I’m back in Australia for my father’s 80th birthday. It has been 15 years since I was last here which is a very long time. 15 years since I last saw my little brother and sister, friends and extended relatives. Shameful!
Dad looks amazing for his 80 years and is in good health and very active.
He’s got a lovely house with spectacular views of the Glasshouse Mountains in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
I’m not going to lie: I was very anxious leading up to this trip. I’m not a fan of flying, I’m terrified of spiders (especially the gigantic Australian variety), and coming on my own meant I knew I’d struggle to be away from my home and family in Aberdeen. But buying four round-trip tickets across the world is a stretch plus Elizabeth has had exams, Daniel is at uni and Ben has lectures (someone also has to care for all our pets).
Now that I’ve made it through the flight, I haven’t seen any huntsman spiders (yet), and it has been thrilling to catch up with dear friends and family. These are the people I’ve known forever and we can immediately pick up where we left off despite the long absence.
Dad’s birthday bash was yesterday and it was a delight to stand at the door as guests arrived with one familiar face after another appearing.
I was beyond tired as the jet lag hit me particularly hard. Partly because I’m finding it very hot – it’s always harder to sleep in the heat – and partly because, for the first two nights, I lay awake expecting a huntsman spider to drop onto my bed. The last two nights I finally managed a seven-hour stretch of sleep and am feeling a bit more human, although still somewhat in deficit. Perhaps it’s not quite as bad as the sleep deprivation that accompanies being a new mother, but I was younger back then!
I’ve also met five nieces for the very first time! The internet has given us a level of communication that allows us to stay in touch with loved ones on the other side of the planet but it’s still not the same as seeing people in person, hearing their voices, their mannerisms, watching them interact and just having the time to chat properly.
Everyone has asked me how much Brisbane has changed since I was last here and the main thing I’ve noticed is how much busier it seems. More people, more traffic, more houses which makes sense when you consider the population was about 1.7 million when I moved away more than 20 years ago and now it’s 2.6 million. It seems wealthier too: lots of new development and residential housing with very expensive-looking renovations. I was pleased to spot lots of new cycling infrastructure although I have to say it would just be too hot for me to cycle here other than in the early morning or at night.
I grew up in Brisbane so should be very familiar with the native fauna but I’m so used to British wildlife now that it has felt a bit like visiting an alien environment. There’s something of the wonder of exploring Jurassic Park about it! I’ve seen lizards, wallabies, galahs, cockatoos, bush turkeys and loads of other birds that are all very different to those we see in the UK.
It has been a somewhat surreal experience to visit a place, once so familiar, that now feels foreign.
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