A way to dump all the stuff I wouldn't want to lumber my family and friends with. So if you're a friend or part of my family and you've heard it all before, I'm duller than I thought. Sorry.
I left London 5 years ago last April. I still miss it. However there is no getting away from the fact that my children have a far better life away from London than they would have had, if we had stayed.
When I win the lottery or something I shall buy a small place in London to indulge my love of the city.
Six, I lived in London in the 70's, but there's no way I'd have brought my children up there unless the local secondary schools were alright. Could you run your business if you didn't live in London ? That's another consideration.
That's what I'm trying to work out. I could definitely do it if I spent 2 nights in london a week, but that isn't my and definitely isn't Nicky's idea of better quality of life.
Six, if you still needed to spend some time in London why not move somewhere that say takes only about 2 hours on the train to get to where you need to go? This gives an enormous amount of area to consider and would mean rather than spending two nights away each week, you spend two rather long days there (including communting) instead?
It would ultimately lead to a better quality of life for all of you especially as you may even find work closer to home after a while.
You will miss it though!
My missing London has a lot to do with the vibrancy and life that goes with the capital. I don't miss the every day stuff like the tube, the smelly air, the enormous volume of people on occasion, the sheer drudgery of dealing with a big city when the temperatures are high, not seeing the sky properly and so on.
That's a good idea Mags, mind you, my OH being in the Forces, I did have spells when I was by myself with the kids. Lots of people where I live( S Suffolk) commute every day. From our house (drive to Colchester station) to Liverpool St station is 1 hr 40 mins, which isn't too bad if you're only doing it twice a week, Six.
Six, I don't know how much you paid for your house in Streatham, but in the market town where i live you could get a 3 bedroomed house for £250,000. I know that sounds a lot. Most of the primary schools in the surrounding villages and market towns are fine, you just have to be careful what your secondary feeder school is like. Having said that, if you're prepared to pay for transport, you're not quite so limited. Oh dammit, Come and live in Suffolk ! Beautiful countryside, low crime rate !
by the way...are you on holiday right now? Is this why you're thinking of getting out of the smoke?
I actually think you would adore Manchester, though I suppose it would always seem small-town after London so perhaps a move to the country would be the right thing.
I can recommend Berkshire, really enjoyed living there. the area around Marlow (ok that's Bucks) is lovely, as is the area around Maidenhead/Windsor
I concur with vodka except that I would say Bucks. Selling your house would give you enough (just) for a place in Bucks, which has by far the best schools of the 'live near London' counties. Berks is probably a little nicer as far as 'vistas' go and Marlow/Henley/Maidenhead were old stamping grounds of mine too, many a wonderful country pub up the Thames valley.
If you've fallen in love with Devon then (and why not!)...maybe that's a little tooooo far.
A couple of months ago I stayed overnight in London for the first time in years. London on a friday night was all I remembered and more. The lights, the people, the buzz. Thrilling.
At around eight in the morning I booked out of the hotel and got a cab through Piccadilly Circus and down Shaftsbury Avenue. It was so exciting. A crisp sunny morning and a city waking up. London is the greatest city in the world in my opinion. I've been to quite a few across several continents. The two I would really like to experience before finally deciding are Barcelona and Melbourne but for now its London - the centre of the world. Whenever I've been abroad and been asked where I'm from and say "England", I always get a huge smile and the reply "ahhh... London!" It makes you feel ten feet tall. "Yes, strange foreigner, London, look upon my works ye mighty and despair for I.... AM AN ENGLISHMAN!! Now, give me your country there's a good chap..."
To Vodka - Now you've got me thinking!...here we go:
The Little Angel, is that the one you mean, Remenham hill? (better than the Angel on the other bank)...and there was another on in Sonning as well, a nice hotel.
Plus... (the ones that I remember when I actually think about it! There's more (one had pineapple in the name I’m sure!)...
The Crown at Burchetts green
Inn on the green Cookham Dean
Bird in hand at Knowl Hill
Cricketers at Littlewick Green
Highwayman at Goring (God...they had a beer called Head Banger...nuff said), a few in Maidenhead/marlow (Chequers?) that escape me
Bounty at Cookham right on the river, used to have a ferry and all!
Black Boy near Hurley and The Dew Drop (well hidden away!)...had about 10 double vodkas (no coke!) there before 'graduation'
The red lion near there (on the main road) was a haunt for a long time (greeted the day in the pub garden at least once) and The Old Bell at Hurley was nice once in a while.
The crown (and something) at Inkpen...there are more...especially spreading up into Oxfordshire (and Oxford)...and then across to the Cotswolds. Ewen had a Fantastic pub with great food - little bit pricey but worth it. The Wild duck or something Duck....
Those confounded decisions of life, do we ever really know what the right choice is ? Then again is there ever one right one, what is right for the now may cease to be tomorrow.
Anyone here for Fantasy football? Yes I know its a ridiculous waste of time and addictive but its fun, so why not. I've put the details on my blog. League starts on Saturday...
I know most of those pubs. I've had sunday lunch in at least three of them.
I'm not sure of the name of the pub at Remenham, just remember parking near the church and sitting by the Thames during regatta week (was at University in Reading).
We used to walk from Reading to Henley along the Thames path, stopping at the bull at Sonning for lunch, get hammered in Henley and catch the last train home (evading the fare, in true student style)
Augustu, I agree with everything you say about London. I'm sure there's nowhere else like it on earth. I used to think that the best city in the world would surely be New York or Sydney, then I visited both and concluded it was London.
Now I'm convinced you mean the Little Angel, it's at the bottom of Remenham hill right on the river (and bridge) and opposite (in Henley itself) is The Angel. I say that because if you walked along the river you would have gone PAST Henley to get to Remenham.
P.S. Where's Six - is he proving he can stay away 2 weeks? (2 days to go then!)
he's lurking, I reckon. He's going to the same wedding as me next week though, so there will be nowhere to hide.
I think I do mean the little angel. You have to drive down the side of it to get to Remenham, and yes, I do know the Angel on the Bridge at Henley. It's position is pretty unrivalled.
As for Six, if he thinks back really carefully he will remember going on a day trip to Henley with us about 5 years ago and commenting how refreshing it was to get out of London.
The thing I remember was that he was driving (the car affectionately known as "Bap") and I wondered whether the acceptable outer boundaries of "London Driving" extended to South Oxfordshire (as we tore around the country lanes)
We even found a tea-room run by his namesake, which was rather fitting.
He's back! he read your comment and has come clean. ;-)
Tearoom - Crispins? I used to go to a wine bar (yep, sorry) that then changed to a cocktail bar (yep sorry) and we used to spend small fortunes there It was called Rumours in 1983 but could be anything now but near to where Crispins is - just as you come over the bridge.
22 comments:
Nor am I Six,
Then again maybe...
I left London 5 years ago last April. I still miss it. However there is no getting away from the fact that my children have a far better life away from London than they would have had, if we had stayed.
When I win the lottery or something I shall buy a small place in London to indulge my love of the city.
Six, I lived in London in the 70's, but there's no way I'd have brought my children up there unless the local secondary schools were alright.
Could you run your business if you didn't live in London ? That's another consideration.
That's what I'm trying to work out. I could definitely do it if I spent 2 nights in london a week, but that isn't my and definitely isn't Nicky's idea of better quality of life.
Six, if you still needed to spend some time in London why not move somewhere that say takes only about 2 hours on the train to get to where you need to go? This gives an enormous amount of area to consider and would mean rather than spending two nights away each week, you spend two rather long days there (including communting) instead?
It would ultimately lead to a better quality of life for all of you especially as you may even find work closer to home after a while.
You will miss it though!
My missing London has a lot to do with the vibrancy and life that goes with the capital. I don't miss the every day stuff like the tube, the smelly air, the enormous volume of people on occasion, the sheer drudgery of dealing with a big city when the temperatures are high, not seeing the sky properly and so on.
That's a good idea Mags, mind you, my OH being in the Forces, I did have spells when I was by myself with the kids.
Lots of people where I live( S Suffolk) commute every day.
From our house (drive to Colchester station) to Liverpool St station is 1 hr 40 mins, which isn't too bad if you're only doing it twice a week, Six.
Six, I don't know how much you paid for your house in Streatham, but in the market town where i live you could get a 3 bedroomed house for £250,000. I know that sounds a lot.
Most of the primary schools in the surrounding villages and market towns are fine, you just have to be careful what your secondary feeder school is like.
Having said that, if you're prepared to pay for transport, you're not quite so limited.
Oh dammit, Come and live in Suffolk !
Beautiful countryside, low crime rate !
Manchester needs you.
You know you want to......
by the way...are you on holiday right now? Is this why you're thinking of getting out of the smoke?
I actually think you would adore Manchester, though I suppose it would always seem small-town after London so perhaps a move to the country would be the right thing.
I can recommend Berkshire, really enjoyed living there. the area around Marlow (ok that's Bucks) is lovely, as is the area around Maidenhead/Windsor
I concur with vodka except that I would say Bucks. Selling your house would give you enough (just) for a place in Bucks, which has by far the best schools of the 'live near London' counties. Berks is probably a little nicer as far as 'vistas' go and Marlow/Henley/Maidenhead were old stamping grounds of mine too, many a wonderful country pub up the Thames valley.
If you've fallen in love with Devon then (and why not!)...maybe that's a little tooooo far.
P.S. I answered re Charles Moore...
Span Owls -
The Flower Pot at Aston....Sitting with feet in the Thames at Remenham....The Bull at Sonning on a foggy night.
Really miss the south sometimes.
A couple of months ago I stayed overnight in London for the first time in years. London on a friday night was all I remembered and more. The lights, the people, the buzz. Thrilling.
At around eight in the morning I booked out of the hotel and got a cab through Piccadilly Circus and down Shaftsbury Avenue. It was so exciting. A crisp sunny morning and a city waking up. London is the greatest city in the world in my opinion. I've been to quite a few across several continents. The two I would really like to experience before finally deciding are Barcelona and Melbourne but for now its London - the centre of the world. Whenever I've been abroad and been asked where I'm from and say "England", I always get a huge smile and the reply "ahhh... London!" It makes you feel ten feet tall. "Yes, strange foreigner, London, look upon my works ye mighty and despair for I.... AM AN ENGLISHMAN!! Now, give me your country there's a good chap..."
To Vodka - Now you've got me thinking!...here we go:
The Little Angel, is that the one you mean, Remenham hill? (better than the Angel on the other bank)...and there was another on in Sonning as well, a nice hotel.
Plus... (the ones that I remember when I actually think about it! There's more (one had pineapple in the name I’m sure!)...
The Crown at Burchetts green
Inn on the green Cookham Dean
Bird in hand at Knowl Hill
Cricketers at Littlewick Green
Highwayman at Goring (God...they had a beer called Head Banger...nuff said), a few in Maidenhead/marlow (Chequers?) that escape me
Bounty at Cookham right on the river, used to have a ferry and all!
Black Boy near Hurley and The Dew Drop (well hidden away!)...had about 10 double vodkas (no coke!) there before 'graduation'
The red lion near there (on the main road) was a haunt for a long time (greeted the day in the pub garden at least once) and The Old Bell at Hurley was nice once in a while.
The crown (and something) at Inkpen...there are more...especially spreading up into Oxfordshire (and Oxford)...and then across to the Cotswolds. Ewen had a Fantastic pub with great food - little bit pricey but worth it. The Wild duck or something Duck....
...now I fancy a pint!
Those confounded decisions of life, do we ever really know what the right choice is ? Then again is there ever one right one,
what is right for the now may cease to be tomorrow.
Anyone here for Fantasy football?
Yes I know its a ridiculous waste of time and addictive but its fun, so why not.
I've put the details on my blog.
League starts on Saturday...
Span
I know most of those pubs. I've had sunday lunch in at least three of them.
I'm not sure of the name of the pub at Remenham, just remember parking near the church and sitting by the Thames during regatta week (was at University in Reading).
We used to walk from Reading to Henley along the Thames path, stopping at the bull at Sonning for lunch, get hammered in Henley and catch the last train home (evading the fare, in true student style)
Augustu, I agree with everything you say about London. I'm sure there's nowhere else like it on earth. I used to think that the best city in the world would surely be New York or Sydney, then I visited both and concluded it was London.
Wouldn't want to actually live there, though!
Now I'm convinced you mean the Little Angel, it's at the bottom of Remenham hill right on the river (and bridge) and opposite (in Henley itself) is The Angel. I say that because if you walked along the river you would have gone PAST Henley to get to Remenham.
P.S. Where's Six - is he proving he can stay away 2 weeks? (2 days to go then!)
he's lurking, I reckon. He's going to the same wedding as me next week though, so there will be nowhere to hide.
I think I do mean the little angel. You have to drive down the side of it to get to Remenham, and yes, I do know the Angel on the Bridge at Henley. It's position is pretty unrivalled.
As for Six, if he thinks back really carefully he will remember going on a day trip to Henley with us about 5 years ago and commenting how refreshing it was to get out of London.
The thing I remember was that he was driving (the car affectionately known as "Bap") and I wondered whether the acceptable outer boundaries of "London Driving" extended to South Oxfordshire (as we tore around the country lanes)
We even found a tea-room run by his namesake, which was rather fitting.
He's back! he read your comment and has come clean. ;-)
Tearoom - Crispins? I used to go to a wine bar (yep, sorry) that then changed to a cocktail bar (yep sorry) and we used to spend small fortunes there It was called Rumours in 1983 but could be anything now but near to where Crispins is - just as you come over the bridge.
I've been on holiday. Give me a break man. Jeez
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