D-DAY (PART ONE)

The day has come. Not only is this my first proper blog post in years but, after 8 years away from Australia, I'm returning home. I made the decision in December last year, as work had been stagnating for a good 18 months and I felt I had reached the top of a very short career ladder. I spent a lot of the latter half of last year applying for other jobs without much success. With rapidly rising fuel costs, life has steadily become more expensive in the UK over the last couple of years - and my salary hasn't budged in 3 years now -  and while once I had a little spare change at the end of every month to stash away in nest egg fashion, it is reaching the point where I'm having to budget for basic car journeys.

BEAUDELAIRE BY THE BEACH

I think I would be happy in that place I happen not to be, and the question of moving house is a subject of perpetual dialogue I have with my soul ~Baudelaire.
 
Which is another way of saying I've decided, for a multitude of reasons, that it's time for me to move on - back to Australia. I've given myself a generous block of time to get ready, and will be heading off for the antipodes by Spring.

SPIRIT PLACES

One of the things I enjoy most about my village life in the UK are these woods. A small copse of remnant forest from the days when all of England was but a tangled woodland with a few clearings carved into the heart of it. Massive oaks, rare hornbeam trees and a glut of wild raspberries every summer, there was rarely a day that I don't make it down here with my hound. I'll be leaving soon and it's inevitable that a little piece of my heart will stay here in these woods. Of all the people and places I will visit during future holidays, this little speck of land will always command a return visit.

SUMMER IN BRIGHTON

Despite the fact that the tragically hip town of Brighton is an embarrassingly short drive from where I live (about 90 minutes by lovely country back roads), I have only just got around to visiting recently. Considering how utterly full it is of awesome street art, amazing op-shops, wonderfully and imaginatively dressed folks, ultra cool cafes and bars, and a good portion of ex-Londoners who are leaving the increasingly inaffordable artist enclaves of the nation's capital in droves, I'm really baffled as to why I haven't taken some time out to wander round this way before now. Anyway, it's skyrocketed up to first place in my favourite places to visit over the weekend, here's a few snaps from some recent wanders...

SOLSTICE SUN

Getting used to seasonal shifts in daylight hours has been one of the hardest things to adapt to since moving to Europe. Although I spent many years in New Zealand when I was young, I lived near the equator long enough to consider daylight hours of equal length all year round as normal. Still, I finally got my little hound over to the UK a couple of weeks ago so my new daily routine involves getting up an hour earlier (groan) to be dragged comatose around the countryside.

PASTORALE

One of those typical medieval style country villages full of quaint lanes and half timbered houses, Chilham has become one of my favourite spots to visit on a lazy sunny Sunday afternoon. There are also pretty extensive walking tracks around the village as it's part of the South Downs Way. This quaint summer scene of grazing sheep and ripening apples was just too perfect.

IN LONDON STILL

So, London. I'm still all lurgy but I'll battle through with a bit of hot lemon and honey. Just don't be surprised if the sentence constructs are a bit off.

So, as I was saying, London. I really do have a soft spot for the UK, slowly developed over many short visits. My first impression of London is quite possibly the most entertaining first impression I've ever had of a city. As I hesitantly crept out of the underground system somewhere in Hammersmith the first thing I clap my eyes on is a woman sitting spread-legged on the footpath, torn stockings, crazy hair, talking loudly and obviously into a mobile phone. The message scrawled on a ripped off piece of cardboard in front of her reads 'I am a psychopath'. Welcome to London (though on later reflection I do wonder if it wasn't a 4 non-blondes comedy sketch)

PORTOBELLO

Portobello Markets, London