Tuesday 21 March 2023
I’m sitting in my favourite ugly-but-very-comfy armchair at home in Lewisham next to the balcony door, which is wide open. It’s 08:04, grey and looking like it’ll rain. My laptop app suggested 6°C with a feels-like of 4°C. I was thinking it felt warmer. That is the temperature for Selkirk. It’s 10°C here. Sunrise in Selkirk was 06:12 and sunset 18:26. Sunrise in Lewisham was 05:59 (wow, before six feels really early) and sunset will be 18:14, so an extra minute of daylight here compared to Selkirk.
Yesterday morning, as usual, I got up fairly early and did some writing before setting off to meet my friend Rachael, who passes very near our flat to go to work. We had a walk and sat in a local café for a short time. While on my way to meet her, I was trying to figure out where I could buy a keyboard for my laptop. The laptop I have here is old and compact and just that morning’s typing had made my hands feel uncomfortable. I messaged my friend Duncan his thoughts on where to buy a decent keyboard around Lewisham as all I could think of was supermarket ones. I didn’t just want a make-do one. He came up with some suggestions, one of which was to borrow an old one of his while awaiting one I could order. I left Rachael at work and headed on to Duncan’s, where I tried out a selection of keyboards – far more choice than a supermarket – before heading to a café and back home to order a suitable new keyboard and start work.
I appreciated being able to meet a friend to go for a walk with, go to a café, pick up a plan B keyboard, find two books to read (a free former-phone-box book exchange up the road) and easily and enjoyably walk more than 10,000 steps.
They are obvious things I’d appreciate, but I suppose I appreciate them more now that no elements of yesterday morning would have happened at home in Scotland and they are things that I miss being able to do.
However, as I briefly mentioned yesterday, there are other things that have bothered me more than they used to about living here, though still nowhere near enough for me not to enjoy being here. The things that have annoyed me have largely been to do with other people. As the flat is hot, I often have the balcony door and/or windows open. After school and on Sunday, a lot of children were playing in the communal area. It has never been quietly done and neither are any parents ever with the children, as they’re supposed to be. Last night, adults were playing ‘football’. It’s noisy, sound carries in a courtyard and, with the kids, it drives me to distraction hearing them calling to their parents when they want to be let back into the block or have X or Y thrown down for them or calling for friends. And then I resent feeling like an intolerant whinger. But it is really loud and distracting and completely unnecessary.
I had to stop walking to avoid being mown down by a driver who was intent only on getting into the carpark of a supermarket, the entrance to which I was already walking across when they decided to turn in. I had the right of way for being a pedestrian and also for the fact I was already walking across before they had even indicated their intent. They never indicated and they never even noticed me standing about 5cm from their car as it swept in front of me. I’m not naïve or rose-tinted enough to think there aren’t thoughtless, oblivious and incompetent drivers in Scotland too, but people there are generally more friendly and also generally more respectful to pedestrians. Maybe in London, because there are so many people and vehicles around, people just don’t notice individuals, but to me it exemplifies a bubble that ‘protects’ Londoners. We don’t really acknowledge other people unless we have to or to help someone; people here will always rush to help someone who has an accident or needs help. We kind of have a mindset of looking out for ourselves; it’s kind of selfish really, insular. I know that I am like that to an extent too, but I have needed a break from that.
As I still haven’t managed to articulate, the things I know I love about living here are all still here. I am almost desperately excited about going in to central London on Thursday and maybe Friday too. I was getting intolerant and annoyed about a lot of things long before we moved, for example that people park their cars (well, ‘dump’) as close to their homes as possible, which means parking in supposedly pedestrian areas, that people seem to increasingly sound their horn at people who don’t make turns or drive as quickly as they expect them too. A lot of aggression is on display, both on the roads and pavements. Traffic, sirens and construction work are pretty much constant (we have had overnight railway work here since last autumn) and that there is no quiet time is kind of hard. Those things have been getting to me for years, but now I’ve spent more time away from it, it probably annoys me more.
Chris said he was enjoying the city sounds the first day we were back. I think the courtyard-playground sounds put paid to his enjoyment.
The flat is warm, still manageable-warm because opening the windows or balcony can cool it down at this time of year. So in terms of temperature, I’d rather be here than Scotland. Ditto for friends, walks, not having to use the car; here is far better. For air, surroundings and peace and quiet, unsurprisingly, Scotland. Overall, right now I’m happy to be in London. But I think I will be ready to return to Scotland on Saturday, though I reckon maybe a week and a half rather than just a week would be better, but we do have to go back on Saturday as Mitch is coming round to overachieve on our odd-job lists on Sunday.
Today, I will walk to my hairdresser, go to my favourite Sri Lankan and Oriental supermarkets for some ingredients I wouldn’t be able to find in chain supermarkets and I will easily do 10,000 steps.