Sally
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Is it friends or family? Shopping? Culture? Traffic jams?! I really missed some of our good London friends and the ease of going out to restaurants or the cineman/theatre after we first moved to East Kent. It took me a long time too to find a decent cappucino and a hairdresser I was happy with (although do now worry that I’m sporting ‘country hair’ and no longer have enough metropolitan nous to even know). Also still yearn for enough occasions to wear heels and not just sensible flats or perpetual boots to cope with the mud. But don’t miss commuting, graffiti, rubbish or constant views of buildings.
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Sarah
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I miss my London friends who were literally on my doorstep. I have made good friends here but I need to be more organised to see them! I love the independent local coffee shops in T.Wells but I do miss the shopping opportunities in London – although since I moved here 2 years ago there have been a lot of excellent new arrivals! I don’t miss the Northern line or the prices! When I first moved to Kent I turned up at a cafe with my 3 kids and realised I didn’t have my purse just some loose change in my pocket – that change bought 3 drink and snacks for the kids and a cup of tea for me – I wouldn’t have had much change from a £20 note on Northcote Rd in Clapham! Oh god now I’m worrying about ‘country hair’ …. !!!
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Claire
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I miss lots about London – restaurants (our favourite is Kazaan in Victoria and we still go back there!!) & theatre mainly. BUT and this is a big BUT, we stopped most of our socialising when our son was born as we didn’t have a reliable babysitter and no friends with children in London.
Now we go out for lunch rather than dinner and its a lovely family affair. We do children’s theatre and now my son is school age I’m hoping we can do some more serious London theatre with him (ballet etc).
The other thing I really love about London was my oyster card. It was free travel in my eyes but here in St Albans you need change for buses, we have 2 different companies so its hard to make a return ticket work etc.
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Coral
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I’m with you on the country hair! Its not as good as my old hairdresser in Muswell Hill. I missed good restaurants but then we found there were loads of gasrtropubs around and Pizza Express is only 20 minutes away. Also I can now get a decent latte in at least 3 local places and have discovered theatre at Milton Keynes and comedy/gigs at Cambridge Corn Exchange which is half the price of London but with the same cast/sets. Don’t miss traffic and how driving 2 miles could take 40 minutes.
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Joanne
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I miss not having to worry about missing the last train back as there would always be a night bus.
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Fiona
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Miss most, Bumping into people as soon as I stepped out of my house and impromptu getting together with other families on the common. Now also I am missing my hairdresser – although country hair costs less than half London hair! Don’t miss not being able to park outside the house to unload children and shopping and having to worry about children staying on the pavement.
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Sally
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You’re right, Fiona. Certainly don’t miss having to park miles away down the street and lugging children/shopping back to the house. Or double-parking whilst I unloaded and then getting a ticket when forgetting to move the car – oops! And now the sun is out, don’t miss London’s stifling heat. But do miss all the pavement cafes and wine bars and all those stylish people standing around drinking on wonderful warm summer’s evenings…. Now it’s half a pint down at the village local – and ‘stylish’ doesn’t generally come into it!
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jazz
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Arent wellies stylish in Camden and ‘Country hair’ stylish in Hackney?
I guess its all context isnt it? i have to agree with the parking comment (tickets being placed on your windscreen by a smug warden right in front of your nose in my case)
I dont miss anything except for the cocky cockneys actually and there’s always a few to be found. Down the local or fishing on the beach…. lubbly jubbly!
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