Expatriation

From a new years' resolution to open up possibilities...here we are at 8th of the 8th of 2008 - the start of the 北京 Olympics, and less than a week away from moving the entire family across the world to the United Kingdom for the next 5 years.

A process begun in mid April with a query has brought me here to today, where I am finally holding a UK Work Permit and Clearance Visas for us all. In the meantime, we have moved out of our not-so-old home, found a new one that we haven't seen in the flesh yet, and had a string of farewells that has become so long that I'm starting to hear

Are you still here?

more often than

Goodbye.

Ah well, Au Revior, 再见. I may be going There, but to quote Ambassador Kosh,

I have always been here.

Life continues at 40

No, not begins. Life, this one, began a long time ago - that is kind of the point and significance of turning 40. But on this mark in the calendar, I have heard from each of my children at different points in their lives. And in the process of organising the wake for the thirtysomethings held a couple of weeks back, I heard from friends near and far of the twists and highs of the strands of their lives.

The braid is twisted - on any one strand it's hard to see around corners. But it is continuous; analogue.

Tonight I will finish my first intensive Mandarin course begun only this year, and I take on more after this Easter weekend. What will I learn tomorrow?

CapColombie

I found my favourite instant coffee (not a true oxymoron, but close) 20% OFF at Foodland today. Last week it was 100 grams - this week it is 80 grams (same price).

I wonder if Nescafe tradmarked "Cap" as a cool shortening of "Capturing"? Then maybe they can join the RIAA in their persecution of all who use file sharing technologies. "Cap" has become the generalised form of VidCap, DVDCap and TVCap. Who knew that a legal time shifting or backup of your own media might constitute a trade mark infringement against the almost-evil foodstuffs multinational?

Anyway, if you haven't tried it (the coffee, that is), these reviews from a few years back are pretty accurate. Then go out and get a 100g jar while you still can. Or better still, a 500g can while you still jar :-)

新文

我的大女儿是十八岁。 她住在西澳。 她是工作。
我的大儿子是十六岁。 他住在他司马你亚今。 他是中学生。
我的小女儿和我的小儿子住在南澳一齐。
我是三十九岁了。

Which is to say that, in other news, Jared has left home and moved to Tasmania and my Chinese is improving slowly.

Resolution

The new year sweltered into being with a lethargic 48°C in the shade as ETSA Futilities worked for over 6 hours to restore the 21st century to the upper South East.

With the power back on as the last daylight faded from 2007, a quiet evening of recuperation was spent at Menalpyn with the kids and a few friends old and new. The Old were the AUCS: a soundtrack of Ben Folds underscored the 10 years of familiarity and history. The New were a couple of local girls, the more outspoken of the two the same age as my eldest daughter. And I, the Oldest of the Old still conscious at Midnight saw a depth of years looking back that never fails to stagger me.

So, turning forward what will 2008 be? I've resolved to learn Mandarin Chinese and to gain PRINCE2 certification for Project Management. Lets see where those take me by 2010, eh? My first Mandarin class starts 7 January 2008 - the same day I go back to work.

2006 was the year of international secondment - 6 months in New Zealand a week in Malaysia. 2007 was the year of Owen William Miles Barkla, as the tumultuous 2003 had been of Eleanor Isabella. What will the next year bring for all of us? No doubt some that we have planned leavened with serendipity and other denizens from the realm of the Unexpected.

Bring it on.