Travels home, and home again.

Hey peoples.

Well it's been the usual 6 or so weeks since I last wrote, so prepare yourselves for another epic update on the life of your favourite expat (or so I like to tell myself). There's actually not as much to update on this time around, so you might just get to the end. God forbid.

Let's start with my flight halfway round the world for a boy who had me in tears en route at Hong Kong airport.. (that could be the start of a bad TV soap right there)...
Turns out Mini Murray is as determined and stubborn a little bugger as his Aunty Jas. Despite Kat steering well clear of curry (as per my well-researched orders), the little one decided enough was enough, and made his entrance into the world at 5:40pm on 18th February – a day early and while yours truly was still airborne. I landed in Hong Kong airport to a text message from Max Christopher Murray (he's a quick learner, that boy) introducing himself as my new nephew and saying he couldn't wait to meet me. Needless to say I spent the next hour in tears and on the phone to anyone who would listen, texting half of you, and announcing Max' arrival on facebook. The wonders of modern communication.

My two weeks in Sydney flew by, as expected. I spent as much time as possible with mum & dad and obviously my sister, brother-in-law and gorgeous new nephew (who, incidentally, happens to be the most gorgeous boy in the world – what can I say, Krnjetin blood :).
I caught up with as many of you as I could one-on-one, hit the beach a couple of times to hide my newfound English pasty-ness, and obviously said hello and waved goodbye at my round 2

farewell drinks at Opera Bar.

Needless to say I had a brilliant time, although the concept of being home for a holiday proved a little harder to get my head around than one would expect. It took me over a week of being back home to comprehend that I would actually have to go back to London, and several weeks upon returning here (to my other 'home') to get back in the swing of things and stop missing everyone so much!

Fortunately my period of readjustment into London life was short-lived – after months of asking for more work, my ever-helpful employers decided to make up for my previous boredom and granted my request. Work began to consume my working weeks with early starts and 10pm-ish finishes (sans lunch break, naturally) from the day I got back.

I also had friends in town to bring me back to reality – I must say going out with them every night in various parts of London reminded me of how much I love this city. Even if all of you aren't here.

Dave (Sheridan) arrived a few weeks after my return, and stayed with me for about a week before heading up to his beloved Middlesborough. I think we were out every night but one (when we made the world's best pasta / stir fry concoction and polished off a bottle of wine while watching rubbish TV with the housemates), and I take pride in the fact his knowledge of Putney / Clapham pubs has grown exponentially.
We had a great time. So good, in fact, that he's moving down from the Boro sooner than expected (i.e. this week) to join in the London fun & games. Very exciting!

A few days after Davo left (and my body had forgiven me my recent negligence), Mike arrived. Very exciting again - I hadn't seen Mike (my old Sydney flatmate) since my first farewell almost a year ago, and there was lots to catch up on. Needless to say another busy week ensued, culminating in a spontaneous trip to the Cotswolds which failed miserably. The entertaining attempt did result in a day in Oxford (and some random nearby town, when Mike got us lost :) however, so a pretty good failure by all accounts.

That was about two weeks ago. Following Mike's departure, life regained some semblance of normality, although work continued to demand blood, sweat & tears and visa paperwork kept me up till all hours of the morning. London life at its best.
Fortunately that only lasted a week or so before BA whisked me off to Belgrade (Serbia) for a bit of family fun. I'd booked a few days off work before Easter to visit the city of my birth, that I hadn't been back to for over five years (and to catch up on sleep!).

I had a great time. Visiting Belgrade is always the same, really - lots of long chats over black Turkish coffee (for my grandparents, etc, the usual weak latte for me - I'm a Serbian disgrace :) and trips down memory lane to see the places my parents and I frequented before we moved to Sydney. Lots of food (anything I've said I liked at any point in my life will be waiting for me in quantities befitting an army) including desserts / cakes (six varieties awaited my arrival) and traditional Serbian alcohol (home-made cherry brandy... hello!).
It was great to spend rare, quality time with my family – mum's side in Belgrade and dad's side in Pozarevac about an hours drive away. I felt at home amongst people who shared my surname (or at the very least could pronounce it) and who complemented my ability to speak the language, despite my grammatical massacre of it. I wish I could go more often.

So there you go. That's the latest.

I'll leave it there, and will update in due course with the latest visa dramas (my war against the English authorities continues), and debriefs on my upcoming trips to Rotterdam (to visit Mike – if I can organise it in time), Belfast (cheap flights = a girls' weekend away), Cinque Terre in Italy (to again meet Mike, who will be in the area over a long weekend) and the Norwegian fjords (for the second long weekend in May). All subject to the UK authorities playing nice.

Hope all's well back at home #1.

Love you all, miss you all. Speak soon.

xx