I've had such a great time being back in Europe that going away is kind of breaking my heart a little bit. Tomorrow afternoon I'll be leaving on a jet plane with lots of lovely memories and a real sense of homesickness.

I managed to extend my trip here by a few days so that I could be around for a friend's birthday. It was a big one for her and I didn't want to miss it. She and I were roommates as two single girls here in Brighton in another life. Her boyfriend threw her an amazing party and surprised her with her 'real' present which is a sailing holiday around Greece that he's been organising for months. Thankfully we don't set sail until next spring so there's a bit of time to plan it all!

Around 25 of us went down to the beach after sunset and had a great big bonfire tonight. The weather has been incredibly warm for Autumn so it was so lovely and mild, even after dark. There were groups of people scattered around the beach as far as you could see in either direction and every once in a while a bunch of paper lanterns would float up into the night sky as people celebrated whatever they were there to celebrate.

We had a couple of tables full of food, cakes and of course, lots of booze. I've never really understood why it's against the law to drink outdoors in most places in the USA. It's just so damned civilized to mix your own cocktails by a fire on the beach! It was a great way to spend my last evening in Brighton but it's also made it that much harder to face leaving in the morning.

It is going to be fantastic to settle down in one place for a few weeks though. I can't wait to catch up with my friends in Santa Barbara and spend some time re-connecting with them while I do some apartment hunting. I've decided to spend another 6 months or so in California so October will be focussed on finding a good place to use as a home-base for all the travelling I'll be doing. Wish me luck as I think I may need it!