Although I haven't posted a blog in a while, I have four drafts written which I haven't quite finished and one of those probably won't get published (Far too controversial, wouldn't want to get counter-sued!). The intention has been there, however it has been a tumultuous few months again with the atmospheric highs of new life events and the dramatic lows of family bereavements. Plural.
In a nutshell, my Grandfather passed away last October followed two weeks later by my wife's Grandfather. Over the Christmas period we had a mortgage application approved, viewed some homes and placed an offer on a brand new apartment which was accepted. Then while preparing everything for the move my Grandmother passed away in mid January, leading to an emotional game of cricket and exceptional support from my friends and family alike. Then the move... inevitable trips to IKEA for furniture. There really is nothing to make you feel more Australian than driving your European car to buy Swedish furniture for your Japanese TV while drinking your Mexican beer and eating your Italian pizza. Multi-culturism? Pfft...
We've covered some mileage over the last few months too, between Christmas and New Year we took the almost traditional trip to Victoria to visit my Great Auntie Kath in Echuca. At times like this it becomes apparent how different Jess and I are, in that Jess has always lived in a city and is used to having everything nearby. Echuca is very much a country town and while it has all the amenities it is a very different pace of life. Honestly I love getting out into the country, whether it's Echuca, Bathurst or wherever. It sounds corny but when you are out in the country it's easier to connect with what's around you, to find peace within yourself and relax without time pressures. Or is it just that being in the country is such an irregular occurrence for us that it highlights the fact we are away from the normal pressures of our day-to-day lives? It's all about perception.
The heatwave that hit Australia in February was astounding, in the middle of which we took a trip to Wagga Wagga (for people reading in England, it's pronouced "Wogga Wogga") for Jess's Uncle's retirement party. Ian Ferguson has been the Golf Professional at Wagga Wagga for 40 years, which is truly a remarkable achievement. The newspapers wrote a great article, which I would urge you to have a read of here: http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/4386322/end-of-an-era-as-ferg-prepares-to-finish-at-wagga-country-club-photos/
Yet again the trip to Wagga was another escape to the country, my Father-In-Law and I decided to take advantage and get a round of golf in while Ferg was still involved with the place. The problem was the fact it was 46°C in the shade. Golf? We put up a cricket score. But it is a beautiful course and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to play there, it is in such wonderful condition you'd think you were playing at Wentworth. I'd love to have a go in more reasonable temperatures!
The weather has relented in the last few weeks, unfortunately to the stage where rain has interrupted our cricket season and ended it prematurely. None of our teams reached Finals this season which is a disaster, and slightly takes the shine of what would normally be a huge personal achievement; I finished the season on 390 runs from 6 games (out of 13) and finished as leading run scorer in 2nd Grade Shires. This might seem like a FIGJAM moment but I have never been leading run scorer of anything before... I'm proud of it. I've scored 6 centuries, 3 in England and 3 in Australia. The ones in England were in 2005, 2009 and 2012. Not exactly regular. The 3 in Australia all came within 12 months... January 2016, October 2016 and January 2017. It's not considered good form to blow up one's personal achievements, but like I say... I'm bloody proud of myself for it especially given what I've had to deal with job searching, home buying and losing both grandparents. You can see from my previous published entry how much my Grandfather meant/means to me, and my Grandmother was the most beautiful, kind-hearted woman that to be able to walk onto a field 2 hours after learning of her death and score that hundred with that determination and dedicate it to her? It's a level of mental strength I never knew I had. The report is HERE.
As I previously alluded to, Jess and I have bought our first home and we could not be happier with it. It's taken nearly four years of saving and hard work but we have finally got there. Of course the hard work has not finished, but we are finally in a place where we are a relaxed kind of happy. I finally have a job which I am in my element at Kingsgrove Sports, constantly around the game of cricket in a role with responsibility but not constantly under pressure and fully confident in my knowledge and ability to fulfill the role. I can't harbor too many regrets about previous efforts as ultimately they have led me here and I have made many great friends as a result. Obviously there were things that didn't go as expected but I am happy and secure in the knowledge that ultimately I have come out on top, and escaped a dire situation.
Our first home is taking shape nicely and we almost have everything as we want it. We've already settled into a daily routine and once we have a few final things in place we will be set. And then I'll hopefully have the time to do things like go flying using the money you have kindly donated to my Flying fundraiser. Maybe I'll even have time write a little more regularly in this blog about a variety of topics and observations. As mentioned, I have a few lined up; "People Take Offence", "Speed Kills Is A Lie", or "What REALLY Happened At..." ...You be co-operative, now... don't get me in trouble! The point is that I haven't updated this blog as often as I did when I left the UK and I find myself two weeks away from being eligible for Australian Citizenship and an Australian passport, which means I have been here for 4 years. And I haven't even mentioned the exciting new Formula 1 season that is just around the corner... 870km away in Melbourne. Pretty close by Australian standards.
