One of the best things about this trip was catching up with some friends i hadnt seen in way too long.

The first person i caught up with was Ian. Its been about 5 years i guess, but we email regularly, so there didnt seem to be much of a gap, even tho it really has been a while. He hasnt changed much, but then again, lots has changed. He made my head spin with all the artwork he has produced in the last few years, and my heart skip a beat when i saw all the new scars he has. I was very, very glad we could catch up.

Next was Michael. Again, its been about 6 years since we met last, and not much has changed. Its amazing how you can just slip back into a groove with people. I think that at this point in time none of us are all that worried about impressing each other, and all of us are pretty comfortable with who we are, so there is a take-it-or-leave-it feeling, maybe a kind of residual trust that makes it easy to sit down and catch up without defensiveness or bullshit. Anyway, it was great to see him again, and meet his kids (all 3 of them! wow!) and Amber, his partner - what a funky babe she is! Michael is another creative, productive person who i hope gets more recognition in the future.

Then i finally got to catch up with Miriam and Nick, and India of course! (Im still working on a composite of you guys but until then, this will have to do!) This was where Time really hit me. Nearly 8 years in Japan, yeah, no problem: but 8 years since i last saw these guys, since their wedding, since they left Oz, wow, that seems like a looooong time. It was at this point that i started to feel old, started to really feel the passing of Time. Was it Susan Sontag who said that the past is another country? Yep, I can see that. But again, there was that comfortableness, that taking things as they come… My old friends are some good people, i tell you! India is very spunky and i was flattered when i was allowed to sit next to her in the car. Was good to talk to people who who see Adelaide with foreign eyes too. Im curious about what and where their adventures will be in the future.

Fiona and her cleavage live not far from my mum’s so i popped over there for a smoke or a party now and then, well, quite often actually. We caught up last time i was back so it hasnt been that long really, 2 years, but wow, what a difference 2 years made to Alec, her son. What a charmer! Andrew, her husband is another creative person who can draw ships that move on the page. Fiona has the amazing ability to bring people together, so it was thru her that i was lucky enough to catch up with Fontella and Darren who are off pioneering beyond Adelaide’s borders too. Fiona also got together the best New Years Eve ive had for ages (another post-dated entry for another evening), everyone just decided last minute that Fiona and Andrew’s house was the place they wanted to be when the time came, and a party just sort of happened!

There were a few others that it was great to see, but ive bored you with enough about my friends for now i think, oh but wait, the biggest surprise came from Juan, my old housemate from Melrose Place! Thru the old Adelaide 3-degrees-of-separation network we were reconnected (thanks Michael!). I hope he emails me! I was too flabbergasted to think to ask for his email (hint hint Juan if you are reading this!).

What an amazing, creative, adventurous, honest, up-front bunch of old friends i have, and how lucky i am to know them all!

• Fontella said on 05/01/17 at 07:50 AM.....

  Oh my God what a blast from the past! I immediately recognised Ian, Michael and Mim in the pix before I even read the text! We might be older and maybe wiser but there are just some things that stay the same. As for you you still don’t look a day over 25 - not fair!!

• Darren said on 05/01/21 at 12:45 PM.....

  It was great catching up. However, the realisation that it had been so long since we’d all be in the same place at the same time was a little shocking.

  
  I’m not sure that you’d call what I’m doing ‘pioneering’. It certainly does not feel that adventurous.

• miriam said on 05/01/21 at 10:34 PM.....

  Hey Jo,

  
  Gorgorgeous pics and I love the title bar on your page.  Really cool!  Hope you had a good trip home-we made it in this morning tired but happy.  it was wonderful to catch up with you after so long - a lot of ways it didn’t *feel* like it had been so long.  One of the better things about time passing is that you realise there are some friends who remain friends despite years and different experiences and that is a beautiful thing.  Yargh!  miriam talking about feelings!  must be the jet-lag! http://www.marshmallowspikers.net/images/smileys/smile.gif  Anyhoo, I thought a lot of the things you said about being away and being back were really interesting.  I’ve been chewing over what it is to be away and what it means-which is just a fancy way of saying I worry about what exactly are my character flaws that allow me to be away from my family for so long.  ,Oy, definitely the jet-lag talking!! Will email or post back when I’m in a crisper frame of mind.  good to catch up with you! Take care, now!