Oops. It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that, guys & gals. There's no excuse except to say that I've really been having such a good time of it lately, coupled with spending most of the day in the Office (which frowns upon blog writing in work time - or at least it should), that I just haven't found any spare moments to tell you all about it.

A very very brief roundup of my life since my last blog:

Well, I'm 33 now. My birthday weekend was wild, and that's an understatement. More details on a need-to-know basis. But let's just say that I'm getting to know plenty of locals!

I've moved into a flat of my own, which is in a totally cool area close to the centre of town (I can walk to work in 20 minutes) and not far from my sister (I can be at hers in 20 minutes too) called Giesing. I am absolutely loving living in town: I can catch a bus, tram or underground to pretty much anywhere in next to no time. The flat itself is very cool, built 100 years ago but renovated this year, so the parquet floors are freshly waxed and the walls gleam.

I'm spending lots of time out and about, to the detriment of my household chores; I really must get around to polishing my shoes one of these months! Munich is full to overflowing with excellent pubs, bars and restaurants. I thought Melbourne was the acme of entertainment in that respect, but the Old World is putting up an excellent fight, I can tell you!

I've had some visitors over to see me: Dan and his charming girlfriend Cécile were here, and we spent time eating and drinking as is our wont. Also here was Charlotte (okay so she was really visiting her friend Lorna, but that's cool, I got to spend time with the pair of them).

And generally I've been having a good time of it, going to the cinema, going out for beers, catching up with people for lunch and dinner, and heading out to the beergardens when the weather hasn't been too icy cold (I swear, it's like winter has already returned, and we haven't even reached midsummer yet!).

There have been two major bits of travel excitement recently. The first was a cheeky long weekend in eastern France, visiting my darling friends Isa & Andy and their beautiful son Nicolas, plus their bump daughter who is due in June.

The weather was great for the Saturday - I managed to get quite a decent tan to add to the pre-tan I had got that week whilst off sick from work with my arm in a splint owing to an infected elbow (bizarre but true) - but went downhill after that. The barbie with Isa's dad and her brother's family was consumed indoors. But oh! the croissants of a morning! And oh! the mound of cheese I brought back to Germany with me!

The second trip was down to our village in Austria, where the three of us (me, my brother & my sister) were together again (plus respective spouse & kiddlies) for the first time since Christmas. It was lovely to have some family time again, and it was marvellous to be able to catch up with Austrian relatives - and eat their cooking!! We're talking self-smoked lumps of pig, and pastries to make the gods weep. Pity the weather was so miserable.

And there you have it! If you want to know more about my life in Munich, come & visit me and be a part of it. I miss you all!!