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I'm on the roof of England. I'm in Northumberland. I'm in the Northumbrian side of the North
Pennines, which divides between Northumbria, Cumberland and County Durham, looking down
on just the most stunning view.
This is where I grew up, this is where I lived the formative years of my life, the teenage
years of my life, were spent in the North Pennines, in Allenheads in Northumberland,
and Nenthead in Cumbria. I was never happier than when I was here.
And that's the answer to the question "why do you live in Suffolk?" The answer to that
question is here, 350 miles away. Why do I live in Suffolk when I work in London? Why
put up with a four hour commute EVERY DAY, two hours in, two hours back? And it's because,
just seeing fields, living in a village, having people say 'good morning' to you when you
walk to the train station… It's enough. It's enough to connect in my mind with this.
This VIEW. With this landscape which is one of the finest on Earth. You know, I've been
to South Africa, I've been to France, Germany, I've been to some of the most beautiful parts
of Northern Italy, I've been to the States. I still say this is one of the most beautiful
places on Earth.
And that's why, though I have to work in London because that's where my work is, I live out
in the middle of nowhere. Because it reminds me of this. It takes me home, and home is
so important.