Living in London

This summer will mark my 7th year of living in London. So it's time to take stock and think on what I've learned in that time. Being a Northerner and living in London has made me realise the following things, in no particular order:

1. When people in London say: "We really must have lunch, I'll give you a ring," there's no point waiting by the phone.

2. When you're given a job by the nation's second major media company and they tell you: "You're sensational" and "You're just what we've been looking for", take their words with a hefty pinch of salt.

2a. A dream job should stay in your dreams (see 2 above)

3. When collapsing on the tube through work-related stress (see 2 above) there are kind and helpful people who will come to your boyfriend's aid to help move your unconscious body off the train and onto the platform. Thankyou, kind man.

4. There are kind and helpful people who will help you cope with panic attacks when travelling on the London Underground (caused by 3 above). Thankyou, kind lady.

5. There are perks of and an excitement to living in London that I could never have possibly imagined.

6. But you never forget where home really is.

7. It also turns out that I am an excellent gardener.

8. Oh, I also found out that I'm working class, apparantly. And bloody proud of it (so take that and suck it, you people at number 1 above).

There have been highs and lows (er, see 2 above, again) to living in London but on the whole, it's been an exciting, fun-packed, gig-going, arts-loving, beer-drinking, capital-exploring seven years in the smoke. But by 'eck, I wouldn't want to grow old here, the place is minging.