On this day, two years ago, it was my last day at work in London. My last day of train commuting into the city. The last day of walking past The Shard, over London Bridge, past The Monument. The last day of a lunchtime stroll past St Paul’s Cathedral, over the wobbly bridge, or past the Gherkin or the Globe Theatre, or Tower of London and Tower Bridge.
I don’t feel old enough for this statistic…. but I’d worked in international banking in London during five decades! I caught the end of the 70’s, starting work straight from school. Apart from a gap year in the mid 80’s, two short breaks for maternity leave in the 90’s, I had worked full time.
I was happy to take redundancy. I felt I was due a break, time to consider where we wanted the next phase of life to take us.
My daily commute is now a drive to work, twelve kilometers from one side of Hobart to the other. The office is in a residential verging on industrial area, with a freight transport company as our immediate neighbor. Lots of big trucks drive past.
I park the car on a side road and this week I noticed a new neighbour at number 44.
There are no historic buildings near the office but there are views of Mount Wellington and occasional rainbows.
RuthsArc 
What a milestone, and what a difference in living. I too remember the commute in London. Having been there last October, the smell of the underground brought back many memories of living there late 1980’s.
I love the new neighbour. It’s certainly novel in comparison to what happens or does not happen in London.
Den xx
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Thanks Den. Definitely contrasts between then and now 🙂
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“When you’re tired of London, you’re tired of life”, or so it was said. Like you, Ruth, I love London, but I wouldn’t swap the antipodes for a life there. G&P, Ken
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Too true Ken. I was rather jaded two years ago. Happy to go back and visit the big city, but not sure I’d want to live there again.
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By the way, are you referring to the Millennium Bridge as “The Wobbly Bridge”? Didn’t feel it wobble when I walked across it last year 😀
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Yes, it was nicknamed the wobbly bridge when it opened in 2000 and had to be closed after a day or too because it swayed too much, giving people the feeling of seasickness. They took months to stabilise it before reopening. It’s a cool bridge though 🙂
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Cool indeed ☺️
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Have to say I would prefer your view to work as it is now, especially Number 44 🙂
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Number 44 is a bonus, Joy 🙂
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I did a double-take at your comment about working in 5 decades. Then I did the math … omg I have too. How is it possible that I became that old?!! 😉
I love the sound of your slower and gentler pace than the rush of the city.
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LOL Joanne. The 5 decades scares me too.
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Nice contrasts. 🙂
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Very apt post for me Ruth – it was 2 years to the day yesterday that our younger daughter left Perth for London. Now she is doing the work commute there – currently in West London but likely to be moving to the Old Street area in the near future! Monsieur LC used to commute daily on the Northern Line from our home in East Finchley to Liverpool Street and his office in Bishopsgate. Our son in law here in Perth came home with 2 goats a few months ago now named (by our elder granddaughter) Kerry and Billy! Billy looks just like your new neighbour!!
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