Home again!

[trixtah]

Well, I made it back in one piece, despite missing the flight from Sydney to Canberra after all - by less than 5 minutes. It was a busy evening in the Customs hall, alas. Bloody annoying to have to spend over $200 bucks for a hotel. While I think Formule1 hotels are grim, perhaps they are actually better value for money than Mercure hotels at triple the price. But at least Mercures have clean cotton sheets and comfy beds. Even if their so-called "smart bars" (a mini bar stashed in the hallway, with sweet FA of a selection, and a separate keycard you have to get from reception to use) are crap, and charging $10 for a beer and a packet of chips in the bar is just insulting.

I still have some pics to post, but I really had a fab time. I spent way too much money, but hey, it was worth it. Highlights were:

• meeting buddleia - even if living closer by would be much more preferable. Also attending her nice party and meeting her mum and dad, i_kender and megolas ... and other odds and sods
• catching up with all the goss from various friends
• my old boss telling me I haven't changed a bit (not too sure whether that was a compliment or not, heh)
  
• nice times by the seaside picking up ammonites and alabaster from the cliffs by Penarth with two of my friends and their poochie
• catching up with my ex Jo, and knowing she's just as groovy as ever. Yay.
• running around all the lovely sights in London, especially the Rothkos, the plaster casts in the V&A, Container City, and Kew Gardens

Not optimum things:

• not enough time, really
• didn't get the shopping I wanted to do done. The cultural stuff was more of a priority (which is fine)
  
• no random shags, alas. Still, the shingles didn't really give me that feeling of "all over body confidence" (they're pretty much gone now, thank god), even if I had had the opportunity
• the Royal Mail or Aussie Post majorly squashing the Rothko poster I mailed back to myself, despite the "do not crush or bend" markings all over it, and the fact it was in a proper poster tube. GRAH. The creases are so bad that there are spots at 10cm intervals where there is no ink left on the paper.

Still, it's nice to be home and I had a nice WB dinner with saluqi and faxon. And had sufficient amounts of pooch madness chez eux. :-)