HUGE news and nearly the end of this blog...

I have been blogging as Semi Expat in Oz for just over 3 years now - (yes, I know, how time flies when you're enjoying yourself) but soon I am not going to be in Oz any more and this is the HUGE news I am going to share with you.....

I AM RETURNING TO ENGLAND FOR AROUND A YEAR...

So please, all pack your metaphorical suitcases for  some time in England. I will put up another post on this blog giving you all the details of the new "English Blog" and then if you'd like, please do come over and join me there.  I am leaving next Wednesday evening on the late Cathy Pacific flight out of Melbourne. First stop - Hong Kong - a quick turn around there for a couple of hours and then I'll board the British Airways plane to London. After that I will make my way (via a night at my parents' home) down to deepest, darkest Wiltshire (towards the West of England) - to our dear little cottage.  Ah, dear little cottage; I have missed you so much.

Fireplace at the cottage

The decision to go back to England has been both easy and difficult at the same time.
The easy part was that I really wanted to be in the same country as my daughter to support her and be there for her as she finishes her final year at Durham University. I have felt over the last couple of years that I was not being the kind of mother I wanted to be. Also I so wanted to be nearer to my family and especially my parents again.  It will also be wonderful to catch up and see my friends in England.

Part of the cottage garden

The difficult part of course, is leaving Mr SE here.
We have done this before, this long distance marriage business and we are pretty good at it but it is still hard.  Hopefully, he will have a trip to Europe on the cards in September and he has already booked a week at the beginning of November to come to UK. And then we (my daughter and I) will visit back here for a month, coming to Melbourne over Christmas and New Year. At the moment I am not thinking further than that.  It has been difficult to resign from a job I love (and I hope that there will be a position open to me on my return to Australia next July-ish time - they have said that it would not be a problem).  Leaving dear friends I have made here too will be so very hard.

So, there's lots to organise here and I still have to pack - many lists to be consulted too.  As I said, there will be another post here soon, maybe when I get back to UK and then I will set up the next blog and of course,keep you all in the loop...
For the time being though, it's adieu from this wonderful land and the beautiful city of Melbourne.

Not faded away

Sincere apologies
 My silence does not mean I have faded away completely but I do have to report that I am well on my way to conquering the extra 6.5 kgs I wanted to lose. In fact nearly 5 have gone; (around 10.5 lbs) so I am delighted and feel much better in myself. Weight Watchers has changed since I last went. Much more choice and easy to follow too with each food being assigned a certain number of "propoints" and you are given a alloted amount of daily propoints to stick to. Must be something to do with my 'make up' but if I know I'm stepping on those scales each week and am accountable I stick to what I should be eating. And I know what to do - we all do really - its just applying it daily!! For me basically it has been to cut out (well a glass at weekends) wine, cheese, nibbles etc and to check my portion size and fill up on vegetables, fruit etc. And it's working. Hooray.
Anyway, enough of all that.
Thought I would show you a few photographs from our time away last weekend in beautiful Byron Bay in New South Wales. It's one of our favourite get away destinations and the sun shone the whole time. Pure paradise.