The wonders of village life
The definition of a village is “a group of houses and associated buildings, larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town, situated in a rural area.”
This may well be correct but it does not really do justice to what we all think about village life.
The definition of a community is “the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common”
This may also be correct but we much prefer another definition we found:
“You can define a community by the shared attributes of the people in it and/or by the strength of the connections among them. You need a bunch of people who are alike in some way, who feel some sense of belonging or interpersonal connection.”
We think of village life as offering all of these lovely advantages;
Fresh air
More space
A simpler life
Less stress
Community spirit
Access to amazing local produce (and vineyards!)
You can usually walk to a shop, a post office (perhaps nowadays in the same shop but still there!), a pub, a church and a primary school.
Your young children may get to walk to school and their friends are usually within walking, or a short drive away, allowing for plenty of play dates and sleep overs!
You meet mums at the school gates and develop a crucial and often longlasting bunch of friends, who go through the various stages of parenthood together – an invaluable support network.
You can walk home from the pub, saving a fortune on cab fares. No need for an Uber!!
You may be lucky enough to be on a milk round from a local dairy, and these days they deliver so much more than just milk.
You get to know people by name: the shop owner, the pub landlord, the postman, the milkman.
You can shop in Farmers Markets – buying local, delicious, fresh food. Knowing its provenance and knowing you are doing your bit to reduce your carbon footprint.
You will feel like part of a community, because you are. There will be Beavers, Cubs, Scouts & Guides galore with all the community events that brings….
Annual events become part of your social diary and every village will have their own. Most will have a village fete, many will get together to celebrate major national events – just think of any Royal Wedding or Jubilee.
Then there’s just the downright eccentric rituals, that have been going on for so long, no-one knows why they happen but love the fact that they do…. Rubber Duck races, Pram races, Gypsy Horse Fairs amongst others.
And lastly….. “The best thing about living in a small village is; when you are not sure what is going on in your life…. someone in the village usually does !!”