b r a v e c r e a t u r e s

So at last I am on my way for my first real holiday of the summer, a week in Ibiza. I have had a few long weekends, but not a good solid break. London is a fabulous city, but you do need to get away.

The summer here has been great so far, lots of sunshine and warm weather, but I have not found the groove of enjoying the warmth yet. I think that's because I haven't found a pool here to hang out at.

Hamstead Heath Pond is suppose to me great, but London is so vast I have not found my way there yet.

But for now I am off to the Spanish sunshine again with a song in my heart and a swing in my step.The DLR and the Standsted Express, not to mention Stansted Airport itself is not the most glam beginning, but with my friends E&C, J, my room mates F&M, L and D; I am sure things will be far more glam as the week progresses.

One of the things that has struck me about living in London is how it seems that every street corner I turn around I come across another street name that is straight off the Monopoly board. It excites and delights me.

Without fail.

So I thought I would play a little blogging game with it. I will seek out all of the places on the board and make a record of my discoveries there. Given the combo of my iPhone and its WordPress client, it should be easy enough to get my thoughts done on the hop.

This is probably something only my mother is going to be interested in, but I don't much care. It seems like fun to me. So children, let's just remind ourselves about the places on the board, shall we?

In four or five months, you people here in London are going to be bitching about the cold and the lack of sunshine. At that point I want you to all stop and look back at this glorious summer.

It's really been spectacular. Sunshine, warmth and plenty of adventure to be had. If there is no light with out shade - here is the light.

Enjoy.

12 months.

12 months I have been in Europe. I arrived here last year just in time for Europride in Madrid. I came here from Melbourne, from winter and darkness, sadness and woe. I came with my self esteem just reconstructed after a dire few years.

I came here to Madrid, one of the proudest, most regal cities in the world, to sunshine and summer, friends and excitement and warmth of all kinds.

And since then I have been happier than I can remember.

Oh not mindless, unexamined happiness. There have been ups and downs, annoyances, trouble and a little strife. But the abiding impression I have is of happiness.

So this year I have come back to Madrid to celebrate the anniversary of my arrival here, on this continent, in this new life. My return from the moon where I had allowed myself to be cast out. My return to myself.

Last night I had dinner with a few of the people who greeted me to this new life of mine. New friends and old. We ate and laughed; joked and teased each other (as is the way of my clan); flirted and lavished physical affection.

Now I am back from outer space. I love it here, and I intend to stay.

At long last I have written another letter to friends.

It's been a long time coming, but there has been so much life to live, I have had a little trouble chronicling it.

But here it is at last….  

I have had a bit of a break from travel.  To be honest, Rio was a little extravagant so I needed to let the cash build up again. But now I am back on my ramblings.

This time to Brussels.

Now everyone I told was a little puzzled that I was going to Brussels for Easter. Apparently its the Canberra of Europe - a manufactured capital city whose only real export is legislation. The difference here is that they ALSO export some of the best chocolates in the world.

Whats not to love?

After my trip to Canberra in 2006, I would have liked to take the time to see the European legislature - but it was a quick trip and over Easter so I didn't get a chance. What I did do was look around the old city and it's compact, charming and picture post card perfect. My tour guide also did a lot to make things great. Good conversation goes a long, long way to making me happy.

Apart from just seeing the city, another reason for my trip was La Demence, a regular party in Brussels. Apparently it was off the hook for New Year so I really wanted to go. Well worth the trip. Music, fab; crowd, handsome and international; venue, meh - a flat surface would be nice, and whats with the glass. the floor was COVERED in broken glass. Oh and the french in particular have no idea how to move through a crowd. They are way too pushy and use their elbows way too much. But all up I had a great time.

The best bit however was laying in my hotel room at the Be Manos on Monday morning, with the sun streaming through the windows and snow falling. While its horrible to be out in, for and Australian boy like me, this was one of the most romantic things I have ever seen.

Long story short - Brussels is well worth a quick visit, and La Demence is a great party. I am thinking of going back in July. Yes that good. 

If you are interested there are more pictures of Brussels in my dot mac web gallery. 

Life here in London has been so wonderful, its hard sometimes to reach back to a year or so ago when things were so bad. But just when you least expect it, the past reaches forward to remind you.

This morning I got an email from my ex, James to tell me that my wonderful dog, Saxon, has died - suddenly and unexpectedly.

Apparently he had been happy and not at all unwell. He had been coughing sometimes after eating or drinking for some weeks and had had a series of investigations including a gastroscopy and barium swallow without finding any problem.

On Monday night (11 Feb), about 15 minutes after his dinner on Monday he was found dead in the front garden. He was buried in his garden with his favourite blanket.

During the dark years of 2004-2006, Saxon was the brightest thing in my life. It was a tough decision to give him up, but having him stay with my ex's mother, who adored him, seemed like a really good decision for both him and me.

I have missed him, and still talk about him all the time. Its really sad to think that I can now never go back to play with him - but I have so many good memories of him that in some ways, while Iam still alive, part of him is too.

Sometimes when you travel, particularly when you have stood still for a long while, the places you visit get inside you. today I feel positively aglow, willingly invaded by the basking golden glow of Iberian sunshine.

I am in the stunning new airport in Madrid awaiting my flight back to my new home in London and I can feel the warmth and contentment radiating from me.

The parties over the weekend were wild and exciting, the people unbelievably open, helped no doubt by old friends from San Francisco - now Londoners,  Andreas and Massimo, who seem to both know everyone and be welcomed by them.  A better introduction I could not have had.

Not enough sleep, not enough food but there was hardly time to stop . There were too many things to see and do, to many people to meet to let me feet touch the ground for long - little own my head hit the pillow.

Something in me feels like it has come alive again, a contentment and connection to the world that I have not felt since San Francisco. I still have no idea how this latest adventure, this chapter in my life, will play out. But I am sure this was the right decision.

London is apparently a little grey today, and wrapped in a blanket of tension from the latest terrorist threats, but I am heading back there a glow with the warmth of Spain and the excitement of unknown possibilities.

More pictures from Madrid over at Flickr .