Return to Oz

So I am back in Oz, my two and a half week tour of my old UK haunts has come to an end and I have flown the 11,000 or so miles back to Sydney and I am happy to be back. On my last day in the UK I was seen off by snow storms and freezing temperatures but my first day back on Sydney was all sunshine and warmth.

In spite of the climatic advantages of Australia I still had a great time back in the UK. Flying in on a Friday I had a day to pull myself together before my brother’s wedding on the Saturday which I am happy to say went ahead without a hitch and the wedding “cake”, which was actually a castle made out of Krispy Crème Donuts with a gingerbread bride and groom, was an instant hit.

Then it was off to London where I spend the week working on my house, getting it ready to sell, and seeing as many of my old work, uni and school cronies as possible. Needless to say this involved a large amount of pub time and a hefty alcohol consumption level. After a week of catching up with old friends it was off to Ireland to catch up with my OzBus buddies!

I flew into Dublin and jumped on a bus to Drogheda where I met up with my old travelling buddies for the night; we grabbed some dinner, hit a bar with live bands and headed on to a club before heading back to our dorm room at the hostel to pass out for the night. Out of the 11 our on Saturday only four of us were still around for the Sunday. We headed further into Ireland visiting the legendary Nobber and Muff Crescent, Drumcondra, seeing a local Patrick’s Day Parade, drinking way too much and posing for photos wearing our “I’ve got Irish Roots” bibs (best not to ask!).

After a great weekend it was back to London for a few days, a last few catch ups and then back to the Midlands to spend some time with the family before flying back to Sydney. The trip was great but I offer one piece of advice to all travellers who pop home for a holiday, it is anything but a holiday, it is hard work seeing everyone and you are bound to offend someone by not meeting up with them and do not expect to come back refreshed, you will need a few days off when you return if at all possible.

I am glad I got to see everyone but now I am back in Sydney I am happy to be, I was sitting there last night, cuddled up on the sofa with my girlfriend watching the telly with the view of the harbour bridge out the window and I felt the most relaxed and comfortable that I had in the whole time I was away. Before I left I wrote an entry about where home really was and now I know, it is wherever you feel happiest, it is not a place, it is a concept and for now home for me is here is Sydney cuddled up on the sofa and I am very happy to be here.