One of the biggest pleasures of coming home is being able to see our family and friends. Bluewater cruising, and the challenges of connectivity, limits our engagement with most people to social media and with our closest people to occasional Skype sessions, emails and limited phone contact.

Over the years, we've found that "Welcome Home" functions are the best way to catch up quickly with large groups of folk. This trip, we've had three gatherings - the first being with our family immediately on arrival. It was a cunning plan to manage any possible jetlag issues after over 25 hours in the air and in transit lounges ... a big family BBQ with plenty of chat time and a few drinks and it worked perfectly! Our next get together was hosted by our Besties at their new to us home in Bicton; a stylish afternoon and evening of excellent Hors d'oeuvres and delicious finger food with a great group of friends. It was fantastic to catch up with everyone in person and learn about what's been happening with folk.

Our third event was a co-hosted afternoon with the lovely Nadine Knight, a long term friend and former work colleague from my ANZ days. When we first started planning our trip to Aus, Nadine offered us the use of Villa Rondine, a self-contained apartment attached to her and husband Ronnie's home for a few days. This amazing accommodation is situated up on the hill overlooking Blackwall Reach and the Swan River in Bicton, an ideal location for a sunny Sunday afternoon gala with a select group of former bankers. The property is available for short term rental via several websites - AirBnb, Home Away, Rent By Owner, All The Rooms and Stayz. You can view it at Stayz . It's an ideal location for exploring Fremantle and Perth!

Mother Nature turned on a perfect Spring day, and the conversation and the wines flowed! Nadine and I both loved catching up with so many ex ANZers, some of whom we hadn't seen in years. David Whitby, a former District Manager, and his lovely wife Sue are now running a boutique wine consultancy business
Whitby Premium Wines - and are always looking to share their knowledge of excellent wines.
They supplied some very tasty and unique bottles of bubbles, including a very exclusive German brand complete with gold flake! It was a pleasure to share travel and other stories and to reconnect with good people personally - a fabulous and fun afternoon.