When people ask where you come from, what do you say?
This week I visited my old home town whilst visiting my eldest son’s school and on the way out had a wistful drive around, remembering all the places we used to play as children and stopped to visit my Grandpa’s grave before I left.
On the drive back to Dorset it made me think about where I felt home was and where I come from (not in the biological sense).
I was born in Cleveland, or County Durham as it is now known but only lived up there for the first two years of my life so I don’t remember much. I would love to visit there again though and my Dad suggested we move back as house prices are so much lower up there, but it’s not home.
We then moved to Dorset, not far from where I am now and I had my first year of school here.
When I was 5 we moved to West Sussex and there I stayed until my teens, moving back to Dorset to do my GCSE’s, then returned to West Sussex for my A-Levels and stayed until I was 22. We had a shingle beach and used to walk the dog along the green sword, although he would dash off into the sea at any given opportunity.
Are you confused yet? (I am)
When I worked it out I have actually lived in County Durham for 2 years, West Sussex for 19 years and Dorset for 19 years, so where is home?
I think my childhood home will always be West Sussex as that is where I went to school and made some friends for life. Plus my two eldest children were born and Christened there, however, home is where I live now. I met and married my husband here, carved out a career here and my four younger children were born here.
All the kids have schooled in Dorset too and have friends and relatives here. We only have one family member left in Sussex now as my Mum and step-dad moved to Dorset 3 years ago to be closer to the family.
Where do you class as home – did you move around like I have?
I still live in Nottingham which has always been my home I go away but have always returned. I don’t know why its grim sometimes and I love sunshine
I have moved around a lot too and I suppose where I am now is home or London. I’m going to sit down and work out how long I lived in each place for now. I am intrigued to see where I have been the longest!
They say home is where the heart is…I was born and bred in East London, but growing up in pubs means we moved around a fair bit. I’ve settled in Essex now, but London will always be my home ♥
I love Dorset – such a beautiful place.
As someone who moves around quite a bit, from when I was born to now, and married someone who moves around even more, I can relate to the question of home…
To me, home is where my husband and boys are. I know it sounds corny, but it is a port of calm in the storm that moving so much causes. It makes the questions and the moves and the feelings of no roots easier.
But it can also sometimes makes them harder.
I think I consider home to be where I live now with my family and it’s not far from where I grew up. In between myself and Mr HC have lived all over the place.
Wales! I am proud to be born and bred in Wales. It is a beautiful country, just wish it didn’t rain so much.
Ooh I live near Middlesbrough so shout me if ever you’re passing through 😉
I have a similar story. I was born in Bedford as my grandma lived in a village just outside of it. I “grew up” in a little town in the next county but always visited my grandma in her village. I then moved in with my grandma as a teenager before moving to Northampton to live with my mum at 15 and have lived here since. Bedfordshire will always be where i am from as i had the best memories there and remember more of that place as a child x
I moved around even more, mostly between different counties in EU, but for the last 10 years I was always around London area… so now I am part time Londoner 🙂 (part time only as we do not live in London no more, but I still work there)
We moved back to the NE after 14 years in Berkshire. It is really starting to feel like home now and we have been back 7 years!
I can see how that would be confusing. I moved around Birmingham a lot but didn’t leave Birmingham until I was 20. I have a Brummie accent despite living in Wales, Bristol and Gloucestershire. But my childhood where I grew was Birmingham and the reason I spell it “mom”
I’ve moved around a lot too but am very happy to call myself a Londoner, and happy to never move again!
I only live 15 miles away from my childhood home town – my parents say it’s too far and would gladly have me living across the road! Depends what mood I’m in as to where is home. I’ve lived in my current town for 11 years but I’m still an outsider but then I’d feel that way back near my parents too. So nowhere really as yet, I feel in limbo.
I lived till I was 12 in a village outside Oxford and to me that will always be my ‘home town’ – I have been here a lot longer now but it will never hold those special childhood memories my home town does and my teen years were blighted by illness which is I guess the time it could have taken over. x
I was confused – but I am what is known as ‘geographically challenged’ 😉 I love the pictures though – looks like you’ve lived in some lovely places 🙂
Wonderful post Kara, love the photos. It is really confusing! I grew up in Hertfordshire (19 years), lived in London for the next 21 years and in Surrey since 2010 🙂
I have spent my ENTIRE life in London, yet I class myself as Irish 🙂
Blogged about it too.
I don’t feel any ties to any of the places I have grown up, but then I don’t have views like those in your pics – WOW!
Liska xx
I’ve moved around my whole life which is I think why I’m so settled now living in Bristol and have no desire to move anywhere else ever! x
I would love to live in Scotland as that is where I feel at home the most even though I have never lived over the border. Other than that I feel at home where ever my husband, children & I are together.
What a pretty place. I’ve always been a Midlands girl, although my mum’s family are from London so that’s my second home 🙂