Living the Dream

Daily writing prompt

Write about your dream home.

I have a few posts sitting in drafts but for some reason I don’t feel inspired by any of them at the moment so I thought I’d answer today’s prompt instead and after just a couple of moments thought I realised that I actually have several dream homes!

As I type this ‘Murder, She Wrote’ is on in the background, yes it’s my guilty pleasure, as cosy and familiar as the old jumper I’m wearing, perfect for a snuggly Sunday afternoon. Anyway the reason I mention this is that I’d rather like Jessica Fletcher’s house in Cabot Cove. To be fair I still like the idea of being JB Fletcher when I eventually grow-up. If you ignore all the murders she has a lovely life. Jessica spends her time either writing or visiting friends & family in all sorts of lovely locations. She even gets to meet the dashing Thomas Magnum. However when it all gets too much she gets to go home to Cabot Cove, which looks like an idyllic town (again aside from all the murders!). It looks ideal for a walker as there’s a rugged coastline for seaside strolls as well as plenty of woodland for forest escapes. But let’s not forget that lovely, detached house of hers so yes we can pop that on the list of dream homes.

Next on the list is a cabin in the woods, no not one from a scary movie but a picturesque retreat from the rest of the world. Last summer we stayed at a lovely cabin, it was in its own little enclave so we felt hidden away from society surrounded by trees. However we were just a short walk from the local village which included a couple of lovely pubs and a fabulous little bookshop – in other words the essentials of life. The cabin was almost perfect but the one we stayed in wouldn’t quite qualify as a dream home for a couple of reasons, from my partner’s point of view it wouldn’t work as there was no space for a workshop, although persumably it would be possbile to build one. The main issue though is that there was not enough space for a library or even a few bookcases. If I’m not walking or writing then I’ll be reading and so my dream home would need plenty of space for books.

Like a lot of people I do daydream about what would happen if we won the lottery and have even had a look at Rightmove to see what options are available and I have to confess I do already have my eye on our ‘dream house’. It’s a beautiful redbrick building, the inside has all sorts of quirky knooks and crannies and in the centre there is a vast octogon room which already has it’s own little bar and upstairs one of the rooms is labelled as ‘The Library’. It is a little unusual and best of all it’s in a town we already love, home to several pubs, an independent cinema and a fabulous bookshop. I just have to hope it doesn’t sell before our winning numbers come up.

And therein lies the rub. While daydreams can be fun and wondering ‘what if…’ can be a pleasing distraction, it can also cause problems. If you get too swept up in daydreams then waking up in reality can be disappointing. When you spend time looking at pictures of gorgeous, big houses then you pause and look back at your own inperfect abode then it could lead to dismay. But just as I like to use a walk to help clear the head and improve my mood, I’ll take the same approach to daydreaming. So let’s look at the things I like best about those ‘dream houses’ – within walking distance of good pubs, close to lovely walks by the sea & woodland with space for a library, a bar and a workshop. While my house may not be as picturesque as some of the ‘dream houses’ I mentioned it does cover the essentials. I’m fortunate enough to have several walking routes available the moment I step outside my front door, including a couple with fantastic pubs along the way. And we may not have room for a library, we’ve found space for several bookcases. So while it is fun to daydream, it is also lovely to wake up and realise that you are actually not that far off from living the dream already.

Oh and before anyone asks me why a blog about walking is suddenly talking about homes, I have two retorts for you – firstly I did say that my dream house would need to be close to plenty of walks and secondly when do you think I do my daydreaming? When I’m walking of course!

That’s how I stroll.