At this point, I'm 18, so kidulthood is a better title description really. Never mind, we're on a roll.
This is 65 West End Lane, Harlington – south of Hayes, but still in the conurbation – which my sister Natasha and I shared during the the late 80s. It may come as a surprise but brother and sister got on like a house on fire. We had one noisy row, about one of us leaving the heating on all weekend, when money was too tight to mention. Besides, our work and social lives crossed paths irregularly. The flat had a nice garden, (and we, being on the ground floor had exclusive access to it) but the major disadvantage was with the flat was that it was crawling with mould, though this was mainly confined to the kitchen. It was loosely furnished, but rooms were huge and felt (and were) mainly empty.
This is Swans Chinese takeaway, a frequent eatery when living at 65 West End Lane. It did some of the best sweet and sour pork balls in the West of London – well, at least in the UB postcode area. Celebrated here when I received an unconditional offer at Goldsmiths'. It's a shame a skanky, and rather spooky launderette is no longer on the High Street – if a village as small as Harlington can be said to have one. This washeteria was famous for having most of its fluorescents flickering or completely fried, so washing one's clothes meant entering and staying – often alone for an hour or two - in the post-apocalyptic place; a launderette from the dark side. Creeped both myself and Natasha out, which is why I ended up doing the washing, while Natasha did my ironing.
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