Do you love big cities?

[Orang Utan]

True true matter of perspective I guess

To me suburbia is more sprawling and further out eg you have to walk miles to get to the local shops. Like somewhere like Romford or Bromley, everyone has a car and there are no buses.

 

[wayward bob]

i think the reflection of urbanisation on population growth is interesting (if true as reported)

A lot happens when people move from the countryside into the city. First, a child changes from being an asset – another pair of shoulders to work in the fields – to a burden – another mouth to feed.

Even more important, a woman who moves to a city has greater access to media, to schools, to other women. She demands greater autonomy. And many women who are able to exercise control over their own bodies decide to have fewer children....

Religious and familial pressures to settle down and make babies also recede in the city; friends and co-workers, who are largely indifferent to one another’s reproductive choices, become more important.

What goes up: are predictions of a population crisis wrong?

 

[Edie]

ETA: My bit of suburbia

What a view! You must look out every day and feel tremendously pleased with life Bet autumn is stunning!

My parents live in the arse end of nowhere and I spend all night wondering what the noises are instead of sleeping and thinking about how if we were murdered in our beds no one would know.

Same! Woods in particular freak me out. Could never live in the woods, you’d never know whose face would be pressed against your window in the dead of night. No, you need street lights and neighbours both sides. Anything less then you take your chances!

 

[wayward bob]

i did most of my conscious growing up in the arse of nowhere and, being a shit driver, i wouldn't swap the walkability:culture ratio of a small city for anything more rural ever

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Coming from a country where there's a strict right to roam and 95% of the country is uninhabited and unproductive, England is a never ending back garden basically. Beautiful but all too often inaccessible.

I think centuries of often appallingly brutal consolidation by landowners, as well as imperialism, have really warped the way the English think about "nature" and outdoor spaces. I found it almost impossible to understand the idea of wilderness that even urban North Americans have - I couldn't conceive of areas that nobody owned and which were just there. Even if it was entirely useless, somebody would have fenced it off and shot you for being in it.

There's the usual urban vs rural stuff as well of course but that's not unique to the English. City dwellers are simultaneously told that they're unnatural smog-breathing morlocks who would be much better if they moved out to Nature (particularly For The Sake Of The Children, who universally hate it once they get to be teenagers and want to go to the city) whilst also being told that people who live there are racist uneducated bumpkins and deserve the rampant corruption and underinvestment that they undergo - if they were smart they'd have moved to the city right? Seen that in every country.

 

[Leafster]

To me suburbia is more sprawling and further out eg you have to walk miles to get to the local shops. Like somewhere like Romford or Bromley, everyone has a car and there are no buses.

I'd agree with you that Romford and Bromley are in the suburbs but I'm pretty sure there are buses!

 

[Poot]

What a view! You must look out every day and feel tremendously pleased with life Bet autumn is stunning!

Same! Woods in particular freak me out. Could never live in the woods, you’d never know whose face would be pressed against your window in the dead of night. No, you need street lights and neighbours both sides. Anything less then you take your chances!

I just suddenly remembered my mum over the autumn - and you have to imagine a tiny Scottish woman in a big hat - saying to my kids 'look children! A burrow! What do you think lives here?! and then poking it with her walking stick.

It was a wasps' nest.

Oh my GOD you've never seen anyone move so quickly.

Bleddy countryside

 

[wayward bob]

(particularly For The Sake Of The Children, who universally hate it once they get to be teenagers and want to go to the city)

 

[Edie]

Re cows, do not be fooled by them! I’ll tell you a story.

About four years ago the youngest and me took the dog out to the country (near Bramhope Orang Utan) for a walk. Near the end we got into a field that had a little mud beach by the river. We went off right across the field up a slope towards a big oak on the crest of the rise.

Half way up a group of young cows (bullucks, fuck knows) come over the rise. I play it cool with our Bill and say, right I’m going to put the dog on the lead and we’ll walk briskly to that tree.

Well, the fucking things started gambling down the hill towards us! There was clearly no malice, but all I could think was if a two ton cow gambols into you it’s gonna break your leg!

I decided we needed to speed up pretty quickly so I picked the dog up, grabbed son’s arm and almost dragging him fucking LEGGED it to this tree!

Got there in the nick of time, but the bloody things were huffing and puffing and kind of leaning their big wet noses in fucking surrounding us! I could tell Bill was close to panic, so I kinda channelled Crocodile Dundee and said in a very convincing confident voice (Bill told me later he had no idea I was shitting it) ‘git over you daft girl’ and wafted my hands to get the more curious ones to move back.

Honestly we were trapped there for fucking ages waiting for them to get bored, but at least we didn’t get stampeded!

I now don’t go in a field with cows. And this is why I live in suburbia tbh.

 

[miss direct]

I live in a mega city with a population of something between 15 and 20 million people. I would much rather live in a smaller city but all the decent jobs are based here. Traffic and getting around the city are the biggest problem.

 

[Leafster]

What a view! You must look out every day and feel tremendously pleased with life Bet autumn is stunning!

Same! Woods in particular freak me out. Could never live in the woods, you’d never know whose face would be pressed against your window in the dead of night. No, you need street lights and neighbours both sides. Anything less then you take your chances!

I work from home most days and the view from the office is out across the valley and towards the fields and trees. Yep, Autumn is great with the leaves changing colour but it's a bugger to have to clear them all up when they fall in the garden.

I lived on the edge of some woods in my previous place. There were no boundary fences so theoretically the neighbours on the "other side" could have walked through the woods to my garden but they never did!

There's been a big fuss where I currently live as the street lights are now turned off at night but I grew up where there weren't any at all so I can't really see the problem.

 

[Poot]

Re cows, do not be fooled by them! I’ll tell you a story.

About four years ago the youngest and me took the dog out to the country (near Bramhope Orang Utan) for a walk. Near the end we got into a field that had a little mud beach by the river. We went off right across the field up a slope towards a big oak on the crest of the rise.

Half way up a group of young cows (bullucks, fuck knows) come over the rise. I play it cool with our Bill and say, right I’m going to put the dog on the lead and we’ll walk briskly to that tree.

Well, the fucking things started gambling down the hill towards us! There was clearly no malice, but all I could think was if a two ton cow gambols into you it’s gonna break your leg!

I decided we needed to speed up pretty quickly so I picked the dog up, grabbed son’s arm and almost dragging him fucking LEGGED it to this tree!

Got there in the nick of time, but the bloody things were huffing and puffing and kind of leaning their big wet noses in fucking surrounding us! I could tell Bill was close to panic, so I kinda channelled Crocodile Dundee and said in a very convincing confident voice (Bill told me later he had no idea I was shitting it) ‘git over you daft girl’ and wafted my hands to get the more curious ones to move back.

Honestly we were trapped there for fucking ages waiting for them to get bored, but at least we didn’t get stampeded!

I now don’t go in a field with cows. And this is why I live in suburbia tbh.

I was talking to a dairy farmer that I know, and he reckons cows only REALLY go for people with small dogs. His advice is to leave the dog - it can and will escape - but look at leaving the field as calmly as you can. Dogs get out. People get out. But not necessarily if they are together...

 

[wayward bob]

Dogs get out. People get out. But not necessarily if they are together...

 

[Edie]

I was talking to a dairy farmer that I know, and he reckons cows only REALLY go for people with small dogs. His advice is to leave the dog - it can and will escape - but look at leaving the field as calmly as you can. Dogs get out. People get out. But not necessarily if they are together...

I learnt this afterwards! I should of put it in my post. People do get stampeded by cows, and the rule is take your dog OFF the lead and leave it to fend for itself (which it’ll do with ease).

 

[Poot]

I learnt this afterwards! I should of put it in my post. People do get stampeded by cows, and the rule is take your dog OFF the lead and leave it to fend for itself (which it’ll do with ease).

I've never been stampeded by a cow whilst wandering around Debenhams or sitting on a swing in the park. I think we can all learn from this about which is better, the city or the countryside.

 

[Edie]

I've never been stampeded by a cow whilst wandering around Debenhams or sitting on a swing in the park. I think we can all learn from this about which is better, the city or the countryside.

Exactly.

 

[maomao]

I'd agree with you that Romford and Bromley are in the suburbs but I'm pretty sure there are buses!

We (family of four) manage fine in Romford without a car. We are eight minutes walk from the train station but buses are definitely available. There's a bus to London from the end of my road every few minutes.

 

[planetgeli]

Re cows, do not be fooled by them! I’ll tell you a story.

About four years ago the youngest and me took the dog out to the country (near Bramhope Orang Utan) for a walk. Near the end we got into a field that had a little mud beach by the river. We went off right across the field up a slope towards a big oak on the crest of the rise.

Half way up a group of young cows (bullucks, fuck knows) come over the rise. I play it cool with our Bill and say, right I’m going to put the dog on the lead and we’ll walk briskly to that tree.

Well, the fucking things started gambling down the hill towards us! There was clearly no malice, but all I could think was if a two ton cow gambols into you it’s gonna break your leg!

I decided we needed to speed up pretty quickly so I picked the dog up, grabbed son’s arm and almost dragging him fucking LEGGED it to this tree!

Got there in the nick of time, but the bloody things were huffing and puffing and kind of leaning their big wet noses in fucking surrounding us! I could tell Bill was close to panic, so I kinda channelled Crocodile Dundee and said in a very convincing confident voice (Bill told me later he had no idea I was shitting it) ‘git over you daft girl’ and wafted my hands to get the more curious ones to move back.

Honestly we were trapped there for fucking ages waiting for them to get bored, but at least we didn’t get stampeded!

I now don’t go in a field with cows. And this is why I live in suburbia tbh.

Cows are our gangstas.

I’ve been stampeded twice. First time, in a field minding my own business tripping, ran like fuck to avoid a certain crushing.

Second time, field opposite my house, had learned that the trick is to just stand there and spread your arms wide. Confuses the hell out of them and they just stop in front of you. This works. It’s what farmers do.

 

[TruXta]

Re cows, do not be fooled by them! I’ll tell you a story.

About four years ago the youngest and me took the dog out to the country (near Bramhope Orang Utan) for a walk. Near the end we got into a field that had a little mud beach by the river. We went off right across the field up a slope towards a big oak on the crest of the rise.

Half way up a group of young cows (bullucks, fuck knows) come over the rise. I play it cool with our Bill and say, right I’m going to put the dog on the lead and we’ll walk briskly to that tree.

Well, the fucking things started gambling down the hill towards us! There was clearly no malice, but all I could think was if a two ton cow gambols into you it’s gonna break your leg!

I decided we needed to speed up pretty quickly so I picked the dog up, grabbed son’s arm and almost dragging him fucking LEGGED it to this tree!

Got there in the nick of time, but the bloody things were huffing and puffing and kind of leaning their big wet noses in fucking surrounding us! I could tell Bill was close to panic, so I kinda channelled Crocodile Dundee and said in a very convincing confident voice (Bill told me later he had no idea I was shitting it) ‘git over you daft girl’ and wafted my hands to get the more curious ones to move back.

Honestly we were trapped there for fucking ages waiting for them to get bored, but at least we didn’t get stampeded!

I now don’t go in a field with cows. And this is why I live in suburbia tbh.

Chances are they were just curious. If they wanted you dead you probably wouldn't be posting

 

[Orang Utan]

I'd agree with you that Romford and Bromley are in the suburbs but I'm pretty sure there are buses!

Aye, but you have to walk for ages to get to one

 

[Orang Utan]

The bigot ratio seems to be higher in suburbia/the countryside too.

 

[Orang Utan]

When i was about 18, i passed out in a field while camping. Got lost on my way back from the toilet block. Woke up being licked on the face by this disgusting bluegrey tongue. Opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by some curious cows.

 

[wayward bob]

When i was about 18, i passed out in a field while camping. Got lost on my way back from the toilet block. Woke up being licked on the face by this disgusting bluegrey tongue. Opened my eyes to find...

our mutual stories diverge at this point

 

[TruXta]

The bigot ratio seems to be higher in suburbia/the countryside too.

Dunno about English countryside bigots, but I find it varies quite a lot back home. Just because it's less densely populated doesn't have to mean it's isolated.

 

[Baronage-Phase]

I go between a small city (population 200,000) and a seaside tiny town.
The noise level is the biggest difference. In the city there is constant traffic outside. It goes quiet around 3am and starts up against 4.45.

By the sea all you hear is the sea and the wind. I love being there but the tourists and holiday makers in summer really take over and it becomes loud and uncomfortable. It's beautiful this time of year though.

The quietest place I was ever was in a country area that had lots of trees. There wasn't a sound apart from the birds and the leaves rustling in the trees.... Very few neighbours. The road was narrow and the trees on either side reached across and made a canopy overhead. It was beautiful. There was a lovely old stone bridge down the road. I loved being there.

If / when I reach retirement I want to live in a truly quiet place...not interested in having too many neighbours and I'm ok with being a few miles from a shop.
Somewhere with trees....And water.
Might never happen but one can dream

 

[wayward bob]

All the interesting city things in the world couldn't replace me having a genuine little tiny bit of outdoors to call my own.

i think "countryside" suffers from too much outdoors. a small, rationed and fair piece of outdoors goes a long way towards decent mental health imho. combine with parks and it beats the actual countryside into a cocked hat. (save a summer's camping!)

 

[8115]

I love big cities and I love the countryside, it's everything in between I can't stand.

 

[Orang Utan]

Cuntricide

 

[farmerbarleymow]

However Conan Doyle chose to live in the country.

I've only lived in one city (Portsmouth). It's very contained and it was easy to escape to the countryside so I quite liked it.

I guess I live on the very edge of suburbia now and that's as close to a city as I want to be.

ETA: My bit of suburbia

That fence would freak me out - looks to be about thigh-height, and needs to be higher to stop people falling off the edge. Nice view as you plunge to your doom, mind.

Same! Woods in particular freak me out.

They're fantastic for your health though - look up forest bathing. Living in woods would be great.

I was talking to a dairy farmer that I know, and he reckons cows only REALLY go for people with small dogs. His advice is to leave the dog - it can and will escape - but look at leaving the field as calmly as you can. Dogs get out. People get out. But not necessarily if they are together...

Yep. We were chased by a herd of cows while walking across a field in Scotland. We legged it and left the dog to find for himself. He cleared the fence in one leap - we'd never seen him jump that high before, but he was a farm-bred collie so he'd have been used to dealing with livestock.

But cows are great - lovely creatures. I've walked past/through groups of them many a time while in the countryside - as long as you're careful during the period when they've got calfs, you're OK.

 

[Leafster]

That fence would freak me out - looks to be about thigh-height, and needs to be higher to stop people falling off the edge. Nice view as you plunge to your doom, mind.

I think it's a trick of perspective. I took the photo from the next level above and the railings are about a metre high. The drop on the other side isn't too far either. The whole of my garden, both front and rear, is steeply terraced. There are long drops in places but most of them are protected by railings or soft boundaries (planting). Here's a photo of the back garden taken from the other direction ( from my neighbour's upstairs window) which might give a better idea.



There's still one long drop (about 2 metres) over one terrace in the front garden I need to deal with but visitors rarely have to go anywhere near it so I've put off sorting it out.