I've secretly always wanted to write a blog but never really had anything interesting to say. But then on the way down the A12 today on a gloriously sunny Suffolk day I realised that I do actually have quite a lot to say and perhaps now is the time to start.
So here we go.
It all started in 2006. This was quite a momentus year for me - I got married and got pregnant (in that order) and then James, my better half, bought a shop on Aldeburgh High Street called O&C Butcher. It's a pretty awful name for such a lovely, traditional shop but it's been trading for over 100 years so who were we to swoop in and change it? However, I do still have to clearly explain to people that my husband deals in clothes rather than meat. At that time we were living in the village of Duxford just south of Cambridge. James was in corporate banking and commuted down to the City each day and I managed a small digital team at a marketing agency in Cambridge. We'd never been to Aldeburgh before - we were always Southwold/Walberswick visitors - but before we knew it, it was ours!
So, James took over the shop in February 2007 and at 36 weeks pregnant we moved to a little house in Snape. Why do pregnant women always do stupid things like that? On our first wedding anniversary I woke up and told James I was in labour - he'd left my card and flowers at the shop (a common mistake) and the day generally went downhill from there. But in the early hours of Monday 28 May 2007 Grace was born. Amazing.
All of a sudden we had a new baby, a new business and a whole load of new friends to make. It was to be quite a year.
By May 2008 I was ready to start working again and picked up some freelance project management work with an Internet company called Shelton. Rather handily they are based just down the road in Melton and I've been happily working there 2 days a week ever since.
As we get to know more and more about our local surroundings I get more and more inspired by the people I meet. There seem to be so many entrepreneurial people around here. People who have escaped the City, locally grown talent and others who have returned to their roots. But in this blog I hope to introduce you to some of these folk and share some of the tales of my Suffolk life as The Shopkeeper's Wife.
And I promise to *try* and make future posts more succinct...
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Hello! I thought I'd leave a comment right at the start of your blog...to prove I read the whole thing and loved it.
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of looking like a crazy mad stalker, I just followed you on Twitter. I live very close to you, and we're fairly new to Suffolk too (moved from London last year). I have two small boys, one very close in age to Grace in fact.
I work part-time, mostly at home and occasionally in London. My husband bravely commutes to London each day, shudder. I'm just teaching myself to crochet and sew, you know to fill up all that spare time that I have [queue wild laughter].
Anyway, I just wanted to say hello and how much i loved your blog. I'm sure you've got your hands full with two littlies on board, I'm sure that accounts for the blog break!
I blog here www.spudballoo.com
Waves cheerily from down the A12...Spud x
Well hello. Nobody's ever really left me a comment before. Tis nice to know that somebody has read it but it fills me with shame that i've been so utterly useless at keeping it up to date. But having been inspired by your blog and your amazing photos perhaps i might start again soon! And perhaps i might get the book out that teaches me how to use my dslr and try to take some half decent photos too.
ReplyDeleteYou have very adorable kids by the way. And i see you're a josef seibel wearer so you must come to the shop in aldeburgh to get your next pair ;)
Just been handed a glass of prosecco so really should make the most of it before bea wants another feed but perhaps our paths will cross. Do you live near snape?