Take a walk on the seaside

Vila Nova de Milfontes and the beach in their morning glory.

Going home. Staying home?

After more than half my life living in London, I decided to return home to Portugal and to the little fishing village I was born in. I’d been thinking about this for a while so when redundancy came around it was more than a silver lining in my very grey cloud.  I was tired of corporate life,  tired of my four hour daily commute travelling to a job I didn’t care much for and frankly, I was tired of being tired.

The prospect of living by the seaside with every day sunny blue skies was all I could think of. Alas, I packed the entire contents of my flat and a quarter of a century of London living into a big van and shipped it over to Alentejo. I bid goodbye to my friends, to my partner, to the city I most love in the world and came home.

I have now been home for six months. It feels like I have been ( I am) on a permanent holiday. I am surrounded by nature, the sun is always shining, I have the sea and the beach on my doorstep, my family is close by and I drink great wine every day.  Life is good. Or is it?

I came home to stay home. Sort things out, get a little biz going, get my partner to move over and together make a bit of cash to enjoy the simple things of life. To escape the craziness, the stress, the crowds and the expense of big city living. To be happy.

 I am enjoying being home and I have been fortunate to be busy with a bit of freelance work.  And Vila Nova de Milfontes, truth be said, is more than a little dormant in the winter months, but there is potential despite all the naysayers.

We shall see. The new year is here. There are projects to finish, plans to make, decisions to take and more wine to be drank – more of the latter, later. And for now I am staying home.