Some of you might know that I live in a particularly charming Art Deco block in East London which lends all sorts of feels to my period drama fantasies. At the risk of sounding hackneyed this is the real deal ‘it takes a village’ vibe. Cups of milk are readily offered when fridges are bare, a pint or four is regularly shared by the resident ‘lads’ (man-boys of various ages), babies are born and loved by all (despite daily noise emissions) and gossip is exchanged on adjoining balconies.
In the early days of motherhood there were mornings after bad nights when Aarya and I stepped out of our door ill-tempered and bleary eyed and have gratefully chanced upon neighbour after neighbour, spending a happy hour with Aarya stroking cats and collecting flowers whilst I began to feel more human with each conversation. Sometimes it’s all that we have needed. It is an idyll.
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