IM BACK!!

Well yet another escapade, episode, adventure, saga, chapter, or whatever ya wanna call it has come to a close in my life - much quicker than expected which is almost always the case. I'm sitting here, my rooms warm, but outside its about -5 c and snowing, which is quite a change to the summer in Australia I've only just experienced. How does time travel so fast?? Seriously as I get older time seems to travel at a much quicker rate. When I was in my teens a day was forever now its nothing. It seems like yesterday I was here packing to go to Australia for three weeks, and now its over. Thats by far no exageration. Maybe it relates to the fact that as we get older a day is a smaller and smaller part of the total time we have spent here. When we are 1 or 2, a day is a large percentage of our life, now its not.

Going home and visiting your friends and family then leaving makes you realise how much you love them, and what a large part they contribute to your life and wellbeing. Its true that sometimes its hard to experience these feelings when you see people day in, day out, but I wish I could achieve a state where I could feel this all the time. Maybe its possible. But, everythings relative I guess, and this perspective goes along with the saying "You dont know what you've got until its gone". This is a sad part of the human condition I suppose but maybe it can be changed. Then you have the opposing idea of "A change is as good as a holiday", which I interpret as meaning that we soon get bored of the same things and that appreciation is hard to discover through normality. Even though these sayings are opposing they both seem to suggest that appreciation can only be experienced through change or loss. I hope not!

It was fantastic returning to Australia for the first time in nearly 2 years. Cultural norms in Australia, for the first time in my life, felt kinda weird. For example, it was ok to wear my shoes inside! Shows you how strong the conditioning process is even after living in Australia for 30 years! I also found I had a new appreciation for language. After teaching and thinking about the english language and living in a country of non-english speaking people it renews your interest in something as simple (or complex) as interaction and language. I can also see how important it is to learn more than one language. Words are just an expression of feelings, ideas, meaning, and have no inherent meaning themselves. A good trick is to say a word over and over again, soon it loses its meaning.

My hometown Warrnambool hasnt changed much, I dont know why I expected it to but I did. I arrived in Australia on Saturday 17th December, mum and dad were waiting at the airport. We went to the Jones's in Gisborne then on to Warrnambool. I caught up with my brother who was going to a work christmas function that night. The Sunday was the start of the fun and games. After some drinks with the "drunks" mob Micheal Smith, his mate, Jewels and I preceded to the Warrnambool Hotel. There I caught up with Chandels, Gilly, Pumpkin, Babalooshka, Ollie, although I cant remember talking to some of them after after 10 hours straight of drinking! But the photos showed I had a good time!! The next 8 days were pretty much the same, catching up with friends and drinking, and also fitting in a couple of important appointments with the dentist. By christmas day I was feeling the pinch and after intending going to the Penshurst races on boxing day my body finally gave up the goat! I had a few days off, just relaxed, went to Port Fairy, then started again at the Woodford race meet on Friday 30th. Next day was New Years Eve so it was more of the same! I went to Port Fairy, guessed I'd been out enough in Warrnambool. Was a pretty non-eventful night but had fun.

You may assume that my Aussie vacation was nothing but a drunken pissup and you may very well be right, but in between I managed to do some very constructive things! I slept.


No, I met my neighbours, went to the gym a number of times, watched a couple of movies at the great Warrnambool theatre (King Kong, and Narnia), played tennis, went to Tower Hill and my sisters place, visited Port Fairy, had a massage, did some shopping, went to the beach among other things.

By far the best thing about coming home is seeing my parents, my brother, sister, family and friends. You cant beat that.