Free Electricity, Squirrels

Electricity was free at Amhurst Parade, Stamford Hill, well, the nice, young Algerian couple from downstairs paid for mine I think.

This was the second place that I lived at in Stamford Hill, the one that my friend Darren found After he had moved out Tony from Huntingdon moved in and then Howard. It was above a Hasidic Pizza Shop ran by a man who told me in confidence that he was not cut out to be a member of the sect and dreamt of leaving, although i don't know if he ever did. He supported Manchester United and would, secretly, visit a pub in Manor House now and again, incognito. An old Hasidic couple ran the grocery shop below my flat a few doors down and always gave me strange looks when I went in every day for peanuts. I'd walk on down to Springfield Park, a small park but my favourite in London, and feed the squirrels. The couple in the grocery shop roasted their peanuts themselves they would proudly let me know. Sometimes they were very burnt.

Another person with too much free time, an untidy middle aged lady, began to feed my squirrels as well. We would both eye each other suspiciously when we passed and began to arrive earlier and earlier in order to out-manoeuvre the other.

A couple of weeks before I moved out of the flat I bumped into one of the Algerian students on the stairs. "Isn't electricity expensive here?" she asked as she topped up the key meter. I agreed with her although I had never seen an electricity bill since moving in and had, just that moment, realised that she was probably paying for the electricity used by both of our flats.

I felt very guilty about this and lost sleep planning on coming clean but then I left. Poor Algerian couple! They were so polite and friendly! I should at least have left them a note!