There and Back Again (without the Hobbits)

At the beginning of March I made the long trip home to Perth, Australia for a family wedding. After a while away without seeing family or friends back home, it was very emotional for me. I had been looking forward to the trip ever since booking it, back in November! It's amazing that when you get to hold someone after so long apart, you realise how much you have missed them.

Mum, Dad, Emma and the Cooper clan met me at the airport and it was with blessed relief that I breathed in the sweet clean Australian air. It was the first thing I noticed as I stepped out of the airport terminal - what a difference it makes! Not that Czech air is dirty, but living in a big city in a valley really does have its respiratory downfalls.

The Family wedding was down in Margaret River, for my cousin Russell and his, now wife, Sarah. It was a beautiful wedding and a great weekend spent with the family in a gorgeous location. Sun, sand, family and wine - the perfect combination!

Bunker Bay - Dunsborough, Western Australia

Australia in March is really unpredictable, but the weather was perfect; 38/39 degrees most days while I was home, with cloudless skies and cool seabreezes. Walking along the beach with my dog Romeo, having lunch with friends, dinner with family and shopping with Mum are all things I have missed dearly, so it was great to be able to do them again.

Warnbro Beach with Romeo

I was also able to be home for the engagement party of my friends, Emma and Jordan. They got engaged recently and organised the party for the week I was home! I am so happy that I was able to share the night with them, it was a very special evening for everyone.

I had been forewarned by some friends in Prague, that visits back home are never relaxing and to expect to be kept busy for the entire time; they weren't wrong! Even with running around everyday, I still didn't do everything I wanted to do or see everyone I wanted to see.

By the time I left Perth, I was feeling more exhausted than when I arrived. No rest for the wicked though, flew into Prague Sunday night and back to work 7:15am Monday morning! My students now all know the meaning of the word 'jet-lagged'.

It was just a quick visit home but definitely worth it and as the saying goes, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. When I was in Perth I missed Jon and Prague, and now I am home in Prague, I miss my family and friends in Perth.

Rockingham Foreshore