Once more into the breach dear friends, once more

It's almost exactly a year since I came back to Edinburgh, 10th Sept 2010, bidding a tearful goodbye to Montpellier with a muddle of memories from my year abroad.

An awful lot has happened in a year. It was a lovely, gluttonous year with Amy and Helen in The Palace on Thirlestane Road. A year of learning to read, again, fast. And write too, when forced. A year of being around family again and near to old friends. It was a dramatic year, getting a little more than I'd bargained for with Amadeus and assorted theatre japes. There were veg boxes, gardening, a naked calendar, the lovely Genesis Vapour, chocolate raisins, facebook procrastination, dissertation shakes, flame check, Dr Who, overnight journeys on the Megabus, visitors, friends, and oh so many cups of tea. Then a crazy summer holiday with Triini and Swifty to unwind and rewind it all again.

In many ways I feel like I've only just got back, just about settled back in. So it's somewhat begrudgingly that I prepare for heading off again, back to France, Brive-La-Gaillarde this time, to be an English assistant for 7 months. I've started writing now in an attempt to document some of the pre-departure shenanigans and French administrative joys. Once more into the breach dear friends, once more.