Lets get one thing straight.

I DO live in London. It may be a Leafy Suburb but it’s within the M25, so it’s London, okay?

I love London. There is so much to do.

We live in Middlesex which is 5 minutes away from 700 acres of  ancient woodland. This large area of wildiness comes in handy when you have 4 kids and 2 dogs. There are at least 3 parks with playgrounds within walking distance of our house, and there are many other parks, lakes and wildlife reserves within half an hours drive.

The nearby schools are all good. The girls attend the closest primary school which is 5 minutes walk away and we never have to drive to school, no matter what the weather does.

We have wide tree-lined streets, roomy mainly semi-detached houses and lovely neighbours.

We have shops at the end of our road, and a tube station 10 minutes away. From here it can take as little as 25 minutes before you are in Baker Street. This is important as DH works in town. He has an hour commute, door to door. This may sound like a lot to those of you who don’t live in London, but it’s considered very reasonable among city workers.

And London itself; London ‘proper’, is an amazing city for kids to explore. There are parks, museums and art galleries all over the place, all free and most with special programs for the children. If your child has a special interest in anything, you’ll find something to appeal to them in London. And even public transport is fun; my kids love the tube and consider a bus ride to be an excellent adventure.

On a slightly wider note, I also love the UK as a country.

Coming from NZ, I’m used to people’s faces clouding with confusion when I say we have no plans to return down-under.

I know it’s supposed to be Utopia, full of scenery and sunshine, fresh air and friendly people but NZ has its drawbacks too.

The UK is so close to Europe. It’s so easy to travel to not just a different country, but a different culture where they speak a different language. The first time we took the car through the Chunnel my head almost exploded with the strangeness of it all. I mean, you drive your car onto a train, which goes through a tunnel underneath the sea, and when you drive off again you are in France  where they drive on the other side of the road. That’s pretty incredible isn’t it?

You don’t have to go far to find stunning scenery in the UK, and I love that the seasons are distinct. I love the autumn colours, the spring flowers and the chance of snow in winter.

I love that we have cold Christmases. I still remember my first one over 13 years ago. Even though I had only ever known Xmas in the summer up until that point, Xmas seemed to make more sense with central heating inside and freezing temperatures outside.

And I’ve found the people to be fascinating. They are interested in what’s happening in the world, not just in their own country; they come from all over the world, have such interesting stories to tell and as a rule they are very tolerant. I love the mix of cultures and the fact that my children will grow up knowing that the colour of their skin doesn’t mean a thing.

I know they say Never say Never, but I can’t imagine us ever moving the family out of the UK, or even London. They have too much to offer us.

This post was written as a contribution to the Friday Club Life Carnival over at Notes From Home.

Here are the other entries in this carnival:

Isil at Smiling Like Sunshine tells us Home is where the heart is.

Jules at I Need Curtains for the Window In My Head posts Why Do I Live Where I Do?

South of the River Mum writes about Bringing up children in London.

Scribbling Mum explains why she lives where she does.

Rachel at Midlife Singlemum tells us Why she lives in Israel.

Kelly at Domestic Goddesque tells us about Wonderful, wonderful Bromley, and why I live there.

Bibsey Mama gives us 7 reasons to live in Spain in Cool España.

Helen at Cheeky Wipes tells us There’s Always a Compromise.

Jenny at The Gingerbread House tells us about her home in Our house.

Cass at The Diary of a Frugal Family tells us Home is Where The Heart Is.

Jax at Live Otherwise/Making it Up explains Why I live here. Right here. In this house.

Emma at MummyMummyMum tells us about where she lives.

Cara at Freckles Family posts Where I Call Home.

Merry at Patch of Puddles writes Why I Live Where I Live.

Pure Lanzarote tell us the reasons for their choice in Why live in Lanzarote?

Ella at Notes From Home explains her choices in Why we live where we do.