I'm about to (when I finish procrastinating by writing this blog) go for a run. I will have to run along the edge of the road and risk getting squashed by various bad drivers, but it's worth it to be outside. It's been a while.

I hadn't realised, when I moved out here, how dramatically my lifestyle would change - not just in the obvious ways, but the more subtle ones. But my ballooning waist and ever-tightening jeans are reminding me.

In London, I was on the move all the time. I cycled or walked to work - five miles there, five miles back. Even if I caught the tube, I would walk to the station and walk the other end. On top of the general activity, I went to the gym, swam, played touch rugby with my friends.

Out here I have joined the gym, it is true, but that's not cutting it. Because other than going there, I don't move around, at all. I drive, because I have to (walking to work - 23 miles - would probably take me at least a day, and would involve trekking down the highway - not a good idea). Meanwhile, even getting from house to car doesn't involve going outside.

It's not a good state of affairs, and I would love to walk and move regularly, but here it's hard, because walking is an anomaly. For a start, there are no public footpaths - no footpaths of any kind. Cross a farmer's field and you risk getting shot. And if you try and incorporate walking into your daily tasks, as I did last week, you come up against something. Last week it was a drive-thru ATM (yes, they have those here, along with drive-thru pharmacies). I was doing some jobs, which happened to be in the same place. I needed some cash. So I trotted over to the ATM. Only it was a drive-thru. Undeterred, I withdrew my cash and continued - after being stared at by every passer by, all of whom were amazed that someone was actually using their legs.

We have some friends who, shortly after they arrived here, were invited to a neighbour's house for dinner. It was about half a mile away, so they decided to walk. And were stopped by no less than four people, checking to see if they were alright and needed a lift.

Despite the open space, the miles of land, you can't move here - at least not under your own steam. So my waist grows ever larger, and I contemplate the misery of road running. Sigh.