I'm In London Still...

I GOT very homesick last night.
Like many others travelling around the world, being homesick isn't something new. Every now and then something comes up that makes you feel like jumping on the next plane home to get back to the familiar; but by and large it passes.
But there was something about last night that seemed to make it hit home that yes, I was over this sid eof the world, and no, I wasn't going to be back home for a long time.
Unsurprisingly, it was the cricket.
The first day of the Ashes was on the idiot box, and like all good Australians with a burning desire for revenge (or to get the Poms to shut the f^ck up), I wanted to see Australia do well and regain them.
What made me homesick was that it was being held at the Gabba, which is in the Queensland city of Brisbane - where my family largely lives.
For me the first Test of the summer has always signalled the start of summer. The weather's heating up nicely and the pool is looking more and more attractive as the days roll into December. And what a month December is! My birthday at the start, Christmas parties and cricket matches the whole way through, Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's Eve, all jammed into 31 days of pure heaven.
However this year I'll be in the UK, where the temperature is dropping (all too rapidly if you ask me), the Tests only start around midnight or so (later in some other states), and it's still at least 12 months before I see my two youngest siblings (8 and nearly 5) again.
There are bonuses though. It's said London around Christmastime is spectacular, and I do have some friends either in the area or coming back soon to make life a tick friendlier.
As for the cold, as many English say you should expect it when you come over during winter. Doesn't mean I can't whinge about it though!
Either way, this December promises to be quite the experience no matter what. Let's see how it pans out, eh?