A few years away from London has not decreased its appeal in any way and I still pine for it, horribly. Indeed, it is still not certain that I will win the war of homesickness and manage to stay put in the frozen North. Odd that some folk, in common with some plants, simply do not transplant well, isn’t it?
In any case, melancholy for “my manor” has not prevented me from appreciating the delights of the scenery here. Sunrise on the beach is wonder to behold (as you saw for yourself last month) and city life away from the capital has its own charms.
I have, as yet, to become thoroughly acquainted with Liverpool, but Manchester has revealed itself as a wonderful source of refuge for the pining urbanite. It is large enough and bustling enough to be multicultural, diverse and interesting, whilst small enough to feel friendly, cosy and accessible using only Shanks’s pony.
It is worth a visit not only for the trams, culture, scenery and ever present football, but also for the joy of seeing the canals in action. The Rochdale canal has been frozen for many days now and the canals as they sit in their ice prisons in Castlefield simply add to the beauty of the scenery.
There will never be anywhere in the world quite like London, but life outside the capital is not a complete desert!
Peace.
