Last night a friend from London, about to take the plunge out from City life, asked me if I could give her some positives about our recent move to Norfolk. I’m not sure she expected much from me because before we left I was rather down in the dumps about it. In fact, the thought of leaving my beloved London and the flat which was my first owned home and the place I gave birth to Jimmy, sent shivers down my spine; back then (3 months) and I’d have said the liklihood of my liking living outside of London was rather slim, I’d have said loving it was a terrible long shot…

However…

What I was able to tell her last night was this: It’s the best thing we’ve done, I can’t imagine how we coped in such a small flat for so long but more than that, I couldn’t imagine living in London again now and nor do I want to. What I miss are the friends but of course the friends travel which means we don’t have to miss them for too long. And what I’ve gained is something I never even envisaged. We needed a bigger house and that was our primary reason for moving but actually, what’s here is far superior to London life. I feel I can breathe and I am much more relaxed. So are the children who are happy in their new home with their own rooms. New friends have been made easily and while the old ones are missed (terribly) we have had lots of visitors and will continue to do that often I hope. Life has moved on in such a way that I don’t look back at all, not one tiny bit. F’s new school is very different but every bit as wonderful and actually, I think probably even better and then we have those wonderful beaches and the countryside on tap.

Why did I hang on for so long I wonder now? Clutching at that last bit of London and for what? I can’t tell you because now even sentiment doesn’t play a part. We went back for an overnight visit, just Jonny and I, and had a fabulous time. But as visitors. And I liked being a visitor. I was happy to come home at the end of it. Life’s funny like that I guess and I was so glad to be able to reassure my friend that yes, there is life (and some) after London. I was able to truthfully say that I wouldn’t go back if you paid me, not even for a big house in the same area because what we have here is far more prescious.

Ok, I have great memories and will always hold London, Leytonstone in particular, very dear. I had my children there and made lots of friends too but it’s well behind me now and I breathe sighs of relief about that I really do. Who’d have flipping thunk it eh?!

One of the things which had me kissing the walls of our flat goodbye when we left (yes, total loon here) was that I gave birth to Jimmy in the living room of my old flat. I thought that would always pull me to wanting to be there but you know what? He turned four this week, FOUR, and being in that living room couldn’t have been furthest from my mind. We held a Horrid Henry birthday party for him in the garden (what luxury, a GARDEN) and although we DID miss some of our friends, I remember that we used to have to miss family when we lived in London. We had a fabulous time at the party where some old friends from London came to stay, some new friends from our village joined us and Jonny’s best friend and his daughter, who are family to us, celebrated with us in our own home! My baby boy is growing up, school in September would you believe (I can’t) and it was simply fabulous to have his birthday in Norfolk. Ok, so we didn’t wake up and open cards in the room he was born in but guess what? For the first time ever he had somewhere to display said cards! They are on our mantle piece looking glorious now while in London we literally didn’t have a surface to put them on. I’ll take that thank you very much and leave you with the pictures of a wonderful Horrid Henry birthday party and the rest of the fab celebrating we did to wish Jimmy a very happy fourth birthday in his new Norfolk home!