I suppose there are many ways you can define ‘home’ or say whether an area has started to feel homelike. I think I just came across one which, for me personally, really fits the bill: the point at which the people around me not only begin to know me by name, but have started to understand my speech. I just got in from a nice, long walk along the Regent’s canal. On my way home I knew I needed to get three or four things, so I popped into my local Tesco Express, as I often do. The staff there now know me quite well, as I have been a regular customer for four years. As usual, I went in and parked by the tills to wait for a member of staff to become available to help me.

Soon enough, a guy came and together we went around the shop collecting what I needed. The task was going well and didn’t take long, the only slight delay being when I needed to decide whether or not to buy beer, but I chose not to tonight. However, sitting at the tills, after I had payed and my shopping had been packed in my bag, I suddenly remembered that I also needed bleach.

“Bleach!” I yelled, waving my hands in exasperation. To my great surprise and relief, the fellow helping me knew exactly what the problem was and what I needed.

“Do you need bleach too?” he asked. I nodded, and a few moments later the problem had been solved, a bottle of bleach in my bag with my other stuff. It was only a small, trivial incident I know, but I left the shop reflecting upon how such things make me feel welcome and at home. The staff in that Tesco store now know me quite well, enough to greet me by name and understand my speech. Having gone through life struggling to get people to understand how I speak, surely that would be enough to put anyone at ease.