![There really is NO PLACE LIKE HOME](https://cdn.magzter.com/1389340925/1713968788/articles/0uZFCIBMB1714030247840/THERE-REALLY-IS-NO-PLACE-LIKE-HOME.jpg)
My cousin cranes her neck round from the front of her daughter's jeep to ask me a question. 'D'you think you'll stay, then?' she asks. She means in That London.
We're on our way back from a funeral in our home town in West Yorkshire and the conversation has turned a bit philosophical. 'Yes, Pauline,' I deadpan. 'I have been there 20-odd years.' She shrugs in a way that suggests I'll change my mind.
Look, I married one Londoner and spawned another. I live in Zone 6 and have an opinion on the Ulez. But... I do spend quite a lot of time online, furtively looking at cottages in God's own county. My heart lifts when THE NORTH appears on the M1 road sign. I sing along to Jarvis Cocker as I drive across the bleak and beautiful Pennines. Yorkshire is in my blood and bones, I tell anyone who cares. Which does beg the question, why don't I live there, then?
'I love the Yorkshire moors and London's open-all-hours metropolitan fun'
Because I set off on a round-Britain adventure in my 20s and fell in love far from home. Work wafted me around the country and eventually to London, and I've thrown down roots somewhere I could never have predicted. Or even knew was a real place. When I met my husband at a work do in 1998 and he said he lived in Surbiton, I laughed. I thought it was a made-up name for suburbia, coined for The Good Life. But no, it wasn't dreamt up for a 1970s sitcom, it's a real place in south-west London. When we married, I settled in and settled down, while never quite losing that sense of being a stranger in a strange land.
Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Woman & Home UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Woman & Home UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![Sporting SENSATIONS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5364/1715411/PcJ_UoEO41717160769478/SPORTING-SENSATIONS.jpg)
Sporting SENSATIONS
Olympian Tessa Sanderson CBE reflects on winning gold and shines a spotlight on some of Team GB's outstanding women
![The ROYAL REPORT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5364/1715411/LcaqHpwea1717160544018/THE-ROYAL-REPORT.jpg)
The ROYAL REPORT
One of the many privileges of working alongside the royal family is to see them up close and unvarnished.
![A DAY IN THE LIFE OF Dame Denise Lewis](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5364/1715411/9JSRh2o0K1717160395398/A-DAY-IN-THE-LIFE-OF-DAME-DENISE-LEWIS.jpg)
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF Dame Denise Lewis
The Olympian and BBC pundit, 51, lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband Steve. She has four children.
![BRIGHT & breezy](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5364/1715411/uhhlK0Kjc1717159937167/BRIGHT-BREEZY.jpg)
BRIGHT & breezy
Diana and Andy Irving set out to recreate American East Coast living at their Merseyside home, with spectacular results
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Why a slim body MIGHT NOT BE A HEALTHY ONE
This month, our expert Annie Deadman reveals why eating well is essential, no matter what size your clothing labels say
![My mother's GIFTS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5364/1715411/-X2qvso0D1717159292938/MY-MOTHERS-GIFTS.jpg)
My mother's GIFTS
When Genevieve Kingston's mother learnt she was dying, she found a poignant way to mark her children's milestones
![IT'S GOOD to talk](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5364/1715411/FilOLaikW1717158931730/ITS-GOOD-TO-TALK.jpg)
IT'S GOOD to talk
The last six months have seen unprecedented candour from the Royal Family. Emily Andrews asks, is this the end for 'never complain, never explain'?
![Sultry southern CHARM](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5364/1715411/Z20xRF-VU1717158443330/SULTRY-SOUTHERN-CHARM.jpg)
Sultry southern CHARM
Stretched along Italy's heel, Puglia offers a slice of the Italian good life, with peaceful hotels, indulgent meals and low-key glamour, says Lucy Thackray
![FRUITY PUDDINGS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5364/1715411/_KycVRV4L1717157706387/FRUITY-PUDDINGS.jpg)
FRUITY PUDDINGS
Easy crowd-pleasing desserts that can be made ahead of time
![Are weddings OUT OF CONTROL?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5364/1715411/ADl0nj4QO1717154606137/ARE-WEDDINGS-OUT-OF-CONTROL.jpg)
Are weddings OUT OF CONTROL?
You can’t put a price on love, but marriages these days can be eye-wateringly costly, as Christabel Smith discovers