Buying a house, creating a home
Recently I got into my head that I want to buy a house. It’s a big decision both financially and emotionally. I started researching options, wondering whether to buy in or out of London. A lot of the research has involved a great deal of soul searching. I was tempted by beautiful, big houses we could buy outside London. But that led me to wonder if I was ready to give up my identity as a Londoner.
I am not a Londoner by birth, but I am a Londoner by choice. After living in four countries and many cities, I chose London as my home, or it chose me. Whoever did the choosing, I’ve felt the pulse of this city since the first day I moved here. It’s a living, breathing, energetic organism that makes you feel alive. The only other place that exudes that feeling is New York. There is simply nowhere else in the UK that can give me that feeling.
This also led me to think about all the homes I’ve lived in. I come across, to people who know me now, as a very settled person. Also probably a snobby Londoner. And I am. But that is barely the surface. In reality, I’ve had 20 homes. As in 20 places that at the time of living was my main residence. That works out to fewer than 2 years per place. These 20 places include 4 countries and 7 cities/towns.
I’ve lived in my grandparents home where I could ride a bicycle inside and had my own little swing built in…
