Australian Adventure

Epilogue

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It’s November 10th 1998, exactly a year after I started work in the Sydney office. And that means that it’s also exactly six months since we returned to Vancouver. Notice that I went to Australia, and we came back. That alone is an indication of the significance of the trip for me.

I miss Sydney. More than I expected I would, since I never miss anywhere that I’ve lived, once I move on. Karl, now also back in Vancouver, often drops in to shoot the breeze and we reminisce about the scenery, the wildlife, the beaches, the barbecued baby octopus salad that still has Karl salivating in seconds.

We also reminisce about the people, because if there was one thing that made the whole experience so enjoyable it was the sociability of the office and everyone who worked in it. The dividing lines between work and leisure time were so blurred as to be invisible.

And for both Eve and I we had a welcome chance to see our families, and for both of us to spend some time with our new in-laws. That’s not an opportunity to be ignored.

The six months really were an Australian Adventure - for that short time we were exempt from worries about rents and mortgages, bills, cars, and all the minutiae that creep into your lives. Instead we travelled, saw things that were new and amazing, enjoyed the summer weather (while the rest of Vancouver grew soggy in the winter rain), sat on the balcony and watched the lorikeets, or the lightning, or the boats on the water.

And right in the middle of it was a fairy tale wedding, with the most stunning backdrop that anyone could ever hope for. A photo now hangs on our bedroom wall, and I often look at it and think "Were we really there?". It seems a long time ago.

The last six months in Vancouver have been equally action packed, although in different ways. We’ve bought a house, and sorted out about 80% of the contents. We’ve got married again for the benefit of the English half of my family, and we’ve settled back into the routine that we suspended when we flew out of here a year ago. Now life intrudes if you’re not careful to keep it in its place. But we’ve had a taste of La Vie Bohème and we remember enough to be determined to devote the same enthusiasm to the BC Adventure - exploring this exceptional part of the world, seeing everything it has to offer.

And this time, there is no six month deadline…