Time out

Last weekend I took some "time out" (of not doing much !) with three of my (now ex) colleagues. We spent a few days in the pretty and historically interesting village of Eyam (pron. Eem) in the Peak District.

Eyam is known as the "plague village" and has an interesting history related to both its decimation by the plague of 1665-1666, which wiped out a third of the village's population, and the following period of recovery after this tragic event.

The village simultaneously rose to prominence and entered into the history books in 1665-1666 due to the decision of its inhabitants, led by the local Rector, to enter into a state of self-imposed quarantine in order to prevent the spread of the plague from Eyam into surrounding villages and towns. At this time, the plague was mainly concentrated in London and is thought to have arrived in Eyam via the delivery of a parcel containing textiles from London.

The villagers of Eyam consigned themselves to fate by taking this course of action but in doing so helped to prevent the spread of the disease, and as a consequence many lives were spared in that part of the world. It was a heavy price to pay though, as many who "chose" to remain within the boundaries of the village fell victim to this deadly disease. In some cases, whole famlies were wiped out, and many villagers were forced to bury their own dead in their gardens or in fields nearby.

The story of Eyam, its heroism and recovery are told in detail in an excellent exhibition in the Eyam Plague Museum. Plaques have been placed around the village detailing those who died in each house, as well as providing information about other aspects of the village's history. If you're interested in finding out more, a very informative and easy to read little book has been produced called 'Eyam Plague 1665-1666', by John Clifford.

So, if you happen to be in the Peak District in the vicinity of Bakewell and are wondering what to do on a rainy day, why not visit Eyam? There are a number of tea shops and a very good pub in the village, as well as a Youth Hostel, should you want to stay a while.

Getting started

I set this blog up approximately two months ago and have only succeeded in writing one post saying "watch this space" or something like that - can't quite remember myself now actually, it was so long ago. Anyway, I thought it was about time I finally got my act together and got started. As with so many things, it's the getting started bit that is the problem and once you've got over that, things seem alot easier.

So, finding myself with a few spare minutes this afternoon, I have finally decided to stop putting off the inevitable and write something - anything - just to get me going. So, here goes.....

When I set up this blog a few weeks (months!) ago, my thoughts were very much along the lines of creating an on-line record of what is a fairly changable time in my life. I wanted to chart the ins and outs of the moving abroad process, with the idea that it would not only be interesting for me to look back on, but also that it may even be a useful source of information (or perhaps even inspiration) for others contemplating a similar adventure.

I am now a few more weeks down the line so it would be wise for me to begin by setting the scene and noting down events so far.....

Back in January, having long dreamed of living abroad, speaking another language well etc etc., and after lots of thought (mainly along the lines of "all my friends have done exciting things with their lives, it's about time I stopped dreaming and took the plunge..."), I packed-in my (quite good) job to follow an TEFL teaching course (aka CELTA). After four fun-filled (and work-filled) weeks, I've finished and am now having some 'time out' making the most of being unemployed ie. meeting friends, going on other courses, weekends away etc etc., whilst my long-suffering husband works to the end of his contract.

The plan of action is to move to France (did you guess the country of destination from the title of the blog...?!) in June to start a new (and hopefully exciting, or at least, different) life. Obviously there is always the chance that it may go terribly wrong and I'll hate it, in which case I may be back shortly after leaving, but not, of course, until I've sampled some of the gastronomic delights that await me over there.

So, if you've read this far and are actually still interested in hearing about yet another person's expat adventures in the land of frogs (and other things - might never get there at this rate you know, so have to make alternative provisions!), then watch this space....

Hope this wasn't too boring for a first/second attempt at writing a post...oh well, should be better next time.