London Living

I had a friend visit from Sydney recently (who'd been living in London for the past few years) and he mentioned you don't notice it when you live here, but when you go away and return you find this undeniable tension in the air in London, that seeps into you as soon you step into the city. There's this sense of competition that's always in the air, like when you step off the tube and there's a rush to see who can get to the escalator first, like when people block your path and you tsk at them because god forbid they make you 2 seconds late, and I realise, I'm like that. It's this need to rush all the time, which is why you won't find very many people over 30, or very many families living in this city - London's like a massive wave that you ride for a while and then it washes you up and throws you out when you're no longer fit enough, young enough, rich enough to live here... I'm wondering when my wave's going to run its course.