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This is my little series on the big move back to Australia. Perhaps I will look back in the future and laugh... or cry!
Part 1: Finding a Moving Company
Past 2: A Slight Travel Panic
Part 3: Comparing Crypto Tax Accounting platforms (Cointracking vs Rotki)
Part 4: A Week in Involuntary Stasis
Part 5: The Last Harvest

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In music (and any freelance job I guess), it is always a wise idea to play your cards close to your chest about any major moves that you have. People and ensembles might be wary to keep asking you if they know that you are going to disappear in the near future. Well, if I was moving to a different part of Europe, that would be less problematic... but from Australia, well... it isn't likely that I would be travelling on a regular basis to take part in projects. Of course, I know that it is possible and I know that some people do do (he he...) it... but I don't think that that (really... again?) sort of life is the sort that I would want to have for myself....even if ensembles were crazy enough to pay for round the world airfares!

Of course, there are going to be groups and ensembles that I would have played with for a long time, that would have me right up until the very end (I hope..), but it really means that getting any other new work to fill gaps in the diary would be difficult. That said, it is a bit of a balance as at some point, you will have to tell groups and ensembles that you are going to disappear from the continent. The trick is when?

So, we've had plans to leave for quite a long time, and they have solidified in the past couple of years. A global pandemic will have that effect of reordering your priorities in life!

When we solidified our decision, it set in train a number of things that we wanted to complete before we left. Basically it was a number of administrative things that we could leave smoothly and to maximise our children's future opportunities, plus it would be a bad idea to be travelling during the initial pandemic panic! Oh, and add to that the fact that Australia has made it incredibly difficult to enter the country... Even for citizens!

So, we kept the plans to ourselves... And we only told the kids this Easter. We figured that they should know before everyone else. After that, we were clear to start telling work colleagues and ensembles...but both of us waited a little bit longer.

After the summer, I started telling friends... And I had started to give the heads up to orchestras and ensembles that I would be leaving in the near future, but due to fact that travel was still uncertain and we still had to organise the move date and house sale, I held off on returning work back to ensemble. There was always a small chance that we would still be stranded and that would be much less fun with no income!

Now, things are pretty much settled and I have started writing the emails to return the bond work from 2022 and onwards back to pool of infinite work... It is something that I've put off for a while now. Writing each email is a bit of an emotional experience, knowing that I am basically committing fully to leaving this part of the world and my colleagues.

Every tour and performance is likely to be the last time that I play with ensembles and fellow colleagues. It is hard to describe, but it is the end of a particular chapter of my life. I've loved touring and performing through Europe, playing with so many talented colleagues. The feeling of coming together to perform as a group is hard to describe, but it is as if a group of prove become single living evolving entity...

... Anyway, it is time to let go. Say goodbye to friends, colleagues, ensembles and beautiful concert halls.

... But it is also time to reconnect with long lost colleagues back in Australia! The next part will be daunting... But I'm looking forward to forging a new life in my homeland!

I can also be found cross-posting at:
Hive
Steem
Publish0x

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