25 years a Londoner

It's exactly 25 years since I became a Londoner. It all became inevitable in July 2001 when I scored myself a job in the West End after years of living in the sticks. I could have found digs in the Home Counties and commuted but instead I wanted to grasp the capital and take advantage of everything it offered. The more my Mum asked "You don't really want to live in London do you?" the more I realised I did. And so it proved. At the start of August I took the train to Stratford and starting asking letting agents what they had on offer. They showed me flats in Canning Town, Manor Park, Bethnal Green, Bow and the Isle of Dogs, some of which were absolutely horrid, as previously blogged. I had to make my mind up really fast and plumped for the E3 option with the filthy toilet, which thankfully a few limescale tablets fixed. I often congratulate myself for picking the right place because not only was the rent reasonable but the landlord was too, hence I'm somehow still in the same flat 25…