Be Excellent To Each Other

Thought it might be interesting to see how everyone views the area they grew up in.

Was born in Birmingham 1979.

Moved to Sutton, Surrey, in 1981ish. I was too young, really to understand.

Moved to Truro, Cornwall in '86

My A-level results show quite how fucking good the surf was there in '99. Was out almost every day.

Moved to Sheffield in '98 as a student. Fucking awesome place.

Spent the summer of 2001 in Cornwall, then back to Sheffield in September.

December 2001 moved to Oxford. Had a really shitty room in a shitty house in Cowley for a while. Then ended up in a shitty room in a nice flat in Headington.

2003 moved to Abingdon with the gf of the time,flat on the river's edge. It was pretty cool.

2005 moved to Bicester.

2011 Still fucking here.

On a maternity ward at St Thomas', just under three years ago.

Was that supposed to be the Grimlet?

Hmm... let me have a think

Born in Luton. (1976)
Spent first 18 years of my life in Leighton Buzzard
Went to uni in Canterbury (1994)
Came back to Leighton Buzzard (1997)
Got a job in Henley-on-Thames so moved to Benson and rented a flat (2000)
Moved to Abingdon and bought a flat (2001)
Changed job to a place in London and needed better transport links so moved back to Leighton Buzzard and bought a flat (2003).
Met a northern lass so moved to South Shields, rented a flat (2005) found a job up north that was good.
Bought a house in Jarrow and moved in (2006), the job didn't last and was made redundant, so joined EDS and hated every minute, went back to my old company in London, so...
Moved back to Leighton Buzzard and stayed with the parents again during the week, back to Jarrow at weekends. (2007)
Bought a flat in Bletchley and moved in. (2008)
GF got a job in Bedford and moved in (2010)
I'm now typing this (2011)

Mrs T went to uni there, Sheffield is actually a really nice town, we both wouldn't mind relocating there in the future, if there was work in the area. (A big if!)

I moved bakc there and worked for 3 months at a development trust. It's a fantastic place, and Manor Top isn't all that bad.

Whereabouts in Abingdon were you? I was in a flat by the river.

I was in a flat on the new (at the time) development on the west side. Anna Pavlova Close IIRC

Here-ish in fact, first block on the left as you enter the close
Google maps

You wouldn't understand

Born Wolverhampton 1977 (Still support the team)
Moved to Stafford in 1978, moved within Stafford in 1983 (I think) and 1990 (Tired, dull satellite town)
Worcester to live with the ex in 2000 (Should have loved the place, but it never felt like home)
Birmingham to stop living with the ex in 2005 (Moseley. Was great, but it was the situation and the people. I now don't have the situation, don't know the people, and if I ever go back, I don't go to Moseley. However, it is still (and has been since about 2001) Birmingham that I call 'Home')
Down to Putney in 2006, 6 months there then Greenwich
Bought current flat in Lewisham September 2007 (love the area, hate the lack of space for the cost)
Hopefully sell current flat and move to Kent in June 2011 (now there lies optimism)

That's where Grim... (Extremely quickly) 'grew up'.

Grim... is a killer clone from space! I knew it.

I was here

I think he means he only grew up when he became a dad

Malc

Born Middlesbrough 1980
Lived in Cargo Fleet, M'bro for a few months
Moved to Whinney Banks, M'Bro
Moved to Hemlington (1986)
Moved within Hemlington (1991)
Moved to North Ormesby (1996)
Student House, Central M'Bro (2001-2)
Back home
Moved to flat in Liverpool (2003)
Bought House in South Liverpool (2004)
Still here

Edit: Interestingly, out of the 8 houses I've lived in, only 4 are still standing.

Born March 1975 in St Georges Hospital, which used to over look Hyde Park in London, but is now one of the most expensive Hotels in London

Lived in a block of flats for 3 months before moving across the road to another block of flats opposite Victoria Coach Station (3 bedroom, rather than 2 bedroom) 1975 - about 1983

Moved up one floor of the flats to a masionette (the reason was my bedroom was too near the lift shaft and it kept me awake people used it) about 1983 (I know we were in this flat for live aid, so I'm guessing it was about 1983) - 1998 (yes I lived at home until I was 23)

Moved in with girlfriend to a first floor flat in Willesden (my parents didn't tell me at the time but they hated the fact I lived here as they were scared I might get mugged or attacked or something). girlfriend gives birth 3 months later! 1998 - 2000

Got made redundant in late 1999 from a company in the city, they gave me effectively 9 months unpaid leave of 35K salary (about 20K after tax) took the opportunity to reasses life, moved out of London and down to Devon to a house twice as big for 1/2 the price as what we had in London Got a job working on the Internet (for Barrysworld - early adopters of online gaming fans) 2000 - 2007

House was getting too small with 3 kids, and the secondary schools in Exeter were looking a bit rubbish, so looked around for somewhere else. Moved to a house in Ivybridge (still Devon). Again twice as big, but this time for a lot more money (mortgage back up to London levels, but for a 5 bedroom semi with a reasonable sized garden instead of a 2 bedroom flat in a terraced with a shared yard). Still working in Exeter for the timebeing... 2007 - 2011 and hopefully beyond

Malc

Oh, haha.

Screw that. I'll be teaching my kid(s) all sorts of funny shit. It's the reason I discontinued my pursuit of a career in teaching.

I looked up at the room full of expectant faces and the sudden realisation of the power I held to tell them ANYTHING hit me.

Grew up in a fairly unprenoucible village in Somerset called Huish Episcopi, I'll be honest, there's not much there. Did general growing up things, getting into trouble, not understanding girls, not understanding alcohol and so on. You know the sort of stuff.

Up till the age of 18 I had never moved house, my house used to be a restaurant and mum and dad bought it as a restaurant. They ran it as one for around two years but running one with a new born baby isn't very easy, or so I'm told. Apparently I was passed back and forth across the kitchen at times, mum would hold me while dad cooked, then dad hold me while mum was waitressing.

They closed the restaurant in around Feb of 1990 when things were generally a bit grim economically.

Aged 18 I thought heading off to Southampton University might be fun. I was correct, it was very fun. Did quite a bit of growing up there. Started to understand alcohol and when was too much, got into less trouble ("No officer, this is not my garden, and no officer, of course I was not urinating in it") but didn't learn that much about girls. I did meet a rather lovely girl though, and thankfully my special brand of charm didn't scare her off (Nb: drunken facebook messages at 5am work wonders).

Finished at Southampton and wanted to do medicine so I went and got myself a place on a graduate entry course at St George's in south west London. And that is how I am now sat here in Tooting. Pretty sure I've got some more growing up to do though.

Yeah, except, of course, I didn't.

Okay then: Born in 1978 in Cambridge hospital, lived in a tiny place called Upper Dean in North Bedfordshire that consists of two roads and two junctions with Mr and Mrs Grim... (snr) until I was seventeen, then move a whole three houses down the road to look after a house owned by a nice lady who was never there. A chum moved in to "help" me after six months or so.
Moved out of there aged 21, I think, to another tiny village just up the road called Pertenhall, with the future Mrs Grim.... Moved out of there to live in Bermondsey in South London for two years, then got one of those 'jobs' and moved into the best place I'm ever going to live. Stayed there for three years before leaving London to come back to Bedford in September last year.

Damm I am the only one who was born & still lives in the same town? Oxford

I've not gone far. Lived in Newcastle-under-Lyme for most of the time, moved up to Hartshill for a few years and now back where I started.

Up until recently I'd pretty much always been around SW London suburbs and Surrey.

Born in Roehampton. The hospital has changed a lot and is now mostly for the neuro-disabled (but it wasn't when I was born there, honest guv).

Southfields for a bit as a baby. Don't remember it at all.

Worcester Park as a toddler, the house was small and a bit damp. Our neighbour's kid was a bit older than me and really naughty, but it was probably fun hanging out with him. Neighbours on the other side were unpleasant. I have very few memories from here.

New Malden (KT3 6DX) as a kid up to early teens. The house was a nice size and my bedroom was huge and had excellent american football wallpaper. Unfortunately the house was right at the side of the A3, the major road from Surrey into London, so it was noisy and dirty outside.

A different part of New Malden (KT3 5NQ) as a teen. A nice house in a decent street and less than 5 mins walk to school. It was ace. My house became a kind of unofficial 6th form common room, only better as there was an N64 with 4 joypads. I moved out to go to uni, but came back at the weekends to work and see my mates. Shortly after we moved out, the house was burnt down. Turns out it was being used as a cannabis production house and a rival grower had petrol bombed it. Someone died in there, it was a real mess and made the news.

While I was at uni I lived in halls for one year, and two years in OK but kinda shabby houses in Guildford (GU1 1PE was one of them, but I forget the other one). I like Guildford, it's a nice place and I wanted to live there long-term, and may well do some day. I lived in what were considered the rougher areas but generally never had a problem and the council kept the verges nice and neat. Compared to some of the big inner city estates it was actually quite pleasant, although a house a few door down was attacked though apparently with an improvised cas-canister bomb. It was something to do with drugs or crime and there was a big scorch mark up the outside of the house. Apparently there was also a raid by armed police on another place a few doors down but I missed that, I think I was asleep.

Bought a flat in North Cheam (no postcode for you, but it is walking distance to New Malden and Worcester Park) with Lady T. Lived there for about 5 years before renting it out and moving abroad. Area was OK but it was on a main road and a bit noisy. Really close to shops though, including a massive Sainsburys). There was a really rough pub not too far away, which I never went in. It got shut down when someone was shot in the car park. The general area was OK but the area around the shops was starting to get a little old and tired, looks like it could be on the way to being quite run-down if there isn't a bit of investment.

Currently in Moss Vale, (NSW 2577, Australia). It's quite nice but a lot of the local people are a bit odd, with very narrow... 'horizons'. But there are a few ace people around too. I like it here, but there's still a considerable novelty factor in play.

All in all I'd say I've been fairly lucky to have never lived in a hovel, or a really shitty area. Without wanting to tempt fate or anything like that, I've never had any major issues or troubles.

I was born and still live in the same shire.

My dad's mother was born in her house in Upper Dean, and lived there her entire life until she died aged 86. That's quite something.

Hey, Granny

Born in Sutton, Surrey, in the same hospital as John Major (he gets the blue plaque, bastard), in 1982.
Moved to Truro, Cornwall, in 1986
Went up to Oxford in 2000
Hung around there since finishing graduating. Now looking for a new Kern Hall somewhere in the rolling Oxfordshire countryside, and perhaps a Lady Kern.

A neighbour passed away last year & he was born, raised, married & died in the same house. His one & only son is a b'stard & sold everything to grab the money

I have lived in East Oxford, Iffley Rd & now own my own house in Cowley.

Born in Lincoln, and for the first year of my life lived in Sleaford in family housing provided by the police force to my Dad.

We moved to Ruskington after that living in two different houses. I moved out from 2001-2004 to do university in Leeds where I lived near Otley and city centre respectively.

I then moved back home to Ruskington but have spent a lot of the last couple of years travelling with work and so have spent a few months at a time in Hull, Solihull, and Leicester.

Hopefully by the end of next week I'll be moving to Whitley Bay.

No. Born in Chester, lived a few miles outside of the place for a couple of decades. Moved to Conwy to get a decent-ish job, then moved back to this town. I'm hoping to move somewhere else within the next year, possibly down Shrewsbury way; it all depends on Miss Malabar, as I can and will work from home unless I get a new job as well.

Hmm. That pretty much described my dad and his brother. What did you expect the son to do?

Heh. 2000-03, I left Leeds for Manchester.

Fleetwood.

Spent all my life here apart from the three years at Leeds.

Been to most places on Earth that I've wanted to go to though. Thank fuck.

Born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in 1974.
Lived in the same house in Ballingry, Fife, from 1974 until 1996.
Lived in student housing in Glasgow while I attended university between 1996 and 2000.
After graduating, went straight to Dublin and lived in the suburb of Rialto for 6 months (tip - never, ever live in Rialto)
Moved to the suburb of Ballinteer and lived there for another 2 and a bit years.
Back to Ballingry for a few months in mid 2003.
Emigrated to Canada in October 2003 and have lived in Thunder Bay ever since.

Oooh, totally forgot about places i've lived for work, sometimes for months at a time. For some reason they don't count in my mind, but no idea why not! So add to my list: Derby, Dublin, Dusseldorf, each for 6+ months at a time. Next promotion I get to go to places that start with E...



North Shields scum.

didn't we do this before?

1977 born in Amsterdam
1977-1997 grew up in Amstelveen, suburb of Amsterdam
1997-1999 Amsterdam, uni
1999-2000 Rome
2000-2002 Amsterdam
2002- Utrecht (work)

Born in Kent, moved to Gloucester at 6 months old. Off to Birmingham for University, then London.

Liverpool. Mostly Walton. Still there. Praying for the blessed emancipation of death.

*leans out of window and waves North*

Born in Shrewsbury, 1983.

*Waves South. For engaging in such pleasantries, is swiftly admonished as a "queer" by passing schoolchildren.*

Grew up in Mitcham, Surrey (just five mins from John Coffey apparently).

Spent the weekends at my Dad's place. Woolwich, then Lewisham and finally Streatham.

Worked in Sutton, Croydon, Morden and Wimbledon. Played in a band in Wimbledon, Kingston, New Malden and other places.

Moved to St Helens, Merseyside. Work in Bootle. It fucking sucks working here (despite three games shops within five mins walk).

St Helens isn't bad though. I mean it's a dismal town but it's quiet, less angry than South London. Also, my first house cost me 48 grand (three bedroom) where as my mates moved into one bedroom flats in places like Sutton for like 125k at the same time and it completely killed them financially as well as scuppering some relationships.

Have since bought another place in St Helens which is away from the riff-raff. Is lovely. Having a house with loads of room makes up for the fact that this place is culturally dead.

At least you have us for culture... or do you mean this place?

Ooh no. This place is ace as tits. I'd be lost without you lot during work days. It may be my second home, after my own forum, but cut me and I bleed BeeX blue and yellow.

That's the mersey air, that is

Born in Etobicoke, Ontario in 1979.
Moved to North Toronto in 1985.
Lived there until 1998, when I finished high school and took a catastrophically stupid decision.
Moved to Hampstead, North London in 1998.
Moved (for all intents and purposes) to Cardiff in 1999 for university, trips home excepted.
Moved to a student house in Cathays in 2000. Stays with parents now to their house in St Albans.
Met a stunning brunette in 2001. Couldn't believe she was interested in me. Started seeing each other proper 2002.
Moved in with that Gaywood and that Higgins and a ginger ninja in 2002.
Cardiff Bay in 2003.
Freezing cold flat in Roath in 2004.
House in Caerphilly in 2006.
Here I am now. Still.

• Born in Southampton in 1982
• Moved out of my parents house to Nottingham in 2002
• Met the girl of my dreams in 2004
• She hated me, so I settled for Ange instead
• Been here ever since

I think I counted the last time we did this, and I've lived in nine different houses/flats in the nine years since I moved here. Crazily, the first five were in the space of 18 months.

I think I want to move back down south when I'm older, but at the moment I love it in Nottingham and wouldn't live anywhere else. It is home to me now.