Happy Diwali!

The morning started with a Happy Diwali message from Niina. As usual this brings nostalgia as I moved to England around Diwali and one of my first experiences of my new life was to share the Hindu festival of light with Niina and her hubbie Niel + family with all the indian stuff that goes with it, food, drink and fireworks a la Hounslow!

Since then Diwali has always held a special to my heart (what's there not to like?) and by chance Erika and I went to south London today to look at potential properties, stumbling into the first estate agent we see in Tooting Bec. There was no-one in the office but we didn't leave straight away and out comes a sweet Indian lady from the back to take our details. We wished her Happy Diwali and she goes back to get us some traditional Indian sweets, had a lovely one with chocolate, mmmm. She (and not forgetting Niina) gave us luck for the rest of the day and we met some really funny and nice estate agents and got some helpful advice from all around. We ended up in Tooting Broadway which is just like a "Little India" and much more vibrant and exciting than Wembley, Southall and Hounslow. We like the area so much we don't mind looking for a flat nearby as you get all the Indian shops and markets and yummy authentic food that would cost more than your shirt in other posher parts of London!

So when you can't afford posh, go multi-culti and opt for the mixed areas where you get strong influences from around the world, rather than your bog standard British cloned high street and Starbuckified suburbs of London/UK.

So Happy Diwali again and may your year be just as prosperous just it promises to be for Erika and I :) xxxx