Home Again, Home Again

I am now safely sitting in my living room, listening to the sound of heavy, steady rain on my roof. Now that is a sound I have not heard in a long time. Having just spent two months in a drought-stricken France, it was a treat to the senses to hear that comforting sound of rain again.
Last Saturday I arrived back in Melbourne, after a somewhat long and uneventful flight from Paris. Although the plane arrived right on time, it appeared that a number of other flights must have landed at the same time. The long queue at immigration was quite chaotic, but eventually I was able to insert my passport into the scanner and emerge on the other side. Fortunately, I did not have to wait long for my familiar, but now somewhat tattered, old suitcase made its appearance on the carousel. Once out of the airport, the drive on the Monash Freeway was perhaps the best part of the trip. The traffic was almost nonexistent.
I was soon deposited at my front door and realising that the trip really was now over. After almost two years of planning and anticipation, it was a relief to know that it had gone so smoothly. Now I had to face the familiar problem of jet lag. This is the common feature of all returns to Australia after an extended period overseas.
Now a week has passed by, but I am still awaking in the early morning and falling asleep in the afternoon. Maybe that is because of jetlag, or maybe it is just something you do when you reach my age.
It will take a long time to wade through all my photos. It will take a lifetime to process my memories. I don't have a lot of time to rest, since I now have to resume my planning for next year's European ride from Bruges to Amsterdam. Maybe that will really be the last, but maybe there will be other adventures waiting for me in the years ahead. One thing is sure, life was never meant to be boring.Read more