Home is the sailor, home from the sea

title is from 'Requiem' by Robert Louis Stevenson, also used by A.E. Housman.

so, back from a two week holiday with absolutely no communication with anyone more than 5 feet away from me....apart from a non-stop wish to know that my animals were all ok and a similar desire to talk/touch/breathe the dude, it was awesome! I haven't been completely away since the beginning of 2005, and that was only for 4 days. Even in hospital, I've always been available to work, and able to keep in touch with the rest of my life. So the incommunicado bit took some getting used to. It wasn't really planned that way, but for one reason or another, comms just didn't happen, and guess what - the rest of my world survived just fine!

Madagascar is amazing, and I'm definitely planning on a return trip when finances allow. It's damn expensive for someone who is earning in SA Rands, although I'd guess it's very reasonable for euro or dollar comparisons. People were lovely, wildlife was awesome, food was superb (and the rum drinks not too bad either!!), we did lots of snorkelling the first week and lots more scuba-diving the second. My lower legs and arms are deliciously brown, but I managed to keep the rest of me from being crispy-fried in the sun. Have experienced every known kind of salt/heat/sweat rash and served as the buffet table for what felt like the entire population of indigenous insects. Fell in love with lemurs; swam with dolphins, sharks and turtles; played 'nemo' with huge schools of cartoon-coloured fish; bought a whole heap of tshirts and all kinds of hand-made souvenirs....had fun! Will post some of the pics tomorrow.

And tomorrow as well - yay!yay!yay! - I get to see the dude again, for what sounds like it will be a suitably passionate reunion. He was also hinting on the phone earlier that he has some possible plans that will allow him a lot more time here with me, which he'll tell me more about tomorrow. It makes me really nervous too, because this isn't supposed to have become anything serious. It has though, for me, and I am so scared of getting even more involved than I already am. I still have no idea of how he really feels - and don't think I ever will - and I honestly can't see it ever turning out well in the longer term. But for now, whatever his motives are, if it means more time spent with him....I will do whatever I can to make that happen.