So I’ve now spent 7,604 days in London and there are only 46 more days remaining. And they are going to be very busy ones!

Since my last post was some time ago, here’s where we are as of today:

- crossing everything possible and hoping our house exchanges next Tuesday. I’ve signed the contract, taken a moment in the nearest starbucks to reflect on what a lovely home it has been and am now preparing myself for the trauma of finally saying goodbye in around 4 weeks time after nearly 15 years.

- hoping to confirm cats flights, shippers and temporary accommodation in London some time tomorrow. With a bit of luck, we will be able to stay in an apartment overlooking the Thames at Westminster and next to the London Eye. That will make for interesting morning viewing.

- I’m exploring a couple of brilliant job opportunities in Oz, most likely in Brisbane but possibly in Melbourne. Have had two skype interviews for one of them and its looking promising. Hope to hear in the next week or so. The job market in Oz for ecommerce / online is, according to an agency, about to take off big time and is a couple of years behind where we are in London – so hopefully things are in my favour.

- still also planning to work with Hector at some point, even if just on an ad hoc  basis for a while. All in good time.

- oh, and we now fly to Sydney on the 1st July, which fits in better with the sporting calendar. We now fly out the day after the England / Australia one day match at The Oval on the 30th and arrive in Sydney before the third state of origin, which is on the 7th July. I’ve got a ticket to the first and hoping to get tickets to the second. Also training Sue to hate cane toads and cheer on the blues.

- planning on settling in Brisbane at least for a year or so when we get there. If we don’t like it, we can always move.

- have started organising the important things. Mum is going to get foxtel connected in the apartment on the Sunshine Coast, where we will stay until we move to Brisbane. Broadband is apparently easy to do the day we get there. And we’ll probably unlock our google phones and take them with us.

- on the boring side, we’ve set up things like bank accounts, found our tax file numbers, changed our addresses, applied for our bike import permits and so on. I’ve started the sterling / Aussie dollar shuffle and brought all the Londonforfree billing up to date.

There’s still loads to do but every day I get closer to “home” and it makes it all worthwhile. As I’ve said all along, London is a wonderful city and I will miss it and the wonderful friends I’ve made here. But Australia will always be my home and I just can’t wait to get back!