Farewell family and friends...

My final week in the UK has been full of goodbyes, finishing work, and packing; in fact, lots of packing, unpacking and repacking!

Going back to the goodbyes…. There have been many, every day for the last couple of weeks and some haven’t been easy, but I knew that was coming. I feel very lucky to have such incredible people in my life who care a great deal and have been so supportive in my decision.

Leaving my job after almost four years felt surreal. We’d organised some leaving drinks at a local Latin bar the evening of my penultimate day which was fun. I was given a great send off on my last day with cards and presents and a farewell speech.

After finishing work, I had just two and a half days to organise myself and pack before I flew out to Oz. I was lucky to have my mum on hand to help. Y’know a 30kg luggage allowance is really not enough when you’re emigrating, even if you have already shipped two dozen boxes two months earlier! Mum had bought some weighing scales to measure my case to ensure we’d keep within the allowance. If only we’d known that at check-in at Heathrow I would be so fortunate to encounter a very friendly (and chatty) Singapore Airlines member of staff who not only gave me complimentary Priority tickets for my luggage and overlooked the 1.5 kg I went over by, but also offered me 10kg extra for free! Off mum went back to the car park to pick up my ‘emergency’ suitcase which was originally brought along for the unlikely scenario that my case was underweight so I could add my ‘reserves’ or, in case the old worn-out suitcase I used exploded, so this was a bonus.

Having said goodbye to close family and friends earlier today and having just bid a long farewell to mum at the airport terminal, I am waiting to board my 22:05 flight to Perth via Singapore. Excited, nervous, happy, sad, scared and energised sums up all of the mixed emotions I am feeling. Relieved and exhausted also as I had trekked to gate 18 for 20 minutes laden with my three heavy pieces of hand luggage having looked up the wrong flight with the same departure time, only to retrace my heavy steps to the correct gate number 3 with tears rolling down my cheeks thinking that there could be a possibility that I would miss my own flight having looked at the flight information screen to see red texting flashing Flight Closing and also thinking of the life I am leaving behind...

I am very much looking forward to being reunited with Mr W in Australia and starting our new Aussie lives together. And now I am literally off! I'll be in touch from the other side of the globe when I eventually get there - it's a loooong flight!