I never thought it would actually happen but I’ve moved back up north. No… really…. I have.
I was born and bred in Liverpool but moved down to Oxford when I was 18 to go to university, yes you heard right, moved to Oxford to go to university. What I didn’t say was which university I went to, it was Oxford Brookes University, only the finest ex polytechnic in Oxfordshire!
Actually Brookes was a brilliant university, consistently voted the ‘Best Modern University’ (which basically means ex polytechnics) by The Times newspaper, winning 10 years in a row, I was there for 3 of those years obviously.
I always thought that after I had finished university I would move back to Liverpool to be nearer my family and all my friends again. The problem was I lost touch with nearly all my school friends after a couple of years. I put this down to the fact I didn’t get a grant when I was at university and as great as my parents where at supporting me, they couldn’t stretch to forking out for everything so I worked part time during term time then full time throughout the summer. This meant not being able to go home during holidays because I was working for the extra cash for the following term (that really means extra beer money). Most of my friends from back in Liverpool would put it down to me being a bit flakey. They’re probably right. This meant though it halved my reasons for going back home to Liverpool, my family where still there but the friends were gone.
I’m very close to my family so it was a big decision not to go home. The friends I had made while at university were fantastic and I had been offered a job in Oxford working in retail which made a big difference, it would have been regular money coming in.
Anyway fast forward a few years I met my much better half who was also a northerner but I still didn’t see us moving back up north, I actually wanted to move further south, to Cornwall in fact but this would have been a step to far for Claire. She was closer to her family than I thought was possible so a 5hr drive to see them was just about acceptable, turning that into a 10hr drive was a definite no no. This is where I get a little soppy so excuse me, we fell further in love (after a couple of break ups and heart ache…..she eventually agreed to take me back after a bit of pleading) and we had our first child together.
This puts a slightly different perspective on things. It was while we were on a self catering lake district holiday that everything changed. The peace, tranquillity and beauty of it all changed my mind (and the fact that Claire’s family lived near by and mine were now only an hours drive away).
We still see most of our friends because they love coming on holiday up here, we love it because life is now so much less stressful and our daughter loves it because she can’t remember anything about where we used to live, well…she is only 2.
So yes I’m here. I’m a true northerner again, I feel much more at home, the accent had softened so much down there (I was sick of people constantly saying what? or excuse me?) that people didn’t even realise I was a scouser. Luckily it’s returned although that hasn’t stopped people from calling me ‘Posh Scouse’ that’s fine though I could think of plenty worse things to be called!
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Saturday, 7 August 2010
Challenge Yourself
I don’t mean to a fight or anything along those lines, unless Fight Club is your cup of tea. I’m talking about being out of your comfort zone, do something you wouldn’t normally do, ‘feel the fear’ as some of the family usually say.
This is what I’ve decided to do. Firstly let me explain my comfort zone.
My comfort zone is my big black leather chair, purchased from a reputable furniture retailer (I got a discount because I used to work there), sat in front of the TV watching some form of sport or history programme with a nice cup of strong tea and a chocolate hob nob. Due to the fact I used to work in retail and the hours where shocking I didn’t get out much to do exercise unless I was walking to the pub.
Since moving to the country though things have changed. I’ve taken up climbing which certainly does fill me with the ‘fear’. I fell off a crag the other day for the first time, I was about 15 metres up at the time and must have fell a whole metre before the rope snapped (not literally otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this blog) into action. Contrary to what people say my life didn’t flash before my eyes, most of my friends tell me that’s because I haven’t got a life (or at least need to get one!) but you’re heart really does try to jump out your chest. As we moved onto a different crag the fear of falling had diminished somewhat because I knew I wasn’t going to die if I fell off. This just goes to show if you do ‘feel the fear’ and face it then it turns out that it’s never quite as bad as you thought it was going to be.
With that in mind I decided and volunteered 2 of my friends (without their knowledge to be fair) to join me on trying to attempt the ‘3 peaks challenge’ in the Lake District. The idea being that we climb the 3 highest peaks (Scafell Pike 3209ft, Helvellyn 3118ft and Skiddaw 3053ft) in 3 days without using transport, so we walk between the peaks and camp in the wilderness at night, this is a total distance of 48 miles with 10,000ft of ascent and descent. I believe it was originally done by Thomas Watson in 1870 although most people know it as the Bob Graham Round (Bob’s is a slightly extended version).
Once this was described to my friends who liked the idea of it originally (before I went into the detail) they then scoffed and thought I was a bit mad. I then went through the whole ‘feel the fear’ speech at which point they said if I wanted to ‘challenge myself’ I should watch Fight Club!! (that isn’t strictly true but thought that fitted in their quite nicely).
I think the speech finally worked, they have now agreed to do it (I think the part about Thomas Watson completing it in 20hrs and they should be grateful I’m giving them 3 days may have helped, also the fact I’ve offered to pay for the self catering lake district holiday cottage). I think it will be attempted in Sept 2010 so if you’re in the area and fancy mocking 3 unfit city types you know where we’ll be. I let you know how it goes.............if I survive.
This is what I’ve decided to do. Firstly let me explain my comfort zone.
My comfort zone is my big black leather chair, purchased from a reputable furniture retailer (I got a discount because I used to work there), sat in front of the TV watching some form of sport or history programme with a nice cup of strong tea and a chocolate hob nob. Due to the fact I used to work in retail and the hours where shocking I didn’t get out much to do exercise unless I was walking to the pub.
Since moving to the country though things have changed. I’ve taken up climbing which certainly does fill me with the ‘fear’. I fell off a crag the other day for the first time, I was about 15 metres up at the time and must have fell a whole metre before the rope snapped (not literally otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this blog) into action. Contrary to what people say my life didn’t flash before my eyes, most of my friends tell me that’s because I haven’t got a life (or at least need to get one!) but you’re heart really does try to jump out your chest. As we moved onto a different crag the fear of falling had diminished somewhat because I knew I wasn’t going to die if I fell off. This just goes to show if you do ‘feel the fear’ and face it then it turns out that it’s never quite as bad as you thought it was going to be.
With that in mind I decided and volunteered 2 of my friends (without their knowledge to be fair) to join me on trying to attempt the ‘3 peaks challenge’ in the Lake District. The idea being that we climb the 3 highest peaks (Scafell Pike 3209ft, Helvellyn 3118ft and Skiddaw 3053ft) in 3 days without using transport, so we walk between the peaks and camp in the wilderness at night, this is a total distance of 48 miles with 10,000ft of ascent and descent. I believe it was originally done by Thomas Watson in 1870 although most people know it as the Bob Graham Round (Bob’s is a slightly extended version).
Once this was described to my friends who liked the idea of it originally (before I went into the detail) they then scoffed and thought I was a bit mad. I then went through the whole ‘feel the fear’ speech at which point they said if I wanted to ‘challenge myself’ I should watch Fight Club!! (that isn’t strictly true but thought that fitted in their quite nicely).
I think the speech finally worked, they have now agreed to do it (I think the part about Thomas Watson completing it in 20hrs and they should be grateful I’m giving them 3 days may have helped, also the fact I’ve offered to pay for the self catering lake district holiday cottage). I think it will be attempted in Sept 2010 so if you’re in the area and fancy mocking 3 unfit city types you know where we’ll be. I let you know how it goes.............if I survive.
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