Sunday, November 02, 2008

Bye-Bye Cambridge

The little pile above is the sum total of all my worldly possessions.
There's also a couple of small file holders and a suitcase sitting in my UK office.
Five trips to Oxfam, three trips to the dump; I've managed a cull of epic proportions.
Being slashed to the bare basics is a double edged sword ; it's liberating and depressing at the same time.
Its a strange exercise, this personal down sizing.
It starts off full of "Oh I have to keep this and simply must hang on to that" and turns into frustrated, ruthless binning of stuff I probably would have kept had the pile been smaller.
So, off I go, down to a minimum of "stuff" which apart from pictures of my kid and a tiny number of keepsakes, could have been in the reject pile.
I'm sure I'll be accumulating again before long.I spent 4 years at the cottage above. Though it was too dark and cluttered, I'd say on balance I enjoyed living there. The view out front was the place's best feature.Its a bit galling that the landlady is only now getting around to doing all the things necessary to make it more livable (new boiler, fuse box etc), but that's the way of these things.
I've been staying in a hotel in Cambridge the past 3 days and its clear I've already made a transition in perspective in that I don't feel I live here anymore. In truth I've been on the road so much over the past few years that I never put down roots. Its just another place I lived for a while and camping out here in a hotel room doesn't feel strange in the way it would (and has in the past) in Ottawa or London.
That's it for the UK.
I'm off to Hong Kong , warmer weather and another temporary abode.
T

8 comments:

Chris said...

Good Luck Terry! Have great time. Hope you get a chance to put your feet up for a few days and really get settled in. Having to strip down everything you own to just a few bags and cases - it tires you right down to the bone.

Kjell Tjensvoll said...

Best of luck in your new home town. Guess I'll see you back in London in about a month?
:-)

Anonymous said...

I feel as your blogg follower i do not need to say good bye or am i missing something ?? having never had the pleasure of your company or you mine :) you are not vanishing ,but wish you good luck in your new Job :) what ever that might be ?? which has always been a mistery ? to me :) little slow xx penny

Anonymous said...

Terry - send me an email when you get settled. I tried to send you one this morning, but it was undeliverable. You must have changed your coordinates. Let me know when you are in NA.

David

Anonymous said...

post from America: We did it! After 232 years...

we did it!

- Tatia

Terry said...

David
My email is the same, try again

Anonymous said...

Is the landlady ever making improvements, the place is hot an cold running plumbers and MAJOR redecoration. The Rachman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Rachman) was even chatting cordially with No.4 tonight. Truly Bizarre.

Big fireworks. We missed you.

TR-HW

Anonymous said...

The Baron just had THE most enormous row with neighbours (24 P St) about parking in the alley.

Groan.

TR-HW