Luxury

I have been in Devon since Saturday afternoon, after a horrible drive down through endless traffic. I forgot how it feels to be in a traffic jam and how rude and pushy people can be. We arrived to sunshine which promptly turned to rain for the next couple of days, but I don't care! It is so lovely here. The house seems huge to me and the joy of running a tap or flushing a loo  or, best yet, having a bath, can only truly be appreciated by those who live on rationed water and have to dispose of their own poo!

Bonny loves it too and is currently stretched out on the wooden floor, not two feet away from the resident cat who, I was told, can be feisty or down right bullying to other animals. Well, Bonny's submissive nature seems to have won her over and although they aren't quite sharing a bed, there is definitely a thawing in their relationship! I have also been introducing Bonny to some of the walks I used to take Brandy, my beloved Labrador on. I sometimes feel that if I just turn round quick enough I would see his grinning face and wagging tail!

It is unbelievably relaxing not to have to keep a constant eye on my consumption, whether it be power, Internet data or water and I really appreciate it. I am already noticing though that I feel a bit disconnected from the basics of life. Everything is provided for me; power generation goes on miles from here, the water flows endlessly through pipes I have no access to, and who knows where the contents of the loo ends up. That all frees me up to do other things, but it is an unfamiliar feeling to have faceless people providing for me what I have become accustomed to providing for myself and I'm not sure I would like it for any length of time. That's not a worry though because there is no way I could afford to live in a house and pay the sorts of bills people pay for these privileges!

I have a full list of social engagements while I am here and have found it very touching to discover how many people want to catch up with me. I finished my church career here and it was an incredibly painful time, but this visit is reminding me of all the good things and particularly the good people here. It is, in some sense, redeeming Devon for me and it's good!

Sunset over Bradworthy wind turbines