I’m stuck in Surrey, get me outta here!

After most of Islington moved to Wales, it was foolish of me to think about following.

But the need to escape from Surrey becomes ever more pressing by the day, with housing developments, racing cyclists and incompetent dog walkers bearing down on us so hard we cannot bear it much longer.

The builder boyfriend has almost finished the renovations, with the top floor insulated and made into a storage area. We can’t afford to do the loft conversion for which we have planning permission, so we have lined and presented the space at the top of the house in all its empty glory so that buyers can see the potential for a third bedroom.

The copper pipes of the plumbing for the en-suite bathroom of the third floor master bedroom we planned when we moved here four years ago stick out like a question mark. The electric cables culminate in temporary plug sockets.