10 years in London

...and here are the 10 best things about living here. Totally subjective. And true - in no particular order until we get to the last, most important, one.

1. The weather

This is controversial as I am writing this on a very wet and windy July evening, after a day of being blustered about in a raincoat. However, as someone who has lived places both very hot (Houston, Texas, when I was a little 'un) and very cold (Edmonton, Canada) I'm like Goldilocks - I like stuff in the middle best. And London's temperate, soft weather is just right for me. It's never too hot or too cold and, if you have a few layers, a brolly and a mackintosh, you'll be fine. There is no inherent risk in the weather here - you won't die of thirst in the heat, or get buried in a snowdrift. The chances of the bus doing a unplanned 360-degree spin on an icy road is very low. It might be a little damp, and a bit dreary sometimes. But it's predictable, mild, and sort of fun to grumble about.

2. The restaurant scene

I'm one of those people who can never truly be unhappy. And that is because there is a breakfast, lunch or dinner in my future. Or some sort of interesting ethnic cuisine to try. Or a kind of cheese I've not tried before. Or a pastry...(I could go on). London is great for people who love to eat. I know you might be thinking that it's all overpriced fish and chips and full Englishes, and you can still find that if it's what you're after. But in the 10 years I've been here I've seen London transformed from a place where foodies felt a bit sheepish about their passion, to a town which cultivates and embraces the food-obsessed. Oh, and the restaurants I've loved the most in the 10 years are The Gate in Hammersmith for fab vegetarian fusion, The Belvedere in Holland Park (pictured), for an impressive date night in beautiful surrounds, Koya, for amazing Udon at shared tables in Soho, and I also must confess to a secret passion for London's version of a diner chain: there are a few outlets of Richoux dotted throughout the city where you can eat fishcakes and neck sav blanc in a room that's probably not changed since William Morris's time...

3. Wimbledon

OK so I come from a tennis-obsessed family so I'm biased here (you probably already know my standard story about my tennis genes: inherited from Great Aunt Nina who was in the 1939 mixed doubles final at Wimbledon, passed down through the generations to dyspraxic me: hence a tennis-watching gene only, but it'll do) but the world's best tennis tournament is just two stops on the tube away from home! And I've been three times! And I saw Nadal! And Wimbledon is always good: I love the ceremony, the tradition, the way it's both completely up to date and timeless, the way the sound of tennis balls on grass courts means summer, sweetness and a little bit of melancholy.

4. Buses

I'm not ashamed to tell you - I love taking the bus. There is nothing better than piling on to a double decker, climbing up to the top deck, and spending a while just staring out the window, at the city which never ends, at people and places you've never seen before, at all of the architecture and history. It's slow travel at its very best. I've become somewhat of a bus boffinette over the years: name a route and I'll tell you where it's going. Oh, and if you're looking for some scenic routes might I suggest the 9, from Hammersmith to Piccadilly, the 15 from Paddington to Liverpool Street, and the 4, from Archway to Waterloo.

5. The streets

The city where I spent most of my childhood and adolescence was very modern. We had almost no street names: instead the clinical, understandable and soulless grid system, which dooms most modern North American cities to being all likey-likey. In London it's really easy to get lost. And so you need to spend time with your A-Z, getting to know the streets and alleys - and you get to know their names. Angel Walk, Queensway, Cowcross Street, Poultry, Bleeding Heart Yard...

6. History is here with you

It's an obvious reason to like this city. Churchill walked the streets and watched the Blitz from his rooftop. Elizabeth I had strategy meetings in the hall where I got married. London is a patchwork of stories: modern and ancient and anytime in between: stories told in blue plaques and architecture and place names.

7. Having afternoon tea at a posh hotel

Bliss. Sandwiches, scones, pastries, silver teapots and tea strainers, waiters sliding back and forth refilling your tea, sitting at a banquette in an extraordinary interior, modern or traditional. A little bit of ultimate luxury for a few hours, which leaves you feeling like you're in a novel or a film. BTW my favourites so far (I've still got lots to try: I'm gradually working through all of the London hotels recommended by the Tea Council) are the Langham (pictured) for contemporary patisserie and an art deco vibe, and Brown's for scrummy sandwiches, relaxation and an open fire.

8. Green spaces

Visit NYC or Chicago or even Paris and you'll find greenery mainly in big civic parks. We've got those here in London in spades, but we've also got heaths, gardens squares, commons, and just about any other variety of green. One of the great advantages of all of this greenery is that even though you're living in one of the west's biggest cities, you don't feel far away from the natural world. Nature is always here - where I live there are blackbirds, robins and wood pigeons singing in our shared back garden, and I can walk for 5 minutes and see herons and cormorants shaking their feathers down on the riverbank, and sometimes after dark you see the shining eyes of foxes in the bushes. (photo is of the lovely Chelsea Physic Garden btw!)

9. Concerts

London has a great music scene. Everyone plays here. When I first moved here I'd drag N along to just about anything because I was so overwhelmed by it all. However, there's more to love than just the depth and breadth of what you can see any night, because London concert venues can be pretty special too: I've seen gigs everywhere from the Royal Albert Hall to Wilton's Music Hall. Quite often what we'll go see depends on where they're playing... some personal favourites include Bush Hall (pictured), Wigmore Hall and pretty much any of the venues at the South Bank Centre. Some memorable gigs in the 10 years include Pink Martini at the Roundhouse, Joe Henry at the Bush Hall, Death Cab for Cutie at the Dublin Castle (tiny pub: this was before anyone over here knew who they were!), Liza Minelli at the Albert Hall (yes!) and REM at the Hammersmith Apollo.

10. London is for everyone

And this is the most important thing and what's really kept me here for 10 years: London is really fabulously inclusive. People from all around the world live here. People with all sorts of accents live here. You can do pretty much what you want (within the law, of course) and be who you want and no one bats an eyelash. I worried when I first moved here that I'd always feel 'foreign' and too aware of being only half-English, with a funny old voice, too sibilant on the S's and stuck somewhere between Texas and the middle of the Atlantic. But London doesn't care. London just wants you to be here, and be part of it all. If you are lucky enough to be able to live here. London will have you. There is a London which is for you...