2020 VISION

Glug, glug, glug… Resurfacing from my sub-aquatic lair like a Kraken awakening after a long watery nap.  Has it stopped raining yet?  I’ve never known such a wet wishy-washy winter in all my recent years.  If I could only convert rain into some eco-fuel like Keanu Reeves did in that epic movie ‘Chain Reaction’ I’d be well and truly minted by now.

So I’ve woken up from soggy hibernation only to find I’m confined to my sopping surroundings by Covid-19 or Coronavirus, a condition that has sent the whole world into hysteria the likes of which was last seen when the Beatles played the Cavern Club decades ago. 

Hedgeye sums it up perfectly

Everyone’s gone crazy stockpiling everything from corn-plasters to Vimto.  The other half’s built himself a barricade of beer and pizza and I’ve decided dry cat food may be the answer to prospective food shortages so have purchased a truckload in case self-isolation becomes compulsory for residents of Charminster.  This is 2020 - what a crazy start to the year!

Coronavirus quarantine pod

And things are likely to get crazier still as we’re embarking on our own epic adventure to re-locate to Chichester.  Yes, after 20 years in Charminster, it’s time to up sticks and head off to pastures new in West Sussex.

Why Chichester?  Well, why not?  Having regularly visited the town during son’s university years, we actually thought the place seemed quite nice.  ‘Quite nice’ doesn’t really do it justice as it’s a jewel of a town nestling in a lovely bit of countryside.  Chichester seems to have it all – a good selection of shops in a compact and easily walkable pedestrianised zone, a Weatherspoon’s pub, train & bus station, beaches close by and above all character, something that seems to have gone out of the window in Bournemouth’s sprawling high rise, high density, student infested metropolis.

Chichester's market cross

Living in London has for many years been my life’s dream but the reality of buying an affordable property in a nice leafy suburb is less achievable than you think unless you’ve got a large tidy sum tucked away.  Short of killing my parents for an early inheritance or robbing a bank, chances of a life in London are slim hence our decision to move to Chichester.

Chichester will be a good halfway house for us, easily commutable to London (about 1 hr 45 mins to Eltham) and still within easy reach of Bournemouth for family visits.  The idea has been slowly percolating through the subconscious and now it’s time to make it a reality.

Of course you know what this means, don’t you?  There’ll be plenty of blog rants on the trials and tribulations of house buying/selling – oh the joy!  In the meantime, was that a sneeze?  Better batten down the hatches, scrub my hands till they bleed and place another online shopping order for paracetamol and loo rolls before they become rarer than hen’s teeth.

Hope she's bought enough Dreamies