zerosleeps

I received a letter from a chap who calls himself the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection the other day:

On behalf of the Government and the people of Australia, I am pleased to inform you that your application for Australian citizenship has been approved.

It was never really my plan to become a citizen of Australia, but then I didn’t really have a plan when the University of Sydney came calling back in November 2010. In many ways becoming a permanent resident and then a citizen was just the natural, logical path to take.

Australia has been home for quite a few years now, and will be for the foreseeable future. I’m not ready to call myself Australian quite yet - I’m still Scottish.

But make no mistake - labels, logic, and lengthy rants about the process aside, it’s a wonderful honour and a privilege to have made it to the final step. I’ve been warmly welcomed by Australians at every step.

Thanks for having me Australia!

One more fun post to round out the mini-series of Craigrossie-and-Scotland-related stuff. This is me, in the same spot, but about twenty years earlier.

Friends and family often ask what I miss about Scotland. Well, the scenery is pretty special if you ask me. When the sun’s out and the air’s clear, Scotland is stunning from top to bottom.

This photo was taken from the top of Cairnie Braes, and the highest point visible is Craigrossie, which should be a familiar name.

Edinburgh. A random and disorganised collection of very old things, which nobody seems to really know the story behind, and which I don’t find very interesting.

The National Museum of Scotland is awesome though.

The town I grew up in - Auchterarder, in Scotland - sits on the other side of the Strathearn Valley from Craigrossie. I climbed it the other day for the first time in, ooh, maybe 20 years.