Sitting trawling through property websites I wonder if I am looking for Ambridge. A small cottage in a village with a pub and a local shop with good transport links to a larger town. A traditional cottage with 2 or 3 bedrooms and a large garden to grow vegetables and keep hens. A good sense of community - maybe a village hall with activities for all ages.
Then I realise what I would miss. Buses into a large town every 10 minutes or so. The following within an easy walk - about 10 minutes - doctor, dentist, hairdresser,beauty therapist, and M & S, fruit and vegetable shop, minor supermarket, various bars and restaurants and coffee shops, a traditional hardware shop, countless pubs, schools, nurseries,opticians. I can do without the banks and estate agents, perhaps even the charity shops but do I really want an Ambridge where everyone seems to know everything about each other and gets involved with everything that is going on?
The search criteria on the property webistes don't help with all that. I can select pretty wide areas in which to search, narrow down the number of bedrooms and the asking price. I can even select street view and take a wander around the area but it doesn't help. I am going to have to call the relevant estate agents and arrange viewings. I remember when you actually met the owners and could ask about the locality but now it all seems to be escorted viewings. When we bought our third home in a completely new location we met the owner by chance in an estate agents. He took us back to his house telling us that we wouldn't find anything better. His wife was a midwife and understanding of our 3 month old baby. They recommended doctors and dentists, gave directions to the clinic. We bought the house. Eighteen months later when I went into hospital to have my second child the midwife on the ward I went to after the birth was the same woman. This new town felt like home.
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