I'm baaack!

Let me start by wishing you a belated "Happy New Year"!

As some of you may have known, in late December I had to rush off to Australia, and did not return to Canada until the third week of January. And, here we are on the cusp of February already!

The unfortunate reason for my hasty departure is that I received a call telling me that my father was not expected to live much longer. The good news is that I was able to complete the 33-hour journey in time to see him before he passed. It was great to be able to be there with him for those two precious days and to then to be surrounded by friends and family.

Although I had a mammoth amount to attend to while I was there, I did manage to have some happier times. In the Melbourne summer the temperatures soared to a whopping 44 degrees, and I felt that at times, I would surely melt. I'm told, by contrast, that in Fredericton it was rather frigid. I found it wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun, and be enchanted, once again, by those old familiar fragrances of the Eucalypt trees and the endless summer foliage.

It was interesting to visit my old stomping grounds and find that with all the development of the last decade, I didn’t always know my way around! It was also nice to be someplace where everyone else talked like I do. In fact, I really had to attune my ear again to the Australian accent, though it is an accent that is mine! A rather funny revelation! On sharing this with a cousin, I was told that I had definitely been away too long!!!!

Of course I paid attention to the real estate. Things are certainly nothing like they are here! Imagine a half a million dollars for a small apartment in the city or a townhouse for $800,000. In some of the really sought after neighbourhoods, a small home is easily over a million dollars. Phew! The upside of that is that Australia seemed to have escaped the recession that has gripped North America. Things appeared to be booming.

As you can imagine, I had quite a busy trip, but, nonetheless, it was good to be home. Though New Brunswick is my home now, going back to Australia reminds me that, no matter where I am living, it will always be my "home" home.

Now that I'm back, I'm getting into the swing of things and am ready to get out there and show some homes! The cold weather and swirling snow won't keep me down.

Again, I wish you all a very sincere, albeit late, "Happy New Year"!