Today I just want to wish my aunt Toula a very happy birthday. She and my parents are currently staying at the old family house in Kilburn, so, on the spur of the moment, I thought I’d go up there to see them. It’s quite a straightforward trip (bus tube bus) but because I have to go via Wembley park for step free access, it takes well over two hours either way. The problem was, I hadn’t told them I was coming, so they might not have been in and the entire trip could have been wasted. Luckily though, my aunt and mum were there – dad had to make an emergency trip back north – and the three of us spent a lovely hour or so talking and eating nice, fresh cake. I think my aunt was very pleased for the surprise.

I’m growing ever more confident in getting around this vast city: it’s public transport system is far from perfect, and it needs serious work to make it accessible for guys like me. Yet trips like the one I made today remind me that London is as much my home as anyone else’s, lying out there waiting for me to explore.