Kate and I have just got back from a week spent back in Sydney visiting family and friends. It was our first visit home since we left in April last year and was every bit as wonderful and as rushed as you would imagine. One week to see so many people we care so much about was nowhere near enough, and there's people I badly regret missing. But, in general, those we saw where those we most needed to see, our closest friends we used to see on the most regular basis and, of course, our families.
Flying back into Sydney was stunning. I've been to quite a few cities but I've never seen one as blindingly physically beautiful as Sydney is. It was heart-stirring to see the sunlight glinting off a harbour dotted with small sail boats and ferries, eucalyptus trees greening the suburbs on its banks. Given Sydney had only just emerged from winter the weather was brilliant – sunny and warm but not too hot. Few cities can compare to this.
But even more heart-stirring was seeing our friends again. As wonderful as the people we've met in Washington DC are there's nothing like being back with old friends, a coherent crew of people who know and love us, and who uplift and fulfill us. Such friends make life fantastic, and we miss them all enormously. We truly felt we were home.
Flying back into DC was an amazing feeling too though, as I realized that DC is also home for now, that we have people we miss here and who miss us, and that I was looking very forward to getting back to our house, our neighbourhood, our friends and my work. I think it's only in leaving then returning to a place that you realize what it means to you. It's good to be home.