Monday, December 29, 2008

A love-hate relationship

When I was a teenager I couldn't wait to escape Shropshire and get away from trees, fields, young farmers and hourly bus services. But now I quite like it.

I spent 26 years of my life in Shropshire, which I now refer to as the shire, the first 20 of them in Cleobury Mortimer (pictured above), a tiny but pretty town on the border with Worcestershire, where the local accent is a combination of farmer meets Brummy.

Most of my school mates have escaped Cleobury too and although it's nice to pop back every Christmas, drive down the High Street and see what's happening - usually nothing much - I don't think I could ever go back.

It's very much a place where everyone knows your business, everyone knows your last three boyfriends and everyone knows the colour of your underwear, and if they don't know any of that they'll just make it up. The same people frequent the same pubs and the town's lifeblood is very much fuelled by gossip.

I spent my early 20s living in Shropshire's county town of Shrewsbury, an hour away from Cleobury - far enough away to escape but close enough to visit the folks too. Shrewsbury was nice - big enough to have everything you need yet it still had that rural feel.

And then I moved to Newport where, aged 23,  I bought my first house and spent almost four happy years there. I loved my little one bedroom mews house and I loved the bustling High Street. Working for the local newspaper ensured I saw lots of familiar faces but I was also pretty anonymous there too. And I liked that.

Just after Christmas I met up with a couple of friends from Newport and drove down the High Street to remind myself how lovely a place it was to live. I was positively beaming as I drove through town, recalling happy memories. Would I ever go back there? Maybe; it's certainly a nice place to bring up a family and I have lots of friends there too.

But, for now, I'm glad to be surrounded by the dual carriageways and roundabouts that Milton Keynes has to offer. A city of convenience, I find the retail parks on every corner, the abundance of parking and the lack of speed cameras a joy to behold. And nightlife is a short taxi ride away.

I haven't ditched the countryside altogether; my flat looks out on a beautiful lake, but for now the bustle of city life is appealing and I like being close to London.

Shropshire has its faults and benefits and while I will never again be a resident of Cleobury, I may well return to Newport someday. But, for now, the shire is not the place for a single gal rapidly appraoaching her prime.