Having had time to breathe now that I am back from all my various trips; I really wanted to reassure my fellow Poms about the strangeness of homesickness and the cruel way the mind can play tricks on you.

I have been back to the UK since living in Oz a few times now and every time I go, I make sure I take an extra suitcase for the NEXT sales; salt and vinegar square crisps; galaxy chocolate and for other luxuries that I have missed since living in Oz.

But this time when I went back (fully prepared with my empty case) I found the items that I was so desperate for, were really not such a big deal anymore.

The NEXT clothes seemed over-priced, the chocolate bars that I had missed, didn’t seem particularly special anymore –  in fact the whole memory of the things I had clung to, didn’t really step up to what I had remembered.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ‘dissing’ the UK at all, all I am saying is that sometimes the memory has a way of over-exaggerating the things you crave.

It was great to be back and sit outside in the long summer evenings with my 2 sisters and drink ourselves sober till the small hours – but my heart was still back home in Oz, something that I thought would never happen when we first arrived.

Of course, a lot of it has so much to do with my dear friends, who are like family to me. We laugh, we cry, we laugh again, we motivate, we encourage and we are all there for each other when we need it. And over the last couple of weeks I have really needed it.

So to all my great friends, and you know who you are, thanks for being there through my tears of joy and sadness. I don’t know what I would have done without you… you make this place ‘home’.

Here are some shots I took of the English summer flowers in bloom – taken in my mum’s garden.

Love you mum. x.

A perfect English Daisy.

Crab apple crumble?

Busy summer bee

Have a great week. x.