The Grassy Knoll

Moving home (apart from the physical and emotional upheaval and the subsequent inability to find any of your possessions) is always an adventure. So was the case with my new home.

Apart from the overly-loud fridge and next door’s yappy little dog this is a relatively peaceful place. It even overlooks a grassy knoll. Admittedly this is not your classic idyllic grassy knoll (especially as there is a rather unsightly disused factory behind it). It’s probably not even knoll-shaped. There are steps up the side and even a handrail. One cannot but wonder what purpose this mound of earth once served. Perhaps it was a machine gun post or a burial mound. Who knows? But, anyway, the knoll is here and so am I. For a while at least, maybe longer.

Like so many places this flat was the first one I saw when looking for a new place. I have a habit of doing that. Maybe I have very low standards or only go to see flats/houses that entirely suited to my needs. This particularly flat is very well equipped with plenty of storage space and in a fairly modern block in a quiet neighbourhood. Location has always been important to me. By that I mean the distance to the city centre. Wherever I’ve lived it’s never been more than half an hour’s walk to the city centre. Too close to the city centre and you will be troubled by noise and probably lack a place to park. Too far away and it can be a factor when deciding whether to go out.

So, what are my first impressions of the surroundings? First minor disappointment was the distance to the nearest supermarket. I was spoilt rotten in Brighton, being only 30 seconds walk away from my local supermarket. But, on the plus side, at least I’ll burn off a few extra calories walking to and from the supermarket. My lack of stamina has been worrying me recently and increasing the amount of walking I do can only help.

What also strikes me is that so far I have only seen very little of Kielce. For example there is a whole wealth of little shops in secondary shopping areas. Then, of course, there is the fantastic countryside. Then let’s not forget about the fantastic countryside, the hills, forests and lakes. All out there waiting to be discovered by me.

PS Since writing this piece the grassy knoll has undergone a few changes. One afternoon I was alarmed to see the knoll in flames. Luckily I didn’t have to wait long to decide whether to alert the fire brigade or simply wait for them to be alert by the explosion cars parked perilously close by. The fire was soon beaten out by a group of fire-fighters. Whether it was a controlled burn or the work of local hooligans I do not know. Since then, you’ll be glad to hear, the knoll has returned to its former glory and I can once again gaze upon a grassy knoll rather than a blackened mound of earth.

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