Memories of Acton
Josie Long:
I used to live in Acton; it’s bullshit! You poor thing!
Me:
You've referred to it before as ‘Rapey Acton.’
JL:
It’s because I had to walk home from the train station, ten minutes. It’s really perilous, it’s on this estate that just felt really lonely and not policed and there was no people around. I’d walk home really scared and there was this fucking family on this estate that had this horrible pit-bull they just used to let run around. So I’d get there and it’d be there, maybe just on the street. I was really freaked out by it and I went away for a few days for Christmas, came back and I was a bit relieved and I was like, “I’m overreacting; it’s not that bad,” and there was this big sign saying “Serious sexual assault here” right by the station and I was like, “This is not cool. This is not a nice place.”
Me:
There are some shops I love around Acton that I’ll miss, there’s this 99p or More or Less shop. Opposite that is Omid Pizza and I really love their pizzas. I went in there and asked if I could speak to Omid. It turns out there’s not actually an Omid, it’s just meant to sound like “home made.”
JL:
That’s amazing! There’s no Omid, that’s so lovely.
Me:
And near the sports centre...
JL:
Oh yeah, I know it; swam there many a time.
Me:
There’s a place that sells chicken and they sell fish. What do you call a shop that sells chicken and fish? ChicFish.
JL:
In Stoke Newington there’s ChickPizz. It’s beautiful.
