I’ve decided that I’m going to stop saying “It’s been one of those days!”, since every day at the moment is “one of those days!” I feel like I’m trying to walk in custard, in a very high wind, whilst doing an egg and spoon race and simultaneously trying to recite the alphabet backwards at high speed…or something equally ridiculous! In reality, I’m probably only trying to run basic errands, but the powers that be seem to be conspiring against me, so that Every Single Little Task seems to come with a multitude of problems. Depressed Emma would have got into bed, pulled the covers over her head and tried to block everything out…but I’m determined that I’m not going to go down that path again, so I’m trying to put a positive spin on everything. This is a work in progress, as sometimes the positive aspect likes to bury itself deep into the haystack!

Take Monday for example: Ian is signed off work for a week following his chainsaw makeover, however driving to Brisbane for trade school obviously couldn’t be missed, which left me car-less again. Flashback to being stranded on a hill with no public transport and no friends when we first moved here!

Mia had play group and I thought (in my new positive mindset) that I could kill two birds with one stone, and get my exercise in, by walking the hour round trip. In theory: fantastic idea. In reality: pushing the buggy up and down two massive hills in gale-force winds, when I was already running late, wasn’t a good look. Fitness level, annoyingly, leaves a lot to be desired. I needed to pop to the bank on the way home – but then couldn’t get Mia back in the buggy, after stupidly allowing her to play in the Easter Bunny’s house display! (No, I didn’t  realise he had a house either!) This wouldn’t have been an issue, if I didn’t have to be home at a certain time to receive a delivery: cue the company incessantly ringing my mobile to say they were waiting outside my house and needed me to sign!  After karate chopping Mia in the middle to get her to bend (lovingly of course!), we (I say we, Mia was clearly just a passenger – I can’t understand why she doesn’t want to sit in her buggy! I would so happily swap places and get pushed around everywhere, seems like bliss to me!) belted back up the second hill, just in time for a short burst of rain to complete my bedraggled look and accepted the delivery. The delivery driver then proceeded to tut and sigh at me, just to add a touch of guilt to the situation!

In the midst of this “average” day, something really nice happened. A friend I’ve made at play group offered me her brother’s car to borrow for a couple of days, as he works out-of-town! At first I refused, as I didn’t want to put her out, but she insisted that it wouldn’t be a problem and that she wouldn’t have offered if it was – good point! How nice was that?!

This act of kindness made me reflect on friendships past and present and how important they are in my life. Being an only child, I’ve had to be quite good at making friends, otherwise it would have made for some pretty boring holidays as a kid – no offence to the parents! Yes, I’ve had a few friendship issues growing up (as most girls tend to and yes, most involved boys!) but I’m fiercely loyal to my good friends and feel really let down when I don’t receive the same loyalty in return. 

So, missing my friends in England has been one of the hardest things about emigrating to Australia. I used to have a pretty jam-packed social diary, so to go from  that, to only having “fairy ballet” to look forward to, hit me quite hard and made me feel pretty depressed and isolated. 

Having said that, through going to play groups and the like with Mia, I’ve met some pretty nice people who I’m starting to form firm friendships with. One friend’s family have practically adopted us and fed us on many an occasion, which of course we are very grateful for. The same friend looked after Mia when I was rushing back and forth to the hospital on Friday. Some others have sent offers of support and help and personal messages which have really helped me through. It’s definitely helping me to feel more settled here.

Funnily enough, before I left England, I was having a catch-up with some old friends (old, as in I’ve known them for years, not as in they’re drawing their pension!) and we were discussing the issue of making new friends. One friend had temporarily moved to Canada and said that the hardest part was making friends. It’s just not something you can do easily as an adult, but it is a bit easier if you can use your child as an icebreaker! She advised me to go to as many toddler groups as I could, so that I could meet people in the same situation as me and it was definitely great advice!

This led us onto the topic of “types of friends”. I asked her if she made any real friends, or were they just stop-gap friends?  This caused some laughter and needed clarification, but I was serious! Everybody has acquaintances that they pass the time of day with, but would you invite them all round for dinner…probably not! We named these SGFs and I have been asked on a few occasions since, whether certain people I have met are SGF or LTF (long-term friends)!

Then there are the FWFs – everyone has some of these! You know, the “fair weather friends” who will party the night away with you and cosy up like you’re BFFs, but as soon as life gets a bit hard, or dull, or not all vodka shots and dancing on bars, they’re nowhere to be seen!  There is nothing like a crisis to show you who your real friends are!

I won’t ever replace my good friends in England and although the initial Skype frenzy has subsided a little as we get into the groove of our new life here, I know that we’ve been friends long enough that we could still pick up where we left off and talk forever when we do eventually catch up again anyway.  The truth is, it’s too early to say whether all of my new friends will be LTFs, but I do know that I’ve been shown such kindness from some people already here, that I truly hope they will.