Feeling homesick & belated birthday

It's a weird feeling when you're homesick for a place that's not your home anymore. The place that used to be home several years ago ... the place where all your friends are/were ... the place where your "remember that one time" stories always lead back to ... the place that you know isn't the same when you visit it because in your heart you know times change. Maybe it's not homesickness so much but another phrase I can't put my finger on just yet.

It's even harder when the one girlfriend who's always "remember that one time" accomplice now lives on the other side of the world. The girlfriend who watched you stuff four schnitzels in your face on a boozy night out in Prague. The girlfriend who came to spend Christmas with your family in Dallas one year because she may as well be the long-lost sister with a slightly funny accent. The girlfriend who adopted you for weeks and weeks when you were homeless and your boyfriend had moved to America before you.

She's home. I'm home. Home in that these are our birth countries. But, far, far away from home in the sense that, together, we sort of developed a new home when we left America and Australia and met in London. Because home is where your family and friends are, right? So yes, you can have many "homes" and be "homesick" for many places.

I'm hopelessly inept at any time-zone calculation other than east coast to central and east coast to greenwich mean time. Melbourne is some serious math which not even the iPhone can help me with. (Yes, I use the damn app and no, I still can't figure it out.)

I missed speaking with Julie on her birthday last week. And I missed giving her a special birthday post on the blog because of travels and work. Happy belated birthday love! (To be fair, card and pressie were hopefully in receipt in time for the big day. If not, blame the USPS.)

But it's heartwarming to know that between two long overdue catch up emails, which probably took over an hour each to write, we've hardly missed a beat, still understand each other's joys and troubles, and still have a wicked sense of humor.

Miss you loads Woodsy! Happy Birthday!

Ags xxxx

Glastonbury mudfest - 2007

(I love that you're optimistically holding sunnies when, clearly, it's raining cats and dogs.

At least one of us had our priorities straight.)

The bridesmaid who kept your lipstick in her bra and reapplied when needed - 2008

Justin & Soph's wedding - 2009

Literally saying good-bye in Vegas (the last time until who knows?) - 2010

I'm not sure when we'll see Julie and Paul next. We're overdue for a trip to Australia, but TAH kind of prevents a big blow-out trip these days. Soon enough. In the meantime, I'm thankful for all sorts of fancy technology: emails, skype, facebook, twitter, blogs.... to keep in touch. We're worlds away but not that far really.

PS - Woodsy why do you have all the photos from 2005 & 2006? Am I really that camera-irresponsible? Yes.