chapter 34 - A move to the countryside

Back from our post treatment tour, life resumed some normality. I was working as a consultant in Asda. This meant that I had a flat in Leeds, where they were based and for 9months, I lived from there between 1-2  nights per week. This was sort of crazy given you would think I wouldn't want to be away from Paul and Indy, but it was good for me. I had to throw myself into work and get back to being me. The independent me. We also decided that we wanted to move house. We loved our house and time in Palmers Green but we felt it was time to move on. The house held a lot of cancer related memories for me, and more than that, the choice of schools for Indy was not great. She would soon be starting school and we wanted the best for her. My sister had lived in Buntingford for many years so we knew the area well. I went to view a property in Great Hormead with my mum, a little village just outside Buntingford. A fantastic old house, built in 1560, needing more than just a bit of work. It was definitely a project. But I loved it. It was such a contrast to Palmers Green, tucked away in a tiny village, surrounded by fields and with the most beautiful garden. Without Paul seeing the house, I put an offer on it. (I knew he would love it - if not the work needed on it!) In August 2011, we moved in. I  remember feeling both elated and sad when I moved in. I was still only 2 years since diagnosis and I was fretful that I would never see the house decorated. We have been really happy here. It is so peaceful. I'm never happier than playing on the trampoline with Indy on a lovely summer evening or our teddy bear picnics in the garden. The change of pace was so welcome - just what I needed. And it is so nice being close to my family and Indy close to her cousins. I still miss London but I get to work there so am always in and out. We are slowly renovating. Each room is a major project - rewire, insulation, plaster, decoration etc etc. It is starting to take shape but oddly, it doesn't ever bother me. It feels like home and if we couldn't spend another penny on it, I would still love it. Indy started her new school and is very settled. She is in the same class as her cousin, Cass, and has made some lovely friends. I also started a new job at about the same time, working in the marketing team at Tesco. I stayed there until Janaury of this year. It was a good 2 years. A challenging culture and not one I wanted to stay in long term but a great experience. Working for a company of this size, gave me some brilliant experience. In my last role there, heading up Global Brand, I also got to travel. I visited Thailand, Malaysia, China, Korea, Poland, Slovakia, Czech, Turkey and Hungary. It was on some of these long flights, that I managed to start writing my blog.  I met some really very lovely people on my travels and really enjoyed getting immersed in different cultures. Working abroad allows you a very different perspective on countries that you would not experience as a tourist. Whilst at Tesco, I met a very like minded formidable lady called Claire. We both had a common ambition, to be successful and fulfilled in our careers whilst having a better balance with our families. I thank fate for allowing our paths to cross as we are now partners in business. In January of this year, we started together as Vitamin, a small retail marketing consultancy. This was a fairly risky decision for me, financially, but one I was determined to take. We are 4 months old and have had a great start to the business. I am really optimistic and excited about the future of Vitamin... so watch this space...