Me and my dog, Elbert, left Brisbane in 1996 to live in Vancouver, Canada. I had this notion in my head that I was going to marry k.d. Lang.....to this date I still haven't met her! That's funny.
I enjoyed Vancouver alot, Bert was so funny experiencing snow for the first time, he adapted very well and was tunneling with his nose and having a ball in no time, but I couldn't work out why I felt so 'down', that's when I discovered seasonal affective disorder, not something that is common in Australia!! So Bert and I took frequent trips down south to be in the sunshine and absorb the warmth! We travelled around the Southwest of America in our lime green VW camper van who I named 'Dolores'. We visited some spectacular areas on our travels, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Idaho to name a few. The most memorable for me was Yellowstone National Park, I had never been so close to that kind of wildlife before, it was amazing. Bert was very curious of his 4 legged mates that were roaming around the vast park. We appreciated the safety of Dolores, especially when we woke in the morning surrounded by huge moose, or bison wandering aimlessly pass the window or the howl of wolves or coyotes in the night! I am truly grateful for that opportunity, we had a great time and I am so glad I got to experience it with my best mate. Bert had to be put to sleep on July 6th 2003, 4 weeks before his 13th birthday. That was the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life so far, it broke my heart. I often wonder if he enjoyed our travels as much as I did, he never said much but he was always by my side with his unconditional love, a love I had never experienced before and have never experienced since.....and not once did he ever say 'I love you'. When I get sad about missing him I remind myself that I had the luxury of a wonderful best friend that many never get the chance to experience, and I feel very privileged.
So, after Bert passed away I decided I would go live in California for a while, save some money and return home shortly afterwards........time flies, that was nearly 6 years ago! I lived in LA for almost 4 years when I realised how unhappy I was, so I decided to head up to the San Francisco area where everything felt much better. It is amazing what you can tolerate without knowing and its not until 'its' gone that you ask yourself how you ever put up with that.
Well the time is now right for me to return to Australia. I am excited about the move and apprehensive too, its been a long time since I lived in Brisbane, friends have moved on, got different interests, married, had kids, government has changed, population is up, the city is bigger etc etc. I've made some great friends in Canada and America who I will miss dearly but will never forget, they know they are always welcome in my home in Australia and I would love for them to visit so I can show them my beautiful country as they have shown me theirs.
So the countdown is on........2 months and 19 days to go
No comments:
Post a Comment