Where you live

East midlands is fine....easy access to most of the country, downside for me is that itsfar away from the sea whichever point on the compass you choose

Thanks, Pam, I'll start making a list :-)

There was a bit a while ago about the furthest anyone can be from the sea in the UK, and I just Googled, apparently it's a farm in Derbyshire - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/3090539.stm

I love where I live, a 45 min drive to M25 which can get me to anywhere. Luckily it is our nearest motorway and although near the sea we also have no major ports so the beautiful countryside remains for the most part quiet and unspoilt. But if I won the lottery I would have a several acre garden I could work in and then leave to the nation ahhhhh dreams!

that sounds good, Drc!

I love Cheshire , as happy as I am here I would move to Florida tomorrow - sorry uk.

Yorkshire, gods own county, the dales, north york moors, Scarbrough, Whitby, etc etc etc

Oh I wish Fran

Florida's ok, if you don't mind the hurricanes!

I did write to the Yorkshire Tourist board, asking them to suggest somewhere like Holmfirth (where Last of the Summer Wine is filmed) but not Holmfirth itself, as I'd read about the "Norah Batty Teashops" - somewhere like Holmfirth before it got spoiled, I said. So they sent me links for Holmfirth.

lol Drc, one would have to trust the nation to keep up the good work!

Garden wise perhaps the lakes area of Italy as you get warm but not roasting summers, lovely autumn colours and a mild winter with occasional snow.

Scilly or Channel islands would be nice, again due to mild weather.

The wooded hills in Perthshire would be peaceful and uplifting, and the countryside of Oxfordshire and Berkshire are lovely in parts and picturesque, Norfolk (for the sounds of the grasses blowing in the wind) and the light hitting off the broads.

Living near fields of Lavender in France would be nice.

The area between San Francisco and LA where you get the smell of Orange groves and Californian Pines in the sun mixing with the pacific ocean = delightful.

Now I guessed that Yorkie...... but well deserved its a beautiful dramatic county. :0)

Kent is lovely Fran- its not called the garden of England for nothing! neighbouring East and West Sussex are very rural and pretty. If I had lots of money, I would love a really romantic cottage in Suffolk with roses around the door and chickens and ducks in the garden. Youve started something here.... but we all have dreams. Where would you choose to live?

I have a list of fairly unrealistic ideals - high up to get clean air, or cleaner air; lots of land that was all mine, a stream of course, woods and fields, gently rolling hills, maybe on the coast with a private beach, or maybe a small lake with a tiny island to go to to really be alone with nature. :-) shouldn't be too hard to find somewhere to fit all that in. Oh, and a spring with clean water and a small cave wouldn't go amiss, either!

lol if I ever did win the lottery, I'd have to buy a camper van, hire a driver and spend years going over every inch of the UK, every country lane, every small winding road. And then I'd have to do it four times, so I could see it all in each season. By that time, I'd be ready to settle down, but the "where" would still be wide open, we have such a beautiful country in any mood and any season.

We moved to Moray some 40 years ago and have no intention of moving. Nice clean air, no droughts, summer temperatures not exhausting and, in normal years, not too much rain. In some gardening circles this area is known as the 'Banana Belt'. You will find property prices very reasonable too compared with more southern parts.
Downside - getting away! If we want to travel we have to fly to Gatwick or somewhere similarly horrific for onward flights.

Nice blog, Fran :)))

sounds wonderful, Bulbaholic - as I don't travel much, that's not really a worry - I have three international airports sort of on my dorrstep and never go near 'em!

lol Kat, something to get people talking!

For me Stockholm and Lugano.

lol there's quite a distance between them, if I remember my geography.

Well, one for very hot European summers (Stockholm) and one for very long and cold European winters (Lugano). I have travelled a lot in recent years having a job which required that, so I visited several European countries. Stockholm fascinates me with its architecture - one has to travel from one island to the other by bridges just to visit neighbours, go to the work and then to the theatre :)), its clean streets, working infrastructure is astonishing, absolutely reliable traffic, absolutely NORMAL -just too serious - people and very strange day light...And one of the lowest corruption in the world. Although, little bit expensive food - one bowl of fish soup for 9 euros (3 years ago). It was very good, so the one to rememeber for ever, lol.
Lugano has absolutely fantastic climate. Hard to explain. Visited it in February and it was 23 Celsius, sun shining, flowers and palms in huge parks blooming, hotels were spacious, elegant, mountains so blue and water in lakes so clear.:)))

I wouldn't move from Yorkshire either,Fran..and I'm just 'over the Hill'from Goy member 'Yorkshire..if you have seen my last blog,you will see our area...I agree with everything Val says,the Dales,Whitby,etc...we are only about 90 minutes from the East or West coast..so the sea is easily reached..and it's also not far into Derbyshire...I can also vouch for your comment about Holmfirth...lovely as the surrounding area is,the place itself is very over rated...except for 'Compo's fish and chip shop,for a Pensioner Special..and two lovely garden centres nearby..! Lol.
Having moved to the Lake District,as a child,and living there for 22 years...I am happy to be home.:o))

just checked out your blog, Bloomer, and give it top marks! I'm leaning towards Yorkshire now ... lol can you recommend any proper viallges to visit?

Don't come here! It's horrible! You won't like it! (Joking - I just love the peace and quiet here which would diminish rapidly if more people turned up!)

Thank you Fran..oh,where do I start?and as I am in West Yorkshire,there are lots in each region,equally as nice in their own way...Naturally,I would say,Slaithwaite ..my birth place,and Marsden,on the border with Lancs..but North Yorks is fantastic with The Dales,...my second favourite place ,..in fact if you win that Lottery,you could have a cottage in each area ! Lol.

lol Nariz, I'm not fond of grocks either, I like things quiet.

thatnks, Bloomer, I'll start saving - or doing my mystic chants!

'Grocks?' Where did that word come from? I like it! ;o)

Grocks, short for grockles, means tourists, or a locally used expression for tourists in some parts of the UK (Cornwall for one).
This is an interesting question, Fran - I've often pondered myself where I'd live if I had unlimited funds. I like being in London, so it'd have to be not too far from a large town or a city - but I would dearly like to get out of the pollution. That rows out the home counties and any large city immediately, so it'd have to be somewhere near the sea, preferably with exposure to westerlies and not easterlies (pollutants blowing over from Europe otherwise). So I reckon Cornwall somewhere, North Devon or Bristol. I'd like to live in Bath, but its in a bowl and does suffer from dirty air at times. I know its wetter to the west, but all things considered, Bristol or surrounding area is probably the boy for me...

South west scotland Bamboo,likeNariz i,m not saying any more...... :0)))

I have considered Scotland, Pam - but its darker and colder... sun sets a full 20 minutes or more up there than it does in Cornwall... and rises later too.

(Shh Bamboo don't tell anyone butlook at the Mull of Galloway.....)
......its a bit isolated for you but my goodness the airs clear....and although its darker in the morning it stay light later and I swear that on a clear night you can see the milky way.....

Sanbaz did a blog from there earlier in the summer

I'll have a look at that Pamg - but to be honest, I can't cope for longer than week without pavements and street lights, lol

Gosh the nicest place I've found on my travels has to be Finland. Although in the summer you do get bothered by the midges and in the winter it has a lot of snow. All in all though it is unspoilt, modern and uncluttered. Newzealand is pretty good too.

Yorkshire has a cold wind and in the winter is bleak. Hampshire and the South Downs Totten, Bournemouth and the surrounding areas is a lot warmer and plants really flourish.

Fushia's the size of my hand and Dahlia's the size of dinner plates on my last visit at the weekend. New Milton and Barton-on-Sea if you like the sea and the houses are quite reasonable.

I`m weird Fran, if I won the lottery I`d need enough to buy a place in the Lake district, another in Cornwall near to Heligan but also keep my home here as well, I love my hometown, no good for shopping at all but I wouldn`t want to live anywhere else really, I`d miss my ancient buildings, guess I might just settle for one of those huge motorhomes, travel around all of Britain and come home for winter, hubby would love that....

If you won the lottery Lincs you could employ a driver to do all the hard work and you could have the fun. :0))

That's the first thing on my list, Pam, well, actually the second - first a garden with house attached, and then a chauffeur so I never have to drive again, oh, I can but dream...

Much cheaper further north of course but gosh it does rain! But its on the gulf stream so the choice of plants is very different....

Why give up touring in winter, Lincs? there'd be some spectacular scenery then. lol maybe I'd hire a film crew and get them to do the touring, then I could see the results in comfort!

I'm not sure how far north one goes before deciduous trees give out to conifers, but I'd like to live south of that line. or at least garden south of it! - a mixed woodland is one component in my idea of heaven, and the pics I've seen of Scottish woods seem to be undiluted conifers. May not be a true picture, but it's the only one I've got.

I'd like to live fairly near water, but on high ground - otherwise on a good day you're by the water, on a bad day you're in it.

Did you see the news, that couple won £148 million on the Euro lottery? shee, I can't even imagine the £8 million!

Too many noughts.....:0)

have a look Fran at Sanbaz's blog of logan botanical gardens, they grow mostly plants from the southern hemisphere and thats in Scotland

Scotland is a suprisingly large country....it only looks small on the weather maps as there are not many folk live in the Highland

I will, thanks, Pam

Hubby`s dream is to win the lottery and just take off, he`d be in his element driving us around, the person I`d be hiring Pam would be a gardener and woe betide him/her if anything was changed whilst I wasn`t there, lol.
Fran I agree but I`d have to be home for xmas and new year, wonder how many window boxes one can get in a big motorhome, I`d go daft if I didn`t have any gardening to do...

I've never had even a single driving lesson - I did get a provisional licence but then my vision packed up so that was out. I'd like to learn to drive, just for something new to learn, but I'd never be able to drive on the public highway (ha, and I bet I know more of the Highway Code than some drivers! at least I know what a red light means).

So I could never live on my own in the country, much as I'd like to - I'd have to have someone to drive, at least, and to help around the house and grounds (lol I'd have grounds rather than a garden!) - or at least someone to do the heavy stuff and put my zillion ideas into practice - lol I've had some really off-the-wall (or up-the-wall) ideas on what I'd do if I could!

I'm trying to get a house move but they keep offering me sheltered accommodation - with no garden, or a communal garden if I'm lucky. That's no good to me! I don't want to sit and look at a pretty garden, I want to get my hands dirty to make it so, to make my back ache and my heart fill as I work at the best hobby in the world.

I can`t drive Fran, never wanted to learn, I sometimes wish now though that I had as my son now lives in Boston and I`d get to see him and his family more often, I have to wait for hubby or my daughter to take me, wouldn`t darew try to learn now, lol....
I would hate to not have access to a garden, so can understand what you mean, my only remaining aunt now lives in a warden controlled complex, she does however have a small space outside her windows that she is allowed to plant up for herself...

my mum got moved to sheltered accommodation a year or so ago, she has a small patch outside her door, but that'd not be enough for me - enough to start, maybe, but then I'd creep onwards and otuwards.

I bought stuff for a garden even when I lived on the 7th floor, and now that I've got one, I can't go back to not having one. Well, I could if I absolutely had to, but it'd have to be for a very drastic reason.

None of my family live close, so I only get to see them when they drop by, which they don't - I've missed no end of family gatherings for lack of a lift.

One of my dreams is to go to Stonehenge: you can book up and get in amongst the stones, rather than being kept out - but I can't get any close than Salisbury. I tried bribing friends with a car with a free visit if they'd only take me there, but no go, sigh.

lol any GoYer want a free trip to Stonehenge???

There are two things that strike me as really wrong about the majority of sheltered accommodation - first, no animals and second, no gardening space. People who have a pet live longer and are healthier, number one; gardening and being outside, even if its just an hour or two doing something light, helps keep people healthy too. Even a balcony would do for a few pots. But sheltered accommodation offers perfectly fit and reasonably healthy, but older, people neither of these things. Given the age for qualifying for such accommodation is 55 or 60, depending on the organisation, I think its bonkers. And the Anchor accommodation is so tiny its unbelievable - when I asked where my ma could hang her clothes, they said there was a large cupboard in the kitchen! Very odd indeed...

Goodness, Fran - where shall I begin? Advantages - the most beautiful views and clear skies year round: the purest air in Italy, the quality of the light, virtually no light pollution, the wildlife and wildflowers, Springs that are magical, autumns that are perfect, weekly markets with an amazing range of locally produced fruit and vegetables, a perfect and beautiful historical city an hour away, Florence, Venice, the Italian lakes, Padua, Verona, Parma, Milan, Ravenna, Tuscany, ski slopes and two coastlines within two hours' drive, a better national health service than the UK, the main motorway which runs from Milan to Rome within half an hour's drive, great shopping, beautiful wines, fascinating and generous neighbours, architecture and art to die for, a pretty stone house, dry winters and sunshine for much of the year. Food's not bad either. Being greeted by my Christian name and with a hug from my bank manager. Oh, and virtually no council tax.
Favourite moments - sunrise across the mountains at a) 5.30 on a summer morning when the thermometer stands at 28°c and the morning star and new moon hang above the eastern horizon, there are deer in the field below the house and the scent of the warm earth and night scented stocks and nicotiana as you water the garden mixing with the smell of coffee and baking bread wafting from the kitchen, there are fresh figs or apples to pick and eat as you walk round, and each of our 20 or so cats comes with a morning greeting - tails up!
b) Curling up in an armchair in front of the stove on a winter's evening, a rabbit casserole and a kettle simmering on top, the smell of woodsmoke in the air, and bunches of drying herbs hanging from the beams, and the cupboard stocked with jars and bottles of garden produce, at least two cats on each lap, a glass of "vin' brulé", roasted chestnuts, and a garden, magical with deep snow outside.
Disadvantages:- (The possibility of):- B*****y freezing winters and being snowed in for weeks, incredibly hot, dry, uncomfortable summers with the danger of fires on the mountain. A systematic culture of corruption and dishonesty. Having to cope with bureaucracy and technology in a language not your own, one or two earthquakes every now and then, not being able to run more than one domestic appliance at a time, no decent garden centres, a house too isolated and easily cut off in winter, very high prices and getting much worse for a lot of things, Italian drivers, lack of Marks and Spencers and Sainsbury's! The garden (and house) is a bit too much like hard work for an ageing couple, and getting more difficult to cope with each year, and our huge collection of feral cats is very tying, however much we love them. I desperately miss the soft, damp greenness of England, and pretty, well-tended suburban gardens, and the smell of rain on pavements, roast lamb and British pubs. I don't miss continuous rain right through the summer months, and the depressing greyness, though. We can get British television and radio stations, and on-line newspapers, though, which is a big bonus.
On the whole, I think we'll probably stay!

lol Gattina, if I hadn't already half-voted for Yorkshire ... but I do remember the probs you had last winter, and the snow deeper than your were tall.

I forgot about light pollution - it's not easy trying to do astonomy in inner London with tall blocks on three sides and trees on the other and overhead - even discounting the rubbish air quiaity! lol I did dream of a windmill, turning the top, moving, bit into an observatory, but oh, the steps up and down!

I was up at 4 the other morning, Fran, and out into the garden to lie on a sunbed in the dark watching the shooting stars. The display was astounding, and we never fail to be amazed at the millions of stars and the entire Milky way which swing up over the mountains and across the sky SO clearly. The moon wasn't quite up, but there was still light enough to see by. I thought "starlight" was a myth, but it isn't.
p.s. Sorry I got so carried away and filled up your blog, Fran, but you can see I feel rather strongly about it all.

Gattina this is so beautiful.........you have a lovely way with words x

Thank you, Pam. I've been asking for an atlas of the stars, planets, etc., for the past 6 years, birthdays and Christmases, but so far, no luck!

I was watching a rerun on Discovery channel of Brian Cox wonders of the universe. He was describing the speed of light which is hard to imagine then he clicked his fingers and said that light would have travelled 7 times around the earth in the time it took.......
I bet theres a book on Amazon......must look!

I just have! Beat you to it - already ordered and will come with the next consignment. This blog jogged my memory!

Please don't apologise, Gattina! As far as I'm concerned, the more, the better. A free light-show, who could ask for more?

I make my own calendars – I have to, I can’t find one that leaves spaces big enough for me to write in, as I have to write large – I always put in astronomical data, as if I’d ever have a chance to see them myself! meteor showers (last one was the Perseids – in the event, I forgot, but it wouldn’t have done me any good if I’d remembered) and planet movements (Neptune’s at its closest to Earth next Friday, for all the good knowing that does me). I also mark new moons, as they’re special to me – at least I can do something about those - if I remember!

Years ago we spent a fortnight on the Norfolk Broads; I packed my binoculars and astronomy books, of course; one night we were moored up at the back of beyond, nothing else in sight, no lights anywhere – the night was cloudless, and I was overwhelmed with the number of stars I could see – there were no trees, so I could see a perfect circle of sky all the way to the horizon (and that was unnerving enough for someone who’s always lived in a city! Wrote a poem about that). But the sky was one huge blaze of splendour, I could barely pick out even the few constellations I know. Lol talk about giving one a sense of perspective, one’s true place in the universe! But oh, to be able to see that on a regular basis …

There must be local astronomy groups – Greenwich is just over the river, must be something at the Observatory – but even so, filtered through London air …

I have several astronomy books, which are absolutely no use to me here, but I’m hanging on to them. One day ….

When we first moved here, we had no electricity, and were pretty much camping out. The evening came early, so to fill them we'd go for walks. The very first time we walked up to the top of our drive, above the house and garden, out of the surrounding bowl of the hills, and saw the entire night sky swing up above us, we found it difficult to breathe, it was so beautiful. I'd never seen the Milky Way before, and it is true, at the full moon, you can read a newspaper by it's light. Within a couple of years, our council, trying to be helpful, installed street lighting in the village - 2 lamp standards. It's amazing how often the light bulbs get damaged. Don't look at me! I know at least two neighbours with catapults.

lol "civilisation" isn't always a blessing. I've never seen the milky way either - that's one reason I'd like to be on a ship, in the middle of the ocean, finding somewhere high so the lights didn't get in my way, and just lying there and looking up.

Don't fancy a cruise ship, the idea seems to be a floating holiday resort for people who can't entertain themselves! but I've been reading about freighter travel; ordinary cargo ships that take passengers. Sound more like my sort of thing - I can't see the point of "twelve ports in five days", much less dressing for dinner!

When I was a cub leader I made some "indoor astronomy" sets - toilet roll or kitchen roll centres, the ends covered with black paper, and the constellations pricked out with a pin, larger holes for brighter stars. That's about the only way most kids will get to see more than a very few very bright constellations - and of course even fewer of them would ever get to see the southern hemisphere stars.

Of course there are PCs now - I have a couple of "solar system" and "star gazer" programs, if I can get the so-and-so's to load - they don't like the resolution I have on the PC, but there's no point changing it - what use if they load but iIcan't see them clearly?

We go up to Scotland Fran, west of Dumfries is the Galloway dark skies park (if you google it you,ll see what I mean) Its the first (possibly only) one in Britain. A couple of years ago we went up for hogmanay and it was a crisp frosty night with the air so clear and cold it almost felt crunchy......well I looked up, there was no moon and I could not believe what I was seeing, we,re used to seeing things like the plough etc. But....wow....well others have described it as diamonds on black velvet......I think its indescribable.......I felt very small and insignificant

I just Googled it, and put the link staright into my "holiday" folder.

I wanted to try Scotland for aurora-watching - I'll leave going above the Arctic Circle for another time! - just trying to find local groups to link up with when I'm there. lol ca'nt lose - if no aurora, will be plenty of stars!

Once some years ago we saw it from here in the midlands....It was an eerie sight, there was just oh and me withour neighbours all just standi g in the freezing cold facing north completly enthralled...not the drama you see further north just streaks of green coming in waves....awesome

nods, I think it runs in 11-year cycles, depends on solar activity, and I want to make sure I go at the time of most activity, gives me more chance of having someing to awww! at

I've got a clean Driving Licence Fran . . . just give me a call matey! ;-))

lol ok, Muddy - bit far to come for you, though!

As I'm registered disabled, I get into a lot of places for half price, and anyone coming with me as my "carer" gets in free - so two disabled people and two "carers" can get in for the p rice of one adult ticket.

lol anytime anyone's in or near London and wants to go somehere for free ...

I watched a Grand Designs on Tele recently Fran. A clever architect /engineer built a house with a stunning view in the Lake District. He built over the top of the house already on site. His wife and kids continued to live there while the build went on for 2 years and he ran out of money. He was rescued from bankruptcy by a possible lottery winner, by the sound of it. My condition, as the funder, of the completion of this fabulous property would be exclusive use of one of the holiday lets. Then I could look for a fab place in the lakes at my leisure.

sounds interesting. Do you have a link or something? no probs if you don't, sure Google will find something eventually.

smiles, I've been bidding for housing in Cumbria, amongst other counties, and last week I was offered a 2-bed hungalow in a village 12 miles north of the Lake District. Sadly, I had to turn it down as there were steps up to it and they said they wouldn't put a ramp in beacuse I didn't "need" to move there. A proper village, 1 shop, 1 post office, 1 pub and 1 church, buses every 3 hours - without my own wheels, no use to me - lol can't see me walking 6 miles to town and back again with the week's shopping!.

Ah well. but to be that close to the Lake District, to be able to go there off-season and see it in all seasons and all weathers ... sigh. may happen yet.

Fran, I hadn't realised you were seriously looking to move out of London. This business about needing to have your own form of transport to survive anywhere these days is all too true. The days of village and corner shops and tradesmen's deliveries are long gone. It's all big out of town shopping complexes and huge, inaccessible super and hypermarkets. There are a lot of people out there, wanting a return to the simpler ways of yesterday, us included, but it comes trailing impracticalities and problems. All I can say is, "Best of Luck!" There has to be somewhere to suit you.

Shhh....... I don't want you to tell anyone but where we go the bus stops outside the house takes me to the little town with real people behind real wooden counters who chat to folk and pass the time of day.....whose little market sells local produce and local handicrafts.....the bus drops me back at the house.........

That's not fair, Pam! I want one too!!!!! We do have that, actually, but the bus service is next to non-existent and the local handicrafts leave a lot to be desired. The chatting can take up half the day, too, if I'm not careful.

Well yes Gattina there is that....when we cross the border we switch to Scottish time. :0)))

The buses are actually very good, about two hourly, then in between the one that brings me back and then goes on to what they call the Isle before going back to the town......thats about an hour and fifteen, twice as long as the other way.......

Some scottish handicrafts are lovely as you'd expect, I got a pendant and earrings made from bog heather, compressed and mounted in the silver......the colours are lovely muted browns, purples and greens, very reasonable price......the woolens and tartans are hugely expensive though.......

Thanks Gattina - lol Pamg, any vacancies in your neighbourhood??

I did have some slight qulms about moving from the middle of London to a real, proper village - be a bit of culture shock for me! here I can go out at 11pm to get some milk from one of three corner shops still open at that time.

Getting around even in London isn't that easy with just public transport; one can get anywhere - eventually, but waiting for buses is more than half the travel time.

The bungalow has been re-listed; no point me bidding for it again unless I'm sure I can get a grant to adapt it.

lol anyay, I put the postcode into the DEFRA flood map; half the village is within the flood risk area, and I just *know* which half of the village the property will be in!

but, oh, the chances for clean air, quiet surroundings and decent astronomy!