...visions of sugar-plums...

This time, moving has an array of variables to consider now that our respective commuting destinations are separated by 70 miles. It is no longer just a matter of accommodation cost to consider, but also transport costs and travel times: with each potential location tugging and pulling at these variables.

By way of a somewhat meandering route and a widely cast net, we considered locations such as Putney, Acton, Walthamstow, Stevenage, Hatfield, Welwyn, New Barnet, and Cambridge. The first serious contender was Stevenage. However, serendipity, karma, or perhaps even providence led us to Hatfield. You can pick the transcendent force of your choosing according to your belief structure.

I would like to tell you that reasonable costs, a picturesque old town, and a gorgeous garden which residents can access year round were the main factors in Hatfield's favour. However when you learn that the garden is associated with Hatfield House, the folly of such a tale is revealed: for Hatfield House was the site of the favourite residence of Elizabeth Tudor.

Moving into a new flat is so full of hope, like running down the stairs on Christmas morning. It is one of those ensorcelling spaces that dreams inhabit. Our dream is of a considerate landlord, an ethical letting agent, and a quiet, safe, commutable space.

Photo Credits
Gigantic Sugar Plums: The Art Zoo
Sun Hug: Rippled Transcendence

Where to go

Visions of moving dance in my head once more.   With Doctor My Beloved Fellow Wife taking on work in Cambridge, we are once again on the prowl for another place to live.  Having lost track, I think a count is in order: Crumpet Corner, Patchwork John's, Crazy Flat, Putney Country Home, Happy Flat, Posh Wharf, and Moth Cottage. So that comes to seven locales in 5.5 years.

As we make preparations to move again, it occurs to me that I have not written much about Surbiton.  I bet it suffers more complaints than compliments, but I find Surbiton lovely and unassuming. With the majesty and pageantry of London just a stone's throw away, Surbiton's qualities are easily overlooked. For me, Surbiton is quiet little gardens all around, which lends it a natural serenity that somehow blends in with its proximity to a smaller and calmer Thames so seamlessly that you almost do not notice it.  It has strengths but it does not hold them up in your face.  You could say that Surbiton vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, but that would be too flowery and ostentatious for it's straightforward and practical character.  Surbiton is the first place we have lived where numerous neighbours invited us into their homes, and they frequently stop to talk to us when we meet them on the street or in the shops.  So please do not take my silence on Surbiton up until now as disapproval.  On the contrary, it suits me so well that it has woven itself right into the fabric of my being.

Photo Credit: The Dynamic Duo