I wrote this several weeks ago, but have only been able to get on to a computer today - hope it finds you all well. I have had a down patch since the new year due to the amount of things I had been doing over the previous couple of weeks - it is a tough time of year no matter how little one tries to take part in it - and picking up a cold from my sisters' children. This has now passed, I think, so I hope to get back to the strength I had before that pretty quickly.

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I’m spending christmas day with my sister and her family. It’s been lovely to be so close to them – they live only two miles away. I’ve not been close to my family for many years, but over the past few years have made steps to becoming closer with family members, and have felt very positive, although a little apprehensive, about moving so close to some of them physically. The main reason for doing this was so that they could support me at times when I needed help, but I also sensed that moving geographically closer to them would be a good thing to do at this time as part of the process of becoming closer to them relationship-wise. It’s been working well so far.

I’ve been here a month today, and still feel very much that I have made the right choice in moving here. Over the past few days, I have felt twinges of concern about how I’ll get to know people and develop a social network as I’ve not yet had chance to start this process. Having said that, I have made contact with the local camera club – which does seem rather serious and with an average age teetering around 60, although many of the people seemed rather friendly, and I can see it could provide rich material for a writing project! – and have also chatted to a few people in the streets and in shops, which gives me confidence about making friends down here. But much of the time I am on my own, in a way that feels different from when I was in London, I think because if I felt lonely there I could easily call someone or go to see someone (assuming I was well enough, of course), whereas now I can’t do this apart from my sister. It is also less easy to fall out of the door and find something to do. Having said that, I don’t see this necessarily as a down-side; it’s simply something which will take a while to adjust to; and the upsides far outweigh this. The fact that I’ve still not managed to get an internet connection at home has exacerbated this feeling of isolation, as well as being the reason I’ve not updated this blog for so long.

I have, however, continued to feel remarkably well. As this was the main – nay, the only – reason I moved down here, I cannot complain if a few other things aren’t going quite as I expected. I have been able to get out and about a lot, and have been able to do a fair bit of walking. There is a large area of old pasture-land across the road from me (see photo, if I manage to upload it), which is good for walking; this is one of the most significant differences from where I lived before: that I can literally walk out of my door in to fields. This was my desire when I first thought of moving out of London, but then practical considerations, such as being able to get to shops and amenities, and socialising, came in to play, and I settled on moving to a small town. But the location I’m in is, thanks to the little circular bus route which goes past my road, easily within reach of the town centre while being effectively, from the point of view of the environment around me, in the countryside. I really do feel that this environment is going to give me just about the best chance I can have of recovering from this illness.

I’ve completely avoided christmas for quite a few years now, as I find it (a) meaningless and (b) incredibly stressful, so celebrating it with my sister and her family will be a rather strange experience, although I’m sure this will be in a good way. Whatever you’re doing, and whoever you’re with, I hope you have an enjoyable day.