Picnic at Primrose Hill

London

Honkers continued

The mighty mighty Kong

First stop after a few days in NZ is the mighty mighty Kong to visit the Wests. As per usual, I'm terrified all day about the dreaded moment of check in when they have to weigh my bags. As a nomad, airlines rob you of the joy of flying because you are usually flying with your entire world accompanying you. My world weighs a little more than 20 kilos. So with heart pounding, brow sweating I sidle up to check in counters, always with family and friends strategically hiding around the corner with my 50kg carry-on. I know the worst that can happen is that they'll charge me, but I feel like I'm on 'The Biggest Loser' and they're going to evict me from the plane if my bag is too heavy. I've perfected the art of making carry-on baggage I can hardly lift look like it's featherweight.

It was such a treat to see Annie, Matt and meet little Noah. He is so cute! I was excited to see him but a little bit terrified about having to touch him. I'm completely inexperienced with newborn babies and being clumsy, I tend not to be a good combo with anything fragile...that and the whole wobbly head on neck-stalk thing is all a bit freaky. But actually, it's just like having a kitten only cooler because he sits on your knee longer than a kitten does....well if you can call it sit. He can't actually sit yet and coz of his wobbly head he kinda leans against you - but anyway...he is just the coolest little man and I love him. We got to take him everywhere with us and Annie is (of course we all knew this anyway) the most amazing mum, somehow managing to be tour guide to us and figure out the hugely complicated issue of feed times, sleep times, emptying the boobs evenly and making sure Noah is happy (which is dizzyingly confusing when babies have minds of their own and don't set themselves to the correct timeline). My eyes have been opened to the trials of being parents to newborns so hats off to anyone who has done it - you are brilliant!! When we weren't playing with the cool new toy, we met up with Catie and Matty and Matt W and had fantastic meals, hung out at Matt's footy club (amazing big country club with pool and restaurants...all charged back to Matt!) and enjoyed Hong Kong. It's such a rad bright and busy city.

And the most exciting part is that Noah totally got to grips with the smile thing while we were there...and once he discovered it he was loving it! Awwwwwwww.......

Farewell Sydders

Somehow I've gone from an ordinary girl in Wellington to a nomad, without really meaning to. As soon as I get to a city, buy up a storm at Ikea, earn enough money to pay for what I bought at Ikea and breathe out...I move again. And so it is that I'm off to gay Paree for a nouvelle adventure. And so it is that I feign enthusiasm as I pull together yet another set of handover notes at work, pack up and ship off yet another set of boxes, leave another set of beautiful friends and sell off yet another apartment full of Ikea furniture. That being said I can't believe I am moving to Paris. It's something I've dreamed of since I was ten years old and spent Saturday afternoons transfixed by all the glamourous pics of Johnny Halliday (the french version of Rod Stewart) and Princess Caroline of Monaco in the Paris Match magazines dad used to ship in from France. Jamie recommended reading aussie writer Sarah Turnbull's 'Almost French' and suddenly my etiquette seems a little parochial, my wardrobe a little too kiwi and my knowledge of French culture hugely inadequate.

I farewell Sydney with sadness. It's a beautiful, wonderful place to live with a lifestyle that I'm not sure has been rivalled by anywhere else I've lived to date. For a girl who loves the beach and adores the sun what better city is there than one graced with hundreds of pristine coastal delights and a climate that has you swimming September to May. I hope I'll see it again soon.