Okay people, let's finish this! One more blog (this one) and then I'm basically up to date, inasmuch as we'll have reached 2010. Hold onto your hats:

I boarded my Emirates flight to Singapore without incident. I didn't even look out of the window much, preferring not to dwell on the thought that I was leaving Australia behind me. Instead, I watched a series of films courtesy of the in-flight entertainment system. Don't ask me what they all were: they were recent, they were okay, but that's about it.

A couple of hours on the ground in Singapore, and then it was back into the skies, for our flight to Dubai. More films, some dozing, then a few more hours on the ground there, before once again climbing into the heavens en route for London.

Dubai, of course, now boasts the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, at over 800 metres. It was bizarre to see this futuristic jaggedy spike sticking up out of the ground as we took off for the UK; I felt like I was on the cover of a sci-fi novel.

I couldn't quite believe my eyes as we came down through the clouds and flew in over Gatwick: there below me was a winter wonderland of patchwork fields all in white, sewn together with seams of highlighted hedgerow. A far cry from the heat of Melbourne, Singapore & Dubai.

The UK is enduring its coldest winter in over 30 years, with snow & ice before Christmas and again in spades after New Year. So much so that my flight home to Munich was cancelled. Twice! But I'm getting ahead of myself...

I caught the train from Gatwick to Guildford and was met at the station by Chris & Livi, who gave me a great big hug and then offerred me a mince pie. What a great girl! Back at Chris & Kate's I hugged Kate & Sophie, then brought my many bags upstairs. Soon Michaela & the boys arrived from their visit in Oxfordshire, and the Family Christmas officially began.

It was a marvellous few days! It was so much fun just hanging out with the kids, and hanging out with the adults too. There was lots of food, drink, chat, and mirth. We saw a few other people too, which was lovely, but the focus for me was my nephews & nieces. I didn't have much time with them in the summer in Rome, so I made the most of this holiday with them.

On Christmas Eve we all went to see the pantomime. It was Cinderella, with Gethin Jones (of Strictly Come Dancing fame, for my UK readers) as the Prince. I haven't been to a pantomime for such a long time! It all felt very English and comfortable, a bit like a Carry On film or a cooked breakfast.

Christmas Day was exactly what it was supposed to be: presents, happiness, a huge feed (I helped Kate in the kitchen), and then a whole lot of nothing in particular. The kids really enjoyed the table football that Chris had bought, and the grown-ups had a few games too.

After Christmas Day itself we visited a few of our remaining cousins. First up was Roy & Sheila, and the next day it was the turn of Bob & Iris, with the added bonus of cousin Audrey & her husband Nick, as well as Bob & Iris' youngest daughter Shelley & her husband Richard.

Michaela, the boys & I went from there to visit Selena & Neil in Watford. (Chris, Kate & the girls went home to Guildford.) The next day we drove across to Ann & Colin's in Cockfosters, where we also got to see Kevin & his family and Julie & her ex Fred. It felt just like family; no surprise, since we worked out that Kevin has known me for fully 25 years!!

Over the New Year period I caught up with lots of my other London friends: Hugh, Nick, Justin & Sam & the girls, Steve & Becky, and Memet & Justyna. I also caught up with Adam from Adelaide, who was over for a few days, and Julie my old Powergen colleague and exceptionally well-travelled friend, who I was overjoyed to find in London for a change.

And then it was already time to leave the UK. Or so I thought, anyway... I was supposed to leave on Wednesday but was informed by text message that the flight was cancelled, so I rebooked online for the next day's flight.

On Thursday I didn't get the cancellation text until I was already at the airport with Michaela & the boys (whose flight, we discovered on arrival, was also cancelled again), so they rebooked me on the spot for Friday. And then my Friday flight was delayed by two hours. But at least we got away.

Bénédicte was a total star and picked me up from the airport, even though the weather forecast for Munich was really bad (more snow). She dropped me off at Michaela's house and made a quick getaway, so the roads wouldn't be too icy. At Michaela's the winter woe continued however, because her heating had broken down while she was away and the house was freezing!

On Saturday I felt pretty lousy, so I didn't move all my stuff back into my flat as planned. Instead I had a hot bath, then another snooze under warmer covers, and then had a bite to eat. I met up with Christian for coffee in town later, then headed back to Michaela's for a spot of dinner with her & Charlie (Ryan was at a party).

Sunday was reasonably quiet too, with a spot of breakfast next door at Vera's. I gave her daughter Stefanie a lift to her stables outside Munich and we took her horse for a walk through the snow & ice. It was very cold, but the walking warmed me up. And the ice formations on the trees were fascinating!

That evening we had a roast chicken dinner and then I headed back to my flat, to start the task of unpacking all the various boxes & bags that I had put my life into before leaving for Thailand.

So we've reached my last weekend in Melbourne. Boo hoo! I have to head back to freezing cold, dark, miserable Europe in three days' time! Let's make the most of the time I have left...

Saturday morning Rainnie & I cycled into Fitzroy and I did a whole bunch of Christmas shopping at the Rose Street arts market. Considering I don't like shopping, I managed to find loads of nice things - all in the one place, too! Result!

That evening I met up wtih Stuart at a nice pub called The Fox. A friend of his was having a leaving party (he's off to London for a few years) and Stuart smuggled me in. From The Fox we went to The Laird and ended up partying in the beer garden there until about five o'clock!

On Sunday Peter drove me out to the Botanical Gardens at Cranbourne, to the east of Melbourne proper. They're in the middle of extending the gardens to include a huge exhibit of plants from all over Australia, and there was lots to see. It was handy having Peter there: he's a professional gardener, and so could tell me all about the plants and flowers we were looking at.

Peter dropped me off back at Rainnie's and after a little bit of faffing she & I cycled back into the city, to have my leaving drinks. I'd invited a few people to meet me that afternoon in The Lounge, another old haunt on Swanston. We were joined by Emily, Peter & Stuart, and had a quiet couple of drinks on the balcony there, overlooking the goings-on on Swanston.

We went our separate ways as dusk fell, Rainnie & I cycling back up Lygon and to the little Italian just at the top of her road, called I Carusi. We had a Pizza For A Friend for old times' sake, with a bottle of the house red. Ah! The memories! I still love that pizza: feta, rocket, pine nuts and roast pumpkin. Yum!!

My last two daya in Melbourne felt much more like a holiday. Rainnie had time during the day to show me lots of different parts of town. We cycled all over the place, criss-crossing the city and the inner suburbs in search of coffees, meals, and sights.

Highlights included lunch at DonDon, the funky little Japanese place on Swanston; Chinese dumplings in Richmond, coffee in a converted little warehouse, and the views of the city from the cycle path along the Yarra and from Docklands (where a substantial number of tower blocks have gone up even since I was living here four years ago).

I also made time for a couple of interviews with different massage colleges, just to see what is covered in their Remedial Massage training. Food for thought...

On Monday evening I met up with Peter for dinner at an Afghan restaurant on Brunswick Street. For dessert we hit a nearby gelateria (mmm, blood orange!) and then Peter drove me out to Kew, from where you get quite the most stunning view over Melbourne's CBD. We caught it just at the perfect moment, as the sun sank beneath the horizon and the sky cycled through a progression of crepuscular hues, followed by the starry heavens unfolding above. Sensational!

And there it was: my last moments in Melbourne. The weather was finally turning reliably hot & sunny, but it was all to no avail. I had to pack my bags and get ready to go. The cycling with Rainnie took my mind off my imminent departure somewhat, and the tour of phenomenal coffee shops was wonderful (Oh My God, the one called Brother Baba Budan is simply off-the-scale amazing!), but the end had to come.

Rainnie took me to the airport in her car, and we had one final chat together (in McDonalds, of all places) before I was on my own again, London-bound. Farewell Australia! You are in my heart. And I shall see you again!