Serenissima to Sydney .... and a house on the lake.

Ah.  I'm back.  

As I was flying into Sydney, my tears still damp on my cheeks, Delibe's Laxmi duet was playing on the plane radio.  It gave me goosebumps.  I told myself that if I ever married again, this would be my entry song.

And now, I have a white cottage overlooking a lake.  I have a huge deck on which to entertain.  I have a lovely little car.  I am surrounded by birds, beads, water, and friends.  Because I ditched ALL my furniture, I have become the reigning queen of Ikea, and can erect a billy bookcase in fifteen minutes from flat to upright.  Everything is white and glass.  I have a beautiful work room and a tranquil bedroom and space for my friends to share a meal, and hangers for my clothes and shelves for my soaps and creams and oils.  I have several places to hang my hats.

I've unpacked my Moroccan hair oil, my French body wash, my Italian shampoos. My bookshelves are lined with stories from Turkey, the Life of Casanova, Secrets of the Canals and Moroccan cookery.  My home smells of musk, incense, and star anise.  RR has given me a scarlet tagine pot to concoct dishes in.  My knives and olive wood chopping boards are lined up, ready to work.

I have more bras and matching undies than I've ever had in my life.  I know the difference between Intimissima and La Perla - KMart be gone!  I can find my stuff! I have handbags for every occasion.  Heaven is a place to hang my hat ... hats.

I miss Venice desperately, but I have another life now.  I know I'll return.  The Venice experience may not have gone the way I expected, but it helped me clarify the way I want to run my business now.  I swore I'll never have another shop, and I'm sticking to that.  I'm running my business as a gallery.  I'm going to be a really innovative designer because I've learned such a lot on this journey.  Friends say the pieces I made in Venice are ethereal, light, and feminine. I'm full of ideas.

RR is growing in importance and filling more and more of my heart.  I spent Christmas with his amazing, enormous Italian family.  We made a huge turkey on the giant barbeque he gave me for Christmas.  Wok with enough burners for Cape Canaveral. I stuffed the turkey with pineapple and cinnamon, and wads of butter and rosemary.  We took it, steaming,  to his family home. His mama gave it the thumbs up, and she gave me the thumbs up too.  I looked around at the trestle tables spread around the garden, bursting with biscotti, and pasta, and sponge cakes and tiramisu, and a whole lot of Italian recipes I must learn to create, and I watched how a real family relates and respects each other.  There were nieces and nephews and babies, and cousins visiting from Sicily, and enough close relatives to make it a wedding, and noise and bustle in the enormous kitchen, and much gesticulating and even more laughter. I told him we could never get married because we'd have to hire the Domain.  That could be arranged, Cara, he said.  

RR is more Man than any man I have ever known. He's allowing my goddess full reign. He's there, fully present.  I am being more pampered and adored and treasured than ever before.  RR's sister Carmen said that Italian men know how to look after their women, and she would never go for an Australian. Agreeing with her, I thought this is my best Christmas in a very very long time.  There wasn't an alcoholic or bogan in sight. There wasn't a thong or a singlet or a four letter word within cooee. There weren't a bunch of loudmouthed tattooed Okkers bragging about shagging in Thailand.  Just a wonderful, elegant, polite, well dressed, articulate and respectful family.  Once you have had an Italian, Carmen whispered in my ear, you will never want anyone else.

I've landed with my bum in the marscapone, I thought. And they all speak Italian! And they like me.  Bene, bene, bene, bene.  

Who know where the paths will lead.  I do rue that, while I didn't have responsibilities and commitments,  I didn't continue travelling - to South America and a dip into India.  Those places won't go away.  I'm on a two year plan to recreate what went.   More importantly, where I am now is peaceful and fulfilling.  I'm living my dreams.  I'm living in truth.  I'm happy. I'm healthy.  I'm back in my power.  I'm falling deeply in love.   I can't ask for more than that.  

Who would have thought, that 12 months ago, I'd be in this heavenly space. 

Certainly, not I.