Observations

I have made two main observations since being back in Blighty. One is how nice it is not to live permanently in air-conditioned spaces. The other is how light the nights are. I can't remember the last time I saw daylight beyond about 7pm. I love it. But it does throw my timings out a bit. How are you meant to know when it's time for tea if it's still daylight?

I've made lots of other observations of course. Like how bloody cold it is. How nice the lilac is this year. How it's funny how, on one hand, it feels like I've never been away while on the other it feels like I've been away forever. How lovely it was to have a surprise airport pick-up from me Ma. How nothing has fundamentally changed. How incredibly hard it was coming into land given that the first recognisable landmark I saw was the Dartford Crossing, a stone's throw from Brands Hatch and within sight of the hospital. How this time last week I was in Saigon. That's weird. How Pam has ingrained 'Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn' into the depths of my brain and I can't stop singing it in my head. Thanks for that mate! How I miss travelling. How I'm looking forward to catching up with people here. But miss the people there. How quickly time passes. And how fortunate I am to have done what I've done. I'm already thinking about my next journey. In the words of my old friend:

There's a voice that keeps on calling me
Down the road, that's where I'll always be.
Every stop I make, I make a new friend,
Can't stay for long, just turn around and I'm gone again.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want to settle down,
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.