It's not just me! Phew.

In today’s Guardian newspaper (the first weekend paper I’ve bought in weeks) the lead article in the section called FAMILY caught my eye. Entitled,  ‘I’m Lonely. Is that so Odd?’ I thought OMG I blogged about this only a day or so ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's not just me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The article is written by Marion McGilvary, an author, a blogger and reviewer.

Here’s the article if you’d care to read it http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/marionmcgilvary

While I read it I kept thinking YES, yes, YES.

We DO stay connected with Facebook, Skype and twitter. Even invitations to lunch or dinner are given this way these days. Who remembers the last time they received an actual hand written invitation? I'm guilty of that, having emailed friends invitations to my birthday lunch recently, tho i did handwrite thank you cards.

We DO text, Whatsapp rather than make a call. DH and I are in constant communication during the week days, and don't speak a word to each other. We Whatsapp our conversations. 

We DO play Words with Friends, or Scramble and feel like we’re well connected. 

We haven’t had a landline since we left Sydney five and a half years ago! We SKYPE our calls and have the added bonus of SEEING friends when we chat for hours on end. 

Even long, newsy emails are a thing of the past. Our lives are news grabs on Facebook.

When we first left Sydney for Ireland, we created a newsletter full of news and photos. We emailed it to LOTS of people, seldom receiving a response. S after several newsletters we stopped. No one ever asked what happened to it LOL and in many ways, Facebook took over keeping intouch with friends anyways.

Marion McGilvary writes about being an empty nester and the (supposed) benefits that go along with it. While MissM’s only 8, having the one child at school full time in way makes me feel like an empty nester, tho without the freedom to come and go as I please.

While Ms McGilvary has a busy life, with her writing, and other interests, she comments on having a very small group of friends.

‘It’s hard to make new friends. It’s like waiting to be picked for a team when everyone else is already paired up’

In a way, that’s what it does feel like in a non expat community. There are few new families from London starting school in September. As class parent I’ve written them a welcome email and suggested we get together for a play date with the kids and a coffee so there’s a friendly face to greet them on the first day of school. One mum has already said that her children (Brits don’t call them kids like Aussies do) will be catching the bus in/out so I’m guessing she’s a working mum. I replied and explained there’s a school assembly every Friday morning and it would be nice to meet here there.

The other two newbies are happy to meet.

It’s hard work, but I don’t feel so odd anymore for admitting the lonelier aspects of life.

Now it’s your turn ……………

xo