An update on us

What? What happened to September? Where are Andrew and Amy? Last you read we were in New Zealand and heading off to Australia - are they still there? Did they fall in love with the outback and settle down there? The answer is no, in fact our trip is sadly over, and now that we've returned to real life in Canada, it has overtaken my ability to carve out the time I needed to write about what's been happening with us. But soon, soon - I will be finishing the epic tale that has been our round-the-world voyage, and describe our wonderful seven-week jaunt through Western Australia. In the meantime, what has been happening to us?

We returned to Canada in the middle of August, landing in Vancouver and passing remarkably easily through Canadian customs. While I will probably write more about British Columbia, suffice it to say it was a lovely stay in Vancouver and Victoria, where we met up with my friend and fellow flickr-photographer Joel and crashed on his pleasingly robust chaise-longe convertible-futon couch-bed thing.

Gatineau park, outside Ottawa.

After some time out west it was time to go back east, and we took our last flight which landed us in Ottawa just before suppertime. We took a few days to see some friends and family before contending with re-integrating ourselves into real life. I slid back into my government job, and Amy has started an exciting new career in the world of food and daycare that involves her getting up ridiculously early. We are looking around for a house to buy and have enjoyed immensely the last dog days of summer, the changing colours of Canadian autumn and the crisp days of an impending winter.

No, I am not looking forward to snow; when it flies I'll cast my mind back to happy times in Portugal, where we lunched with our hosts Norm and Noeme close to Christmas on the patio in a balmy twenty degrees celsius.