A Delayed Start

My flight was scheduled to depart Edmonton on January 28th at 8:05pm, then leaving Vancouver just around 11pm. Perfect. I love an evening flight. I had 2 hours from the time I’d land in Vancouver until take off for Sydney. Well, this window rapidly disappeared after several short delays. Basically by the time we left the tarmac in Edmonton I calculated that the Sydney flight would be boarding as our wheels touched down. I knew logically there was no sense in stressing. If I missed the flight, I missed it, but I was willing the universe not to let that happen. My girlfriend Freya and I had been chatting non-stop in the days leading up and I was staying with her my first few weeks. I knew she had made some arrangements and I didn’t want plans to be thrown off course.

When I asked the flight attendant if he thought I’d make the connection he looked disturbingly uncertain, and said he’s be right back. He never came back. When we landed in Vancouver they announced that they would like all passengers to remain seated as there were 14 people bound for Beijing that had to catch their flight. I didn’t even hesitate. I was not missing this flight, and who would know I wasn’t a part of the group heading to Beijing? I grabbed my bag from the overhead bin and headed out with them, proceeded to dash though the airport and made it to the gate as they were boarding. 

When I got in my seat, the adrenaline gone, I was exhausted. I slept nearly the entire flight without even needing to dip into my “Night Night” kit. I left Canada on January 28th. With the time difference and the never ending travel time, I arrived January 30th, but I was feeling fantastic!

The Pickup

I had told Freya that I would let her know when I landed. She had insisted on picking me up from the airport and I did not want her waiting any longer than needed. Fun fact about me. I do not like people waiting for me, and I can never be late. So I texted her with the heads up that the wheels were on the ground and she replied back, asking me to message her once I cleared customs. She would leave the house then. Things moved pretty quickly and our messages continued back and forth. When I rolled though the exit I was not expecting to see her there front and center, jumping up and down like she had been called out by Rod Roddy from The Price Is Right.

She had been there for hours! As ecstatic as I was to see her, I had to give her shit for showing up so early.

I was equally as excited to see her but I’m not much of a jumper. I keep my excitement, along with most of my feelings, on the inside. I could not believe she had been waiting so long, but she assured me it was fine. Freya is way more outgoing than me so of course she had made friends while she waited. She had also taken a number of videos documenting her wait. Updates on how long she’d been waiting, her level of excitement,and  her regret about not taking her Ritalin. There were many false starts of random people as she tried to get me coming through the doors.

It felt surreal being there and seeing her.

There was no nine year gap, it was yesterday.

No Rest For The Wicked

We talked non-stop like lunatics on the drive and decided we were going to kick things off right by getting straight into a sloppy lunch. I showered and threw on a dress and we headed straight to Queen Chow, a quick 15 walk away down on Manly Wharf.

Freya is a frequent flyer here so she knows the menu by heart and ordered us way too many dishes and way too many drinks. It was marvelous. The perfect start to this long overdue reunion.

 

Freya got married a few years ago and got some additional kiddos in that deal. One of them is seven year old Archie. A complete charmer. Freya warned me, and she wasn’t kidding. He met us there after school, and within half an hour declared that he was going to call me Mummy Two.

 

 

Another one of Freya’s favorite restaurants is Hugo’s, which is just steps away from Queen Chow. We got prime seating right on the water. More delicious food, and sensational cocktails. I had yet to really spend ant time in the sun and was glowing white, as you can see. Next to this lot I looked like I’d been kept in a closet for years. It was a long lunch with lots of laughs. I got to meet one of Freya’s friends, Edwina, that wasn’t on the scene when I lived there, and Freya’s husband, Tim.

My Obsession

I love music. I always have music playing at home, in the car, walking to work, doing my river valley adventures. Those who know me well know that I am obsessed with Gregory Alan Isakov. Well not him. His music. I have always been drawn to folk music and some may say I listen to a lot of sorrowful stuff, which I won’t deny. There is just something about his music. The melodies, the lyrics, his voice. His music makes me feel a mix of heartbreak and solace at the same time that I can’t articulate.

I almost lost my mind when I found out he was playing at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival last summer. He did a side stage and the main stage. I obviously saw him at both, and was lucky enough to meet him and have a quick chat. I could not have been happier when I realized he was also going to be playing in Sydney while I was there, at a tiny venue called Metro Theatre. I arrived in Sydney on Tuesday and the concert was Friday. It was a busy first week.

The show was phenomenal. I was right up front. So close. Probably breaking the terms of the restraining order, I can hear my friend Kevin saying. He loves to give me a hard time about my love of Gregory.

Boat Party

The next day we were celebrating Archie’s 8th birthday, and taking a bunch of his friends out on their boat. Now I am not a children’s birthday kinda lady. Please don’t invite me. However, if it’s on a boat and there is alcohol, I will probably make an exception. Also, as Mummy Two, I felt I needed to go.

Luckily there were plenty of adults aboard and plenty of drinks, so it was a great afternoon… for me. Freya on the other hand was not living her best life. Having a bunch of little kids out on the open water is not relaxing. By the end of the afternoon she was spent. That night was a couch and order in evening. Much needed for both of us.

The Spencer Boys

There were a lot of catch ups planned over this holiday, and on the list were the Spencers. Nick and I had been together for many years when I lived in Australia and we have remained friends. I was excited to see him, his wife Alice, and the two children. I also wanted to see his brother Cam and his wife Cassie (a fellow Canadian) and their kiddos.

Nick was the reason I met Freya. Nick was actually the reason I met a lot of people in Sydney. He is also outgoing and a ton of fun. We were all teachers back then, and Nick and Freya taught at the same school. She was the music teacher and he taught art.

Nick and I hit it off straight out the gate. I think after only a week or so he had asked me if I wanted to join him on a trip to the outback that he had been planning for some time. He was driving out to Areyonga, a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory to bring donation and run a footy camp. I didn’t hesitate.

That was the first of many great adventures together. I could write all about those 3 weeks though the outback but that is its own post, so for now I’ll just put in a few photos from Areyonga.

We had a really good run together.

Over the years my mom and dad come to Sydney a couple of times, and Nick had come back home with me once for Christmas in 2010. He had been to Canada before, attending the University of Calgary, but he still got a kick out of all the snow and my father’s giant truck and crazy winter driving. It was a great trip because he got to meet my people. He met my brother, his wife, and their kiddo. He met aunts, uncles, cousins, and so many friends, including my girlfriend Joanne, who I had originally met while traveling in Australia the year before I moved. This means more now as Joanne passed away last year. Anyone who had the chance to spend time with her should consider themselves lucky.

My folks loved coming out to visit and Nick was a great tour guide no matter where we went in Australia. He seemed to know something about everything. It made me realize what a poor ambassador I was for Canada. Although I recall telling him once how impressive his knowledge was of places and history, and I believe he said that sometimes he just made things up. He had worked for BridgeClimb when he was younger and got a kick out of throwing in some stories in here and there while guiding people atop of Sydney Harbour Bridge. I’d say most of the time he was spot on though.

So that first week I caught up with both Spencer boys, the wives and children down at Manly Beach. It was a wonderful visit. In fact we were so into things that it didn’t even occur to us to take a photo, and I’m so sad now that we didn’t. I love photos. Probably because my memory is so terrible. It was great to reconnect though and see everyone doing so well. 

Fun fact. Cameron is an amazing sports photographer, and still works for Getty. He’s received many awards over the years. Below is one photo that got him a boat load of attention!

Where is Home?

I had thought about Sydney and my friends there so often over the last nine years. Moving home was an easy choice and a difficult choice at the same time. After Nick and I parted ways I was really lonely. I always missed my friends and family in Canada but after our relationship ended I missed them even more. I didn’t have an anchor. Even when we were together it was tough being far from home. You miss birthdays, big events and celebrations like weddings, and maybe the hardest, funerals. I had lost many friends over the years that I was in Sydney. Every time I came back to Canada I would try to see as many people as I could, knowing that it could be the last time. And after all those years, as I myself was getting older, it became more obvious that my parents were aging too. I think when you’re young your parents seem the same age forever. Living overseas and only seeing them once every year or two made the changes more noticeable.

Moving back to Canada was difficult because I had a life in Sydney. I had wonderful friends, and I loved nothing more than the sunshine and beach. The lifestyle suited me so well.

It was an easy decision though because it came down to this: If something happened to my mom or dad would I regret not having spent more time with them?

Being back in Sydney that first week felt great, but it didn’t feel like home. Freya now lives in Manly, but when I lived there we both lived in the Eastern Suburbs. She had been in Randwick and I was in Bronte, and we spent most of our time at Bronte Beach. She had two little girls, Mia and Peaches. They were not little anymore. Freya and I practically lived together after Nick and I split up. We took the girls on so many road trips and had endless dinners and sleepovers and dance parties. Freya felt like home, but Manly didn’t.

The first week had been amazing and busy. Now for some chill time in a place where I new nobody. Correction. I knew one person. Another catch up with an old friend awaited.

Next stop, Gold Coast, Australia.