I moved to London straight after university to get a job
because that’s what many of my friends were doing. I moved to Clapham because
that’s where everyone I knew lived, and it felt like a safe extension of
university life. I no longer live in Clapham and have moved around different
boroughs and experienced my fair share of interesting rental properties. The
most memorable was the flat with mites in the sofa, and badger paintings on the
walls. Lovely. Seven years later I’m still in here..
When I've been out for dinner in London and I've got the
time to walk to the station instead of getting the tube, that’s when I love
London. Walking over any London bridge when it’s late and the lights are
twinkling makes my little heart sing. London has an incredible buzz and there
really is always something going on. It’s awesome that I can go to the theatre
on a week night (The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night was epic), and go to museums
for free, and eat an amazing array of food. We managed to get tickets for the
Olympics in 2012 and the atmosphere was incredible, and my love for London came
to an all time high. I remember watching the Hockey while the rain beat
down. I had soggy feet all day (I still haven’t learnt to always prepare for
rain), but when I got home I said ‘that was one of the best days of my
life’, and I meant it.
The London parks are stunning and I’ve enjoyed many a run
through them with one of my best friends. I’ve run the Royal Parks Half Marathon and tried to take in the beauty, while attempting to keep my heavy
legs going. Richmond Park is the largest of the Royal parks and it’s amazing
for marathon training (11km circumference), and there are even deer wandering
around just minding their own business. We took our Kindle’s and a picnic
blanket last summer and read for hours with no awareness we were even in
London.
Part of why I love London is because it can feel like everyone
is here, and that’s also part of the reason I struggle to love it. It’s just so
blinking busy. I’ve become acquainted with so many armpits on the daily
commute, and sometimes it’s tiring battling through another crowd. It’s also silly expensive
to buy a house/flat/studio/shed. I would love to own a real home someday and
paint the walls, and have, dare I say it, some outside space. Ever the
optimist I went to see a few flats, which looked amazing in the estate agents
pictures. When I arrived the first one was above a Chicken Shop and the extractor
fans pumped out the smell of their ‘secret blend of herbs and spices’. All that
being said I’m aware of just how lucky I am to live in this wonderful city, so for
now we’re staying put.
With love from London…
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