Yes, it'd be nice to have friends locally, people I can eat with, drink with, go to theatre/cinema/stoning a banker with. But reality has taught me that's not gonna happen ... ever.

Now I was at pains to say this may only apply to SOME people and was mainly a reminder to myself, but might be of use to some others - and Mig said yes, he needs to get out more.

When I went out locally or to central London, sometimes "nothing" would happen; but I got a bit of air, some exercise and increased the chances of something happening.

Once I went to a pub philosophy meeting in a pub off Regent street, for the cost of a pint, and it was an interesting discussion. But on the way there, in the few hundred yards from Piccadilly tube I met an ex-student - and on the way back met another ! Neither one dodged across the street as I approached I'm happy to say :-)

Once, when I forced myself into the centre again, I got out of the tube and into a pub just 5 minutes before the end of "happy hour" - a nice start. Walked round the corner and saw that a film I had been wanting to see was about to start - better still ! After that I went to a pub, the French House I think, and got talking to a guy who did aerial photography and was interestingly challenging in conversation. He was going on to some club so I tried that, useful late-night drinking place to know. Not a bad night at all.

Another time I had emailed Robert Elms on LBC about Jimmy's, and old Greek restaurant in Frith Street - which one of my art teachers, quite a bohemian, had taken me to with some of his friends years ago. That evening I was drinking in Soho and decided to revisit it - and at the next table met the woman who became my partner ! Mind you that didn't last and just delayed my departure to France for a bout two years - but still ... :-)

 And going places on your own is dull, really dull. It's a two-dimensioned experience, there's nobody to talk to about it, to relive it, to see their perspective.

There you go, generalising again - YOU may find it dull, and 2-D, but I, for example, quite like the freedom to go where I please, leave when I like, etc. I also just like watching people and the little mini-dramas that go on all the time. Thus in the bar in Nice I referred to, a Spanish woman was standing at the bar next to me, clearly a bit drunk and some guy disentangled himself from her arms and left. She moved to the other side of me and started talking to the barman, but her gestures were getting more and more expansive, so I moved away and the patron asked her to take care. I wondered how this would develop.

Next she cottoned on to the yacht captain, who spoke quite good Spanish (it seemed) and I later learned he had a place in Spain, but couldn't live in it as there was no work there. After a while he evaded her attentions and started talking to me. Meanwhile she got into an argument with the patron's son and both he and the patron asked her to leave. Perhaps she went home and said: "It's never gonna happen" - but at least that night you couldn't say she hadn't tried - maybe two or three drinks less and the evening might have developed differently for her. Or maybe she went elsewhere and had a much better time.

And you can always come back and talk about it here :-)

 "So, this is my social life."

If you're happy, fine.

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.