A last stroll round the neighbourhood

Bray Place SW3 - flat with Olympic 2012 decorations

Duke of York's Square with Olympic flags

'Trotters' on the King's Road

Peter Jones decorated for the Olympics 2012

'Trotters' Olympic 2012 window

I have lived in London, on and off,  for over 50 years of my life, starting as a schoolgirl in Mayfair, then as a young graduate in Knightsbridge, then for 35 years in Chelsea. I took a last stroll round the neighbourhood this morning, popped in to touch base with Johnny de Falbe at John Sandoe's bookshop before catching the train north. My daughter Abi worked at the children's shop 'Trotters' for a while. I did specialist training for a territorial army unit at the Duke of York's barracks. If I felt miserable or dislocated, Peter Jones's brand of sensible Middle English smartness usually cheered me up. Now I'm on the train, reading Philip Larkin and thinking 'Next year will be poetry year'.