After nearly 30 years in beautiful Ruislip, it is time to move to greener pastures - literally - for Mrs C and I are relocating in the lush countryside of rural Warwickshire. There will be no more despatches from this agreeable part of west Middlesex and no more blistering invective on behalf of commuters everywhere.
But fear not, this blog will continue. Perhaps the Ramblings bit will become even more relevant as I explore the byways, the disused railways, the canals and riverside walks close to my new home. Even my editor has agreed to make the move and I hope to find an untenanted tumbledown cattle shed to provide suitable accommodation. [Thanks. Thanks so very much: Ed]
The problem confronting us today is whether to change the name. Or not to bother, maybe just insert a tiny little "ex" before the word "Ruislip". Changing well-known names for neologisms has sometimes had damaging results - The Post Office attempting to become Consignia amidst universal derision is a good example. And the hamlet to which we are migrating is not a household name; I don't want people distracted by trying to work out exactly how to find Upper Silage-cum-Bishop's Nodules. Yes, I think Ruislip needs to remain at the heart of the marketing side of things and I can be a sort of writer-in-exile, warming my heart in the long dark winter evenings with thoughts of the roadworks on the A40, extensive delays on all Tube services to Harrow, the unending posts on Facebook about missing pets, found pets and pets found sadly deceased1, mislaid keys, strangers outside one's house ("Stay safe, everyone") and the unstinting efforts of the O'Hara Bros to replace every pavement in the borough whether it needs it or not.
More when I have had a chance to settle in ....
1. No pet ever dies - they are always found deceased.
No comments:
Post a Comment