Single parents in Essex

Essex works on the London commute. If you're in Chelmsford, Brentwood, Basildon or Romford, the rail line into Liverpool Street is the axis everything hangs off, and a lot of first meets happen at a station café rather than in either person's town. Out towards Colchester and the coast, it's much more local and much more about who is willing to drive.

Everyone here is a parent, so the practical stuff — custody weeks, childcare, a reply that comes two days later because it was that kind of week — never needs explaining.