‘Welcome to part one of the new enlightened road to mindfulness and meditation. I am here to guide you through an exciting 4 week programme of relaxation to refocus the mind and energise the soul. Now, make sure you are in a clear space away from the clutter and noise of the world. Take a moment to really focus of your breath and the sound of my voice as we travel towards a fitter, stronger, healthier version of you. It’s OK if your thoughts start to wonder, just…’

With a buzz of electricity, the huge metal door started to rise and beams of sunlight began to spread across the garage.

“Sorry!”

Heather turned off the cd.

“I’m just picking up my guitar for band practice.”

“You could at least knock – or bang! This is my space you know!”

“I know, I’m sorry but the guys are waiting. I didn’t think you would be home.”

“God forbid you should let ‘Heart of Death’ wait a second longer

“Hey now, no need to be like that!”

“Listen, you advertised this place as a ‘roomy retreat from the bustle of city life’. I haven’t done much retreating! Either you get out or I am finding somewhere else to live and reporting you to…whoever I should be reporting you to!”

Three months earlier, Heather had left her small village near Cirencester, travelling to London to make her debut. Tired of the slow, boring country life, she wanted something new and exciting. Something to run as quickly as all the thoughts and chatter in her mind did. She’d answered an ad online and arrived the next week with all her worldly goods in tow. The disappointment was all consuming. It seems that living in the big smoke wasn’t as dreamy and filtered as all the Instagram posts made out. It wasn’t all flat whites in trendy cafes and cute dinner parties in loft apartments. Heather’s ‘spacious living space’ was essentially a half converted garage, hidden away round the back of an ex-council house on an unsavoury estate. True, she had more space than a lot of other people in London but the garage conversion had stopped short of including a fully functioning window. Instead, the main rusting door have been spliced open and a sheet of misty Perspex wedged into place.

A month ago, Heather would have given her right arm to be in the city with all the action. Now, she spends lonely evenings in her sparse quarters looking at videos on the internet of pets doing silly things. Puppies playing chase with llamas and budgies singing the national anthem. This wasn’t the new life she had hoped for.

Moving to the end of her mattress, she held her phone at arm’s length and snapped a pouting selfie. Being sure to include the huge framed picture of her last beach holiday which hung on the wall behind her head, she added a ‘crema’ filter and posted her third Instagram of the day #lovinglife #newbeginnings #londontown.