I was walking up the lane this morning, after dropping the kids off, and I thought about how, 100 years ago, the majority of people wouldn't go out of their immediate environs for their whole lives.

A trip to the beach would have been an adventure, planned for and looked forward to. People bought their food locally, grew some of their own if they had the chance, all their friends were people they had known all their lives, they probably married someone they had known since childhood.

One wonders about the benefit of war. Frankly, I don't see the point, myself, but if one was looking for a benefit, then perhaps people might consider faster flight a benefit; the emancipation of women (land girls in the 2nd world war for example); the mixing of cultures during occupations. Computer advances are another benefit. We try to get better and faster systems than the enemy, so advances are made, and we benefit with things like the internet and laptop pcs.

Imagine we didn't have flight. Blogmeets would be out because I'm fairly sure that Mr Meno wouldn't fancy having Mrs Memo away for the time it would take to sail across the pond. Sminch wouldn't be able to see her family so often, and her move to Europe would have entiled a much different decision - one to affect her life, not just a (potential) period of life.

The internet - would any of us have met any others? I've never met any of you IRL - but I know you nevertheless.

We all have cars, now, and the money to travel about where the fancy takes us. Sweeping statement, yes, but how many of us stay in one village all our lives?

I have found myself becoming more insular. I love the place I live, which I think is why. I don't feel the need to go gallivanting around the countryside or the world, because I am happy here. I feel a deep contentment in my days and my way of life. I have joy in walking down the lane in the morning to drop my kids at school, the quiet lane, the birds singing, the kids anticipating their day. I love my house and garden, the view from the front of the house. There are inconveniences, yes, but they are far outweighed by the good stuff.

Perhaps wanting to stay in one place is a bad thing. There are places in the world that interest me - Egypt, Peru, I would like to see Australia again, I want to go to Ireland and visit our namesake village. I want to go back to Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Bucks. I have no desire to go to London or any other big cities ... perhaps Oxford.

Contentment.