My sister Beck commented the other day that I hadn't updated my blog since something like 15th December. I guess because I am at home at the moment, and because its mostly Aussie family and friends who read my blog (if anyone actually reads it at all!) I kind of figured that they all know what I've been doing, as I've been with them - but on the off-chance any of my overseas friends are interested, here is a quick blog update...
Well Mal and I arrived safely back in the lovely Bris Vegas after our lengthy and fortunately relatively pain-free (well, except for my ribs, that is!) flight home. We'd overnighted in Singapore, which gave me a chance to meet up with Jun (fast becoming our annual tradition now) and also this time Wei Na, who I hadn't seen for some 3 or 4 years, which was lovely. We went out in a part of Singapore called Clarke Quay, where a new shopping complex opened up this year, and which also has become one of the most popular parts of the city for restaurants and night-life. It was really good to see them again and I had a great time catching up. Top stuff, eh Jun!
When we arrived in Brisbane it seemed like the whole of Australia (with a couple of Germans and Dutch chucked in) arrived too - Mal and my bags were one of the last to be let off the plane and then we had to join the horrendously long 'goods to declare' queue. I had brought some shortbread, chocolates, lollies, tea and stuff as gifts - plus my usual Wensleydale cheese for Mum - but this time the customs dudes have been taking lessons in how to be mini-Hitlers (probably from their Pommy counterparts) - and the blighter that I got confiscated my cheese. His argument was that there had been foot and mouth disease this year in the UK (like, when hasn't there been? - and also, this time it was in Surrey, so learn your geography dude, the Yorkshire Dales are in the North, and Surrey is in the South, near London). I hope he enjoyed my cheese for Christmas with a piece of fruit cake or something. The blighter!
The nephews and nieces were unfortunately absent from the welcoming party at the airport, which this time just consisted of Mum and Dad, but it was lovely to see them anyway and we then made our way back home via Nanny and Pop's, and Grandma and Grandpa's - so I didn't feel like I'd missed out too much. The reunion with the rest of the fam would take place the next day. Too tired now for anything, I crashed and went off to sleep. Not for long though, awake again at 4.30am, which is strange for me, as I don't normally suffer from jetlag when coming TO Australia, its usually only when I go back to England that I really suffer. So I lay there for ages and then finally got up around 5.30, made myself a cuppa and sat out on the back porch looking out over the canal, listening to the birds singing, enjoying the warm sun on my face... ah, this is the life!
Beck had arranged for everyone to come over for breakfast at Mum's (but Dad had forgotten he'd organised a dental appointment for me at the same time, which I subsequently missed and had to reschedule!). Demo cooked up some lovely French toast, bacon, eggs and so on, on Mum's bbq, and we had that out by the pool. I got the chance to meet my cute new niece Bethany, now just shy of 2 months old. Marcella, my other niece, is now a year old and boy is she a little honey! But she's very shy and basically took one look at me and bawled. Nice to know I have that effect on her. I can see there's a lot of work to be done before she'll be accepting of me.
Lachie and Harry though, well, they just bowled me over with hugs and kisses! And oh boy, have they grown a lot this year, they're real little boys now (well not so little I guess at 9 and 7) - Lach was down on the pontoon showing me how to check the crab pots (and he caught a couple too, a nice sandy and a good muddy which we later ate Christmas day). And they want to take me out in the dinghy to go to the shop for icecream... how cool is that?
Anyway, it was a lovely breakfast, good to see everyone again, and I can't wait to spend some quality time with all the fam over the next few weeks.... so good to be home...
1 comment:
It's so good to have you home, Kyles! Although we enjoy reading about your fabulous adventures overseas, we spend all year missing you, just waiting for you to come home!
Do you think you could come out mid-year next year, so we could have you to ourselves for a bit longer?
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