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Aaah that ache of missing. I thought I was through with it, but it seems like missing someone, or a place, or people, is simply a part of life. I say all this because in a matter of hours someone I have been missing will be here. I'm excited, of course, yet also a little nervous. What if they don't think of me in the same way as before? What if we have nothing to say (I do find that highly unlikely). What if...
The thing is, that being away from people and places makes you see them in a different light. You appreciate them more, realise deeper aspects of your feeling for them, perhaps romanticize them a it (something I seem to do rather well). My feelings for England have changed so much since I left, in ways I'm sure they wouldn't have had I stayed. I guess that, as ever, this is more my fears talking. What if I don't live up to expectations? But really, the overwhelming feeling is of happiness and blessing. It is that thought that follows me to sleep tonight.

7 things I know about Sydney

So, after over a month (a month!) in Sydney, what can I say about this city? First off, and most obviously, it is hot. Very hot, some days. A few weeks ago it hit 41C. Trust me, even with a sea breeze that is pretty roasty. Secondly, it is surprisingly hilly. Unlike San Francisco's almost ordered rolling (though I'm sure this has something to do with the U.S. grid street system), everything here is all wiggly and even a little higgedly-piggeldy as though a child was experimenting with a model railway. I love the surprise twists and turns, the sudden vistas and unexpected finds around some corners: something I miss about England. Three: people here can really blank you and seem quite rude. I don't know if my face and demeanour are offensive in any way, or if it is the heat, or the effect of history (imagine how it was for some Sydneysider's ancestors to come to such a hot, arid and quite barren land...to make a life in such a desolate place so far from home), either way, I find the snobby/flat/non-recognition of other humans and the inability to smile rather tiring.
Fourth - Having friends and family in a city makes it even more enjoyable. Also, some people you meet are lovely and make up for all the other ones. Which leads me to the beaches...for those who think a stony beach is best, don't bother coming to Sydney. The beaches here are sandy with gorgeous blue-green water and sun glinting off it all. You need sunnies (yes, I've got the lingo), a hat and maybe even a parasol or sun tent to last longer than 30 minutes on the sand here. I know I do! 5. Like most cities, there is a lot to do in Sydney. Although I find it weird for January and February to be referred to as summer, it does mean that there are a whole host of festivals, events and parties to gatecrash. Six - food can be quite costly. I know in Montreal we're all spoiled by pretty good quality, affordable food, but it's really brought home here. That's not to say the food is bad, far from it, just hard to reconcile myself with the cost.
Last, but not least, don't bother trying to hail a taxi between 2-3:30 am. If they do stop, they seem to decide whether or not they'll take you. First correct answer as to why wins a prize!

Sure I have a lot more to learn, but another glass of wine beckons and there are stars overhead!