There are without question many benefits to living in London. The bright lights, vibrancy and hustle and bustle rarely disappoint and boredom is not something that is easily found. One downside though is that at times the sheer pace of the Capital can feel suffocatingingly oppressive. I have learned that if you want to make a success of living in London you have to go at your own pace and not try and keep up with everything that is happening around you. If you wanted to it really is possible to fill every minute of every day with something different and after a year you still wouldn’t have run out of things to do.

Whilst this can be rewarding I do find it difficult to find anywhere to be truly quiet. I am yet to find anywhere where it is possible to be totally alone, with only your own breath and heartbeat for company. I am fully aware that this is not to everyone’s taste but to me having time to be quiet and just sit and think and watch the world go by is massively important. Even in my flat this isn’t possible as there is always the low murmur of conversation all around, the sound of distant footsteps or the hum of traffic. This feeling is compounded by one of the frustrations I have about being in a chair and that it is tricky just to head off to the coast and find a beach to walk along or to jump in the car and head out to the country and find a hill to climb up.

Whilst we are blessed to live in such a big city and yet have incredible parks there is always someone in earshot or on hand to walk around a corner when you least expect it. Maybe I’m missing a trick and these places exist or perhaps I should just join a library or visit more museums. Who knows but I will keep looking.