North London
Whilst I’ve written a lot about food in the past, I thought I’d write about my other “guilty indulgence” today... real estate :) When buying a place I tend to have a fairly long and quite specific set of requirements, right down to the gradient of the roof, most optimal size of the cupboard that will house my computer bits and ventilation in that cupboard, in case said computer bits happened to be plugged in and performing a vital function such as storing my music.
As it turns out, when picking a place to actually live in, my demands are much more modest.... in fact there are 2:
- must be cheap,
- must have ample fridge space
I don’t even ask for a bed since we own an awesome twin inflatable mattress. I certainly don't really bother with the whole location business - as long the suburb in question hasn't featured in any articles titled "Triple murder homicidal maniac on the loose" - in the past month or so, I am quite happy to live there. Susan, being the good and supporting partner that she is, has gone along with this for quite a while - but as it turns out, even angels have their limits. So in our last move, she suggested that perhaps, she get to choose the location, and I the actual dwelling. Now some people have a knack for finding the finer things in life - they may not know what those things are, but given the choice of 2 unknowns they will always pick something just a little bit more sophisticated. For example, in a restaurant ordering from a menu in dutch (which neither of us speak), I will inevitably end up with something tasting of tomato sauce (which I don't mind), where as Susan will end up with something very dainty, colorful, small and on a giant plate - and the taste will be delicate and exquisite (the thing is, it usually isn't at all, the most expensive thing on the menu). I'd like to think some people have a gift, whereas the rest of us simply settle for tomato sauce. Anyway this is how we ended up in the suburb of East Finchley in North London - Susan opened the map and pointed.
Now that we have lived here for a couple of weeks - I can jump ahead and tell you about some of the people who have also lived in East Finchley over time. George Michael for instance was born around the corner from where we live (yeah, I also thought he was greek - turns out he is a pom). Mick Jager has lived on the main street for many years. Kai Owen - TV actor, who I've only ever seen in a TV series Torchwood, but apparently he has also done other work, still lives around here somewhere.
Like I said, some people, given the choice of all of London, will, seemingly randomly, pick the finer things. There are several other things that immediately distinguish the area from the rest of London. Firstly, people smile at you as you walk down the street, and get this, they don't try to sell you make up or give you newspapers, they just smile. I didn't realise stuff like that happens outside the southern hemisphere. Secondly there is a large park near us, called Hempstead Heath. This isn't so much a large park but a small Forrest, with it's own trails, ponds and berries - although I couldn't tell what kind, and wasn't brave enough to try. Finally there are the houses... in this area they are mostly detached (unlike pretty much anywhere else in UK), they are mostly 2 -3 storeys tall (and these are houses - not apartment blocks), they mostly have massive iron gates and security cameras discretely positioned around the perimeter. And then there are the driveways. They don't bother with BMW 7 series or Mercedes Benz S class here, heck there aren't even that many Jaguars here - which in itself is odd for England. Here people drive Ferrari Enzos, Lambourgini Murcielagos and even a Pagani Zonda (first and only time I've seen one in the wild). And this was believe it or not is just one driveway. Several gates later, I saw a very distinguished Bentley Continental (in an understated metallic grey - to match the owners personality no doubt), right next to a convertible Rolls Royce Phantom. Now read that again.... a convertible rolls royce..... the only way to describe that vehicle - is to ask you to imagine a portable grand piano. Sure it's very stylish, but you still need a small crane to move the bloody thing out the door. But then, who am I to question great British designers, after all, there is clearly a market for it :)
As it turns out, when picking a place to actually live in, my demands are much more modest.... in fact there are 2:
- must be cheap,
- must have ample fridge space
I don’t even ask for a bed since we own an awesome twin inflatable mattress. I certainly don't really bother with the whole location business - as long the suburb in question hasn't featured in any articles titled "Triple murder homicidal maniac on the loose" - in the past month or so, I am quite happy to live there. Susan, being the good and supporting partner that she is, has gone along with this for quite a while - but as it turns out, even angels have their limits. So in our last move, she suggested that perhaps, she get to choose the location, and I the actual dwelling. Now some people have a knack for finding the finer things in life - they may not know what those things are, but given the choice of 2 unknowns they will always pick something just a little bit more sophisticated. For example, in a restaurant ordering from a menu in dutch (which neither of us speak), I will inevitably end up with something tasting of tomato sauce (which I don't mind), where as Susan will end up with something very dainty, colorful, small and on a giant plate - and the taste will be delicate and exquisite (the thing is, it usually isn't at all, the most expensive thing on the menu). I'd like to think some people have a gift, whereas the rest of us simply settle for tomato sauce. Anyway this is how we ended up in the suburb of East Finchley in North London - Susan opened the map and pointed.
Now that we have lived here for a couple of weeks - I can jump ahead and tell you about some of the people who have also lived in East Finchley over time. George Michael for instance was born around the corner from where we live (yeah, I also thought he was greek - turns out he is a pom). Mick Jager has lived on the main street for many years. Kai Owen - TV actor, who I've only ever seen in a TV series Torchwood, but apparently he has also done other work, still lives around here somewhere.
Like I said, some people, given the choice of all of London, will, seemingly randomly, pick the finer things. There are several other things that immediately distinguish the area from the rest of London. Firstly, people smile at you as you walk down the street, and get this, they don't try to sell you make up or give you newspapers, they just smile. I didn't realise stuff like that happens outside the southern hemisphere. Secondly there is a large park near us, called Hempstead Heath. This isn't so much a large park but a small Forrest, with it's own trails, ponds and berries - although I couldn't tell what kind, and wasn't brave enough to try. Finally there are the houses... in this area they are mostly detached (unlike pretty much anywhere else in UK), they are mostly 2 -3 storeys tall (and these are houses - not apartment blocks), they mostly have massive iron gates and security cameras discretely positioned around the perimeter. And then there are the driveways. They don't bother with BMW 7 series or Mercedes Benz S class here, heck there aren't even that many Jaguars here - which in itself is odd for England. Here people drive Ferrari Enzos, Lambourgini Murcielagos and even a Pagani Zonda (first and only time I've seen one in the wild). And this was believe it or not is just one driveway. Several gates later, I saw a very distinguished Bentley Continental (in an understated metallic grey - to match the owners personality no doubt), right next to a convertible Rolls Royce Phantom. Now read that again.... a convertible rolls royce..... the only way to describe that vehicle - is to ask you to imagine a portable grand piano. Sure it's very stylish, but you still need a small crane to move the bloody thing out the door. But then, who am I to question great British designers, after all, there is clearly a market for it :)