My neighbourhood

Every weekend Ralph and I take our shopping bags, bundle up warmly, put on our walking boots and go for a leisurely walk down to the shops in our neighbourhood.  Crouch End is a delightful part of North London that has a central clock tower, numerous greengrocers,a super fishmonger and lots of independent small shops. I've lived here for over twenty years and it does feel like a village.

After so many years, the shopkeepers know us and always say hello. Some of them ask after our kids and today one of them greeted Sam like a long-lost cousin, with hugs of welcome.  We meander down the road, predicting which new shops will never last (tarot reading, flower shop, tex-mex food) and commenting on the fate of others.  Usually we stop for coffee, rarely in Starbucks (too many tiny noisy kids) and often stop and have lunch.  Banners is always good for a fry-up, but horribly crowded and the Vietnamese restaurant does good food and great summer rolls.

Post-lunch, before setting off for home,  when sleep often beckons, we visit the greengrocer and chat to the owner and the girl at the tills, who always laughs at the Harris style of bickering over who pays, what we want and how many vegetables we need. The small supermarket next door is like a big library and we wander from aisle to aisle looking at what's new and buying a couple of items - always bringing our own bags. I always check out the charity shops and Ralph sometimes buys records with very bad covers, never to be listened to, but looked at in wonder.

This is a pattern we have easily fallen into for most weekends. It feels comfortable and nice to have a local neighbourhood. I love that we wave to the barber and the butcher as we pass. It's unusual nowadays to have lived in one place for so long that we know the shopkeepers and they know us.  The corner shop family have known us since we moved here and always ask about our kids, my dad and the rest of my family. I have watched as their sons have grown up, married and had their own children.  The continuity of this pleases me. It gives me a sense of rootedness.

I take great pleasure from these walks. I love the pace and closeness I feel with Ralph during these few hours. It may not be the most exciting thing we do together, but it is wonderfully sweet.