It feels like I never left New Zealand. It feels like I was never back in the UK for almost 3 months. Life's such a funny thing.
But I am back. My trip home was amazing and it was fantastic to see everyone I was able to catch up with. Sorry if I didn't get round to seeing you. I intentionally dedicated as much time as possible to my family and had great fun walking down many memory lanes (including the discovery that my SRC election poster with 'those legs' is still partially attached to the Ashton Lane door, 6 years on - nice one Carla), sorting through and throwing out loads of my old stuff, playing in the snow with the dog etc etc.
Thank you in particular to the lovely Alicia for looking after me (and us) so well in Edinburgh, and the very wonderful Lindsay for so much time in Glasgow and Munich and, well, just for being great. The time went by in a flash. I have so many good new memories and also have refreshed many old ones. It was fab to remind myself that the UK is still very much home. We'll be back again before we know it, I reckon. Thank you for all my lovely send-offs. It was bloody hard to leave, I tell you. But NZ is my immediate future and, well, we'll just see what happens after that. I miss you all very much.
Brilliant news: I've already got my work permit! Immigration NZ, Hamilton Branch, excelled themselves by turning it round in only slightly more than 24 hours (usual processing time 30-60 days). So I can work here legally for at least another year.
I'll be spending most of that as Schools & Groups Co-ordinator back at Mt Ruapehu for the winter. It's a complex job that I can really get my teeth into. Yay! That starts in a few weeks.
In the meantime I've landed a job running a venue in the Auckland Festival, which is where I am just now. It's good to be back doing this sort of work. Its also GREAT to see long lost festival faces, some of whom I've not seen since I last worked at Assembly in Edinburgh 3 years ago. It's a lovely venue (Bruce Mason Centre) and at the moment we're hosting an excellent show - Circus Oz. Check them out if they come your way. Gregg's been up to stay at weekends too, giving him an insight into this side of me.
So yeah, that's that. Hope you're really well. Do let me know your news and stay in touch. I'm also going to try and keep my flickr photo page and my blog more frequently updated. Let me know if you'd like access to read my blog and I'll send you an invite.
Take care
Over and out.
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