Good day to you my delightful darlings wherever you may be in the world,

I am writing this post today from my slouchy sofa back in Brisbane after spending the last blissful two and a half weeks back in my home town of London visiting my wonderful family and friends. 

With the impending realisation of my one year anniversary of moving to Australia approaching and being informed of some changes in events back home, I knew almost immediately that I wanted to book a trip back as soon as I could.

With leave authorisation approval in place and having spent some final quality time with friends and loved ones here, I packed my bags (albeit being prepared for any kind of weather – good ole England) and set off for the motherland. 

As cliché as it sounds and with numerous pep talks inwardly to “keep it together” upon coming through arrivals at Heathrow, I sill managed to sob uncontrollably when I fell into my dad’s arms as soon as I saw him. 

The first few days flew by in a flurry of catch up drinks in the city with some of my oldest girlfriends, dinner invitations with prior work colleagues and impromptu torture (in the good kind) sessions with my spinning instructor mentor/ bootcamp instructor friend – it was nothing short of spectacular. 

Also as my parents were both around, we spent wonderful, priceless days either browsing the stalls at Petticoat lane market (oh how I do love a bargain) or getting our culture on stalking the corridors at Kenwood House. FYI – for anyone visiting London for the first time, I would highly recommend taking the trip to Kenwood – it is a house like no other and the history alone of its heritage is mind blowing. 

I even frequented a gothic inspired village in North London with the houses dating back to the 1800’s, all with their own unique gargoyles and spires. The architecture was one to behold and I loved how each property was unique in its own way.

On my last weekend there, one of my best friends and I went to one of my all time favourite music festivals SW4 and after a one year hiatus it really did not disappoint. 

Sadly as it was such a short trip,  I did try to cram as much as I could into the fortnight at the expense of treating it as a holiday for myself too. Since being back in Oz however and obviously being biased as I’m a born and bred Londoner, I completely LOVE my city. 

From the thrill of just jumping on the tube to get to wherever you need to go, to walking through an area that you may have ventured into a million times and unearthing a quaint church or mews you had never seen before – it truly is the most exhilarating, amazing place I’ve been lucky enough to frequent so far in this world. No wonder so many people choose to make it their home. 

I truly believe that no matter where you decide to move to or visit in life, home is always where the heart is and I know for certain that my beloved London certainly holds a special place in mine. 

Until next time, take care

Keya x