I arrived in Perth two months ago today. It’s been a great adventure so far (more about that here) and things are going really well overall, but recently I’ve felt twinges and twangs of missing home. While this is totally normal, I’ve observed it seems to be the little things that I miss the most.

Some of the things I’ve been missing:

• My nieces. Their little faces, their energy and their love. I hear about them from my family and we’ll sometimes have a chat on the phone so I know what they’re up to, but I miss hanging out with them. It’s the little moments like exchanging tips on how to draw the best fairies, getting hair styling advice and being schooled in how to draw unicorns (“mummy does it better”). I’m also worried they’ll forget who I am – not the twins as they’re five and I think we’re pretty solid, but Little A is only two – how much can a two year old remember? Should I be attaching my face to some My Little Pony’s so I remain top of mind?

How to draw fairies masterclass with Tilly

• Familiarity. Moving somewhere new is exciting and full of opportunity. However, this also means everything is new and nothing is routine. In some ways this can be quite draining: figuring out the public transport, finding a new GP, knowing where to buy this and that all takes research, a bit of planning and a bit of trial and error (yes I’m looking at you, express train to Fremantle). My Google Maps app has never had such a work out.
• My besties. I miss hearing about the mundane day to day business. Of course we keep in touch, but nothing is quite the same as sitting on a mates couch with a cup of tea (or something stronger) and discussing every little thing we can think of. There are usually big laughs, maybe some reminiscing and sometimes a few tears. I miss them dearly.
• Pirates. There is a serious lack of pirates in Perth.
  

  Typical for Surry Hills (this was 8am on a Wednesday). NBD.

• Food. I miss knowing where the best food is: cheap and tasty Vietnamese food (place around the corner), bacon & egg roll with a roll that doesn’t cut the roof of your mouth (from the shop), and the world’s best tarts (you know which bakery you are). When you’re somewhere new everything is an experiment. And while I LOVE to try new food, sometimes you just want exactly what you know without any surprises. (Ps. Hit me up if you’re a Perthling and have any eating recommendations).
• Spontaneity. Because I don’t have a very big network here yet, rarely things will happen spontaneously. There are no last minute texts to get to the pub, no bumping into people in the street and chiming in on what they’re doing, & no one dropping by because they’re in the area – and sometimes they’re the best things.
• My beautician. It took me years to find the perfect one in Sydney and trialing new places is terrifying. I went to a new salon the other day and the short story is she basically punched me in the vagina. I’m no waxing expert, but I think that is a no-no… she didn’t even buy me a drink first!
• Family things. I miss my family’s weirdness –when I’m around them my weirdness makes sense.
• Sydney Harbour. I am a giant sucker for the beautiful spaces around Sydney Harbour so for me the Vivid Festival and Sydney Writers festival make May my favourite month in Sydney. Witnessing my friends ‘grams of the glorious sails and other cool installations over the past couple of weeks had me green. Miss you, Sydney Harbour!
• Personal jokes. I’ve made a couple of friends since getting here(shoutouz K & S!), but there is nothing like having a friend you’ve shared so much with that you only need to glance at each other before you crack up laughing. #eeeee

I know most of these will come with time, or I’ll make up for when I go back and visit, but I still miss them. A close friend of mine understands this all too well and has even started her own #smallstuff project. Check out her blog for the details and follow her as she is a fabulous writer and has amazing adventures. Meanwhile I’ll keep searching for my new favourite restaurant, one dumpling at a time.