Recently, someone asked me if I had a preference for urban or country living. This led on to a discussion on the pluses and minuses of both.
I suppose unless each has been experienced, it is unfair to expect a true answer. We have perceptions about certain things.
I am lucky enough to live in a very lovely area. It is near the sea and also near unspoiled rural areas, so plenty of wild and sea life.
To me, there is nothing better than being out of doors. I love the sound of the water and the wind, its almost as if the natural elements are communing with one and other. It is spiritually uplifting, and many problems have been turned around or ironed out after an hour or two with nature. It is all so much bigger than we are and can put things in perspective.
THE CITY
I have lived in cities for study and work reasons but in the long term, it was not the life for me.
Admittedly it has many easily accessible attractions.
Shops....eating places...galleries...bars....concerts and any number of social venues.
Travelling around is easy and cost effective. Meeting up with friends or business contacts is simple.
So what`s not to like?
I find it all like a bit of a game really.
It all starts at university for many....that seat of learning or more accurately socializing, where so much importance is put on the university "experience".
It can be a bit of a mixed bag. Increasingly it seems, there are many young people who although appearing extremely confident and articulate, have a nagging anxiety about leaving the often extreme comfort and support of home, and spreading their wings in a new environment with people from a diverse section of the world.
Having been brought up with social media, some young students have an expectation that in order to fit in at uni, or anywhere else for that matter, they have to be popular and sing from the same sheet as everyone else.
This of course is the antithesis of what uni is really about. Part of its role is to challenge the mainstream and encourage critical and individual thinking.
Following on from the over indulgence of social calories during degree time, graduates enter into the workplace with little or no work skills, but still have the expectation for the importance of social acceptance and interaction.
Assuming employment is found, the long hard slog of learning how to work and fit in with others in a completely different environment to uni life begins.
This is where city life really comes in to its own. It is there on tap pretty much 24/7.
It provides instant gratification for any anxieties which may be playing on the minds of any young person newly in the work place.
Feeling lonely....anxious...depressed...happy.....confident...liberated, there is something for everyone in the city which will either provide a temporary sticking plaster solution or indeed become so enjoyable it becomes a complete way of life.
That endless social contact list collected through uni years can be put to great use and added to as life progresses in the city.
Of course not everyone arrives in the city through university.
Many are city born and bred, others come for work from different parts of the country, and many come from abroad for a variety of reasons.
There will also be people with no job, often through no fault of their own, people who are displaced from their country of origin, and people who have health and social needs. These same people are trying to survive in a city which favours those with money to spend. Money which is needed to keep the whole show on the road.
All will view city life through different eyes.
Most cities are beautiful in their own right. Some are of an industrial nature which reflects the reasons for their existence.
Others have very obvious historical connections with buildings and areas within the city highlighting this.
Modern cities have a more abstract architectural edginess using materials such as glass and steel which radiates a feeling of creativity and ambition.
With all this thumbs up to city life, does anyone ever want to leave it?
Well yes. At week-ends, days off and at holiday time, there is a regular mass exodus.
WHERE DO PEOPLE GO AND WHY?
The simple answer is to escape the routine to a place of contrast, and find something that can`t be found in the city
It could mean doing something simple like visiting a park, (which could be in the city) or visiting the sea or countryside, or taking a foreign visit.
This escape may be a very occasional one or a very regular one. (Finance often dictating the latter)!
It seems that this escape provides people with an alternative to city life. It generally includes aspects such as the sea, green space and contact with nature.
MY PREFERENCE.
In contrast, my preference is life in the country side for all sorts of reasons.
I am not against cities, I have lived and worked in several and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and like the city dweller taking a seaside pilgrimage, I will happily visit a city to shop, eat out, visit social events and concerts, but am always glad to return to the countryside.
I suppose it is the environment in which I grew up and feel most comfortable. I`m going to mention animals here....like cows, hens, pigs, horses, cats and dogs.
Before everyone thinks I am from a prosperous farm background, it couldnt be further from the truth. Those days were very tight financially. It wasn`t so much a farm, more of a small holding, with the aim of being self sufficient long before it became fashionable and "green".
We didn`t have much in the bank, didn`t go on holiday or day trips, but we didn`t feel the need to.
Everything was there at home and of course the animals couldn`t be left.
We had plenty of basic food, milk /butter, potatoes, eggs, lots of baking, and the occasional chicken so we didn`t starve.
There were always things happening out of doors on a seasonal level, and people dropping in for one reason or another.
In springtime the soil was ploughed to prepare the ground for seed. The tractor and plough would be checked over to make sure everything was in working order.I can still remember counting the worms which wriggled in the earth as the soil was turned over, and smell the earthiness as the sun would be setting.
Birds started being busy building nests in the trees and hedges and sometimes on the ground. Great excitement if one was found and great care taken not to damage it, but wait for the eggs to hatch out. The little hungry chicks had such enormous mouths in comparison with their tiny bodies. They were very grateful for the worms from the ploughed field!
Swallows would arrive mid April, (the date was always noted), from their epic journey from Africa, swooping around in aerobatic displays catching flies and building amazing nests on the sides of sheds. It is a mystery to me how it is possible for a tiny bird like a swallow to make such an incredible journey to and from another country at exactly the same time each year to the same place.
Another bird date was also noted. Summer started on the day the cuckoo was heard!
Young life of all sorts would appear, from birds, calves and chickens, to baby rabbits and kittens.
They were all struggling to make sense of why they were there, and what a noise they would make.
However, bit by bit and by trial and error, they all learned from their parents and adapted to their particular lifestyles.
It was our job to make sure that everything in our care was done properly. It was such a privilege to be given a calf to look after and share in its endless quest for food and watch it grow as if on steroids.
As the year moved on to summer, the days seemed endless with sunshine and happiness.
Long school holidays and hay making.
My mother taught me how to identify wild flowers, make daisy chains, and how to bake and make jam etc.
I learned how to milk a cow and memorized all the names for a working horse`s harness, as well as helping with all sorts of interesting jobs.
My father used to make and sell hazel walking sticks. He showed me how to find and choose the right shaft to make the stick, and how to turn and refine the handle. The hazel nuts were good too!
Autumn was harvesting time and a time for things to begin winding down.
Sadly we would bid farewell to the swallows and other birds but welcomed the geese from the north. Many regular birds who stay with us throughout the year,
Winter was a time to balance the books and talk of the year just gone and the one ahead. Many of the young stock additions were now unrecognizable and of course it was Christmas time!
There was always a great social camaraderie between neighbours. Everyone helped everyone else at times of ploughing, haymaking, harvesting and potato picking or indeed anytime that anyone needed an extra pair of hands. Help was always given freely and was greatly appreciated.
Entertainment was self made. Lots of chat, singing and music and plenty of home made food.
Everyone had the measure of everyone else and life moved on.
I have such clear memories of my childhood and they will never leave me.
My parents may not have had a lot, but they took the time to teach me things about nature and the countryside, which I have never forgotten. It gave me a very practical, grounded upbringing which has helped me deal with many challenging times.
I think part of it was the very hands on approach which was taken.Things seemed to have a purpose with a beginning, a middle and an end and we were all part of it.
Dealing with animals and the land and being at the mercy of many variables,I learned that that life could turn out in all sorts of ways, but we all have a built in resilience and survival mechanism which is much stronger than we know.
It made me realize that the strength that we need to deal with situations is already within us, it just needs to be accessed. It doesn`t come from social media, celebrities, pills, or alcohol, it comes from within.
Of course the crunch comes for many country dwellers when their educational future has to be considered.
Options for working in country locations are getting fewer, so young people do have to move to further educational institutions in order to study or find work.
Many love city life and never return to the countryside, but I feel there is always a part of them which will identify with country ways.
As places of work in the countryside have diminished, it has become expensive to live there. Getting around involves having some sort of personal transport as the public variety is also disappearing.
Sadly many shops and other community essentials are closing due to falling populations, general cost of living and the rise of internet shopping.
But hang on a minute.....since we experienced the pandemic, many people have had a rethink as to what they want out of life and a funny thing is happening.
People are selling up in the cities and moving to the country side! Many are becoming disillusioned with corporate life and commuting and are giving it all up to buy some sheep and keep bees and also to work from home.They seem to be seeking a piece of the life that I was brought up on.
For many it will be a ten day wonder as the reality of the hard graft and financial tight rope walking will not be for everyone. Too many people have experienced an easy life and the alternative although appearing rosier, may be a route that eventually runs out of attractiveness for them.
Loneliness in a city is bad, but there will always be something on somewhere to ensure a bit of company.
Loneliness in the countryside if you are not acquaint with nature can be quite overwhelming, as neighbours can be very few and far between.
Many urban ladies who have moved to the country, once so excited at seeing a squirrel in the garden, find that once they have completed their Farrow and Ball decorating and filled the freezer with hearty pies, they are bored and lonely and crave the action of the city.
It also must be mentioned that wealthy city dwellers can buy country properties at rather inflated prices which completely alienates local people, particularly the young, from being able to get on to the housing ladder.
However for those who genuinely get stuck in and love what they do, despite obstacles which will come along, a great new life awaits them. Many are becoming artisans and generating a community spirit again which is to be welcomed.
It`s all about balance. Humans appear to need both cities and country areas. It seems only fair that those who choose to live and work and would like a future in the city should be able to do so, but be able to access nature and the sea and countryside.
Similarly those wishing to do the same in the countryside, should be able to have the opportunities to do just that and also access the city when required.
Technology linked to education and work can deliver many things to rural areas which would have been impossible before.
In many ways, humans are really doing the same as wildlife. Migrating to areas that suit their needs on a temporary or permanent basis.
Both camps should be able to flourish.
MY THOUGHTS ON CITY OR COUNTRY LIVING:
THE CITY.
It is man made, having started life possibly as a settlement or small community.
It requires people in order for it to function.
Take the people away and what is left is an empty shell with very little or nothing in it.
Examples of this became evident during the pandemic.
THE COUNTRYSIDE
It has existed for thousands of years in some form or another.
It is home to animals, fish, trees, plants and living creatures of all kinds.
Although it provides a home for humans, it doesn`t need them.
Take people away and a vibrant living natural world still exists.
MYSTERIES OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
MIGRATING BIRDS:
How is it possible for a bird, especially a small bird to migrate each year over thousands of miles to the same feeding and breeding ground?
It would appear that during the ice age thousands of years ago, the ice cap covered a large part of the northern hemisphere.
Birds and wild life which existed in the warmer central climates, Africa being one, would move northwards towards the cooler climate as the ice gradually melted.
These conditions created a safer, less crowded environment for breeding and especially feeding, as insects were in abundant supply.
Whilst these were advantages, come the winter time, the climate became too cold for the birds to survive, so gradually over the centuries, return routes were created in order for the birds to migrate and live for part of the year in the warmer climates.
As with everything in the life cycle , only the strongest survive, so any weakness will probably prevent a bird from completing the journey.
Not only is it the sheer distance involved, but the obstacles encountered along the way!
Weather, geography, such as the flying over inhospitable water and the extremes of desert temperatures, air traffic, and predators all pose threats.
How do birds establish a route?
Some take a direct route, others take a route with stopovers. Others take a specific route one way and a different one returning.
We so underestimate these creatures. It is really the equivalent of sending us as humans on foot without a map, to walk half way around the world and back each year, departing and arriving at the same time and remembering the same route. Quite incredible.
WHEN TO LEAVE?
How do birds know when to leave on their migration? It is suggested that there are factors such as hormonal signals and changes in daylight and temperature.
HOW DO BIRDS KNOW WHERE TO GO?
Every year, birds all over the world, make a journey from one part of the world to another, only to make the return journey some months later, arriving at the same time and place. How do they know which route to take?
Scientists believe that they can use geographic memory by following coastlines and landmarks , or by navigating by the sun or the stars. Some birds have a magnetic area usually around their beaks which acts with magnetic fields like a compass. Whichever method is used, it is all pretty amazing and not a piece of equipment in sight.
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