I live on what could realistically be called a sandbar. I live on Tarawa, a narrow atoll, one of the many atolls and islands that make up the Republic of Kiribati, in the central Pacific Ocean. And yes, my house is one degree (and twenty-four minutes) north.
On reading other writers’ blogs I read of people who have pared down their possessions, pared down their wardrobe, scaled back their consumerism and downsized their home etc. In coming to Kiribati I have pared back my life………….., no appointments diary, no commuting, no social commitments, free from Christmas advertising, no rush to appointments, no demands, no distractions. But of course on the down side, fewer friends around, no theatre or art, no cheese and on the odd occasion it appears, very poor quality chocolate.
Up until earlier this year I was living in central London, and here, now, in my small ocean-bound village I compare my commute to work then and my stroll to my office now. I walk along the only road, passing by a couple of houses, a neat cemetery and more than a few free range dogs. Earlier this year I was walking by the British Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, through the delightful St James's Park, beneath the Admiral on his column, and then by the stores displaying their desirable wares on Strand: the handmade chocolate shop, the tweed and tartan shop, the Savoy tailor, the artists’ supplier, the traditional stationers, and of course the gourmet food purveyors. And compared to then, here there is a silence. Listen, waves crashing means high tide, silence, low tide. Thud, a coconut is now more accessible.
The visual void I now experience has freed up space in my mind, to imagine and visualise, to think of past experiences, to focus acutely on past views and impressions: ornate door handles on a Paris street, the rooftop shapes over Whitehall, a painted lych gate in a leafy Melbourne street, autumn colours in Canberra.
Paul Theroux observed: 'Nothing induces concentration or inspires memory like an alien landsape or a foreign culture'.
Paul Theroux observed: 'Nothing induces concentration or inspires memory like an alien landsape or a foreign culture'.
