paddled back to Lee and the Red Lion, Bishopgate, where I’ve already introduced myself to Elle, the lovely manager there.
Tomorrow, it’s back to the grind. But, as you can see, freelancing and this lifestyle is no grind at all. It’s positively pleasurable.
What I would say to anyone, naively you may think, is that you only get one life. Instead of working to make others rich, find something you love doing that you can make a living from, set a work-life balance and enjoy it. I’ve seen colleagues from teaching hang on in classrooms or schools until 60, with beefy pensions when they retire, only to die well before 70. That’s not living, is it?
