Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?

I know, I know, absence doesn't make for a good read. Where have I been? What have I been doing? 

Well, it started 7 months ago when I decided to pack my bags and head back West towards good ol' Germany. It's been a rollercoaster of jumping through hoops, perfecting the art of paperwork, reawakening the Bob the Builder in me and settling into a new life in a new country once more. Basically, I've been trying to stay alive and set up house - all over again.

I have also found time to globe trot a bit (naturally) and I'll write all about how not to get a suntan in South Africa in the summer, how I lost my heart to the Irish and why Baden Baden is a nice fat band-aid for a nerve-wrecked soul. 

Also, I have not forgotten to tell you all about my mishaps and discoveries in Western China. That's the tale I can't wait to share once I finished the heap of German paperwork peering at me from my desk. 

To be continued (soon, I promise)...