We’re leaving London soon, after three years spent here with the old buildings, the drizzle, the tube, the beer, and Londoners. Everyone’s experience of a place is different, coloured by their individual experiences. For us, though, it has been enough.

London, and other big cities, are great at delivering the exceptional time; the wonderful theatre experience (Jumpers) or the amazing restaurant (Roussillon) and the best chocolate shop in the world. (And we had a good day today looking at old buildings and gardens in Mayfair.) The metropolis is also great at connecting people in unusual ways. But big cities are lousy at the everyday.

Daily life in a city where everyone wants to be is crowded, dirty and overpriced. The tube is a living hell in rushhour, traffic a slow negotiation between crawling psychopaths. A ray of sunshine is such a rarity that everyone drops their top and takes their towel to the local park to sunbathe.

We’ll be reversing this little equation by moving to a mountain community outside Brisbane, Australia, using rain as our water supply, eating happy organic vegies and enjoying daily warmth. The exceptional experiences may be fewer, and further between. Daily life will be far more fun. (We hope.)

Five weeks left here, a few weeks around the UK, two months around the US, then back home.