I had great night out with some old friends from university in Leicester yesterday - it was good to catch up and see what everyone is now doing! I’ll try not to leave it so long next time!

It’s amazing to see how much of the city has changed since I was last there over ten years ago, parts of it were unrecognisable and completely transformed. I finally saw first hand the shiny John Lewis building with its glass walkway above the road and patterned glass facades, adjacent to the silver metallic cinema complex. The urban design of the city has been transformed with a glossy new finish; roads and buildings having been removed making way for large, welcoming pedestrian areas and open spaces. Shops and bars are livelier than ever in the modernised parts of town.

What was sadly shocking though is that although the city has been transformed, the cost of living has escalated and there were a lot more homeless people on the streets than ever. I don’t remember passing so many in one area, other than on the streets of London. 

I also felt very alienated, as it had been so long and I didn’t recognise my old home town, surrounded by today’s young students enjoying their Saturday night out, I have become suddenly very old! Fortunately I had my old friends with me who felt the same way!  

Back home now and off to collect the boys from Gramdma and Grandad’s, back to normality and the home comforts of rural Suffolk.