OK, so after a 28 hour flight, which actually wasn't all that bad, i landed at Auckland International Airport at 5.30am (much to my mothers annoyance lol). After queing for what seemed like eternity, i finally got my bags and went through arrivals at 6.15am!! There she was, my dear old ma, greyer than i remembered and oddly, shorter

The drive home only took about 25 mins and waiting for me at the door was my Grandma who had come up from Wahi (about a 2 hour drive to Auckland - well, 1½ hrs if i'm driving!). Along with her was her dog pal Andy, who has gotten decidedly greyer as well. After all the hugs and welcome backs, i was shown my room. My mother has moved house and this was the first time i had seen it. A cute old house, built in 1886 and it has real character to it, but it also has unbelievably small bedrooms. I have now gone from sleeping in a super-king sized bed to a bloody single!! There isn't room enough to swing a cat in there, and the wardrobe doors cant open cost they hit the bed when you try. I think i'm going to have to do some re-shuffling here. Next, i hear a tiny little "hello" and there she is, my adorable little neice Isabella (photo's to follow soon). She has the biggest smile and she melts my heart immediately. My sister has been teaching her to say Caroline (my full real name) and she can say what seems to be "carroine" bless.

As we are all sitting in the lounge, everyone starts talking and gossiping away like most women do, and i realise i don't know who, what they are talking about - then it hits me - OMG, i've made the wrong decision, what am i doing here?!! I should never have left the IOM, i don't fit in, i never will - WTF HAVE I DONE!!!!!!! Needless to say, the rest of the day was spent mainly in tears. All i wanted to do was speak to my friends, get the b/f over and have some familiarity for gods sake. But that wasn't going to happen and that just made it worse.

That night i went to bed early, BIG MISTAKE! Wide awake at 3am, so I thought, text my mates in the UK, see what they're up to, and it was nice to get some replies back, but then i just started crying again. Back to sleep i go, but BOOM 5.30am, wide awake again, this time, no going back to sleep. So up I get and go online, Manxforums will sort me out, and sort me out it did.

The next couple of days were the same - problem is, i'm stuck out in the country, my car isn't ready as it has a flat battery and it's not exactly high on the priority list as there are so many other things going on in my family, what with my sisters business (fruit & veg stores) going crazy at this time of year. But then I get a call from a friend of mine who lives just 15 mins away, and she and her husband immigrated from the IOM last Jan. She offers to come pick me up and go round theirs for dinner and drinks. Thank GOD! Now i'm beginning to feel a bit better - not so isolated and with people who i can talk to about the perils/jubilations of moving countries.

Christmas is in a couple of days - hopefully things will be better then.