I’m a Grandma!! Or in my case a Grammy. None of the normal Grandma/Nanna/Granny titles seemed appropriate somehow, especially as 3 of Cooper’s great grandparents are still alive and bearing those names so Grammy I am and I’m loving it! He is totally delicious and has the sweetest little face. He really looks at you, almost into you with those beautiful eyes and the whole family is totally smitten! It’s especially hard for his Aunty and Uncle who are living overseas but with the wonders of technology they have been able to share everything except an actual cuddle!

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So we are one down with one to go with our little granddaughter due at Easter, what a year we are having!! I am off to Vietnam for a quick trip to spend some time with the Mummy-to-be and help her decorate the nursery and other Mother/Daughterly things. More importantly to be a support to her before she gives birth in a foreign land away from her family although thankfully they have a lovely group of friends in Ho Chi Minh City who I know will be there for her. The expat community there are very close as they are all basically in the same boat and understand the needs of their contemporaries completely.

Needless to say everything else in our life has been on a bit of a back burner but we are very much enjoying the cooler change in the weather to get the garden up to scratch, the grass is finally growing back around the new pool area and by Easter it should be looking more like a lawn again instead of a work site. Some rain would help of course but that’s like winning the lottery! The cabana still needs some final touches, hanging paintings, mirrors and hooks for towels etc but it has already become a valuable space for us – an extra entertaining area or a place to read in quiet contemplation. If the peewees would leave it alone it would be even better. The silly things see their reflection in the doors and think there are other birds to fight and they get their knickers in a knot. I come out in the morning to find feathers and bird poo everywhere and I am slightly fearful as to the fate of my brand new huge mirror that will be going up on the wall – will they end up flying into it and causing themselves and the pool house damage? Only time will tell…..

We have been very happy to see our tiny birds back in the garden. They are a mixture of wrens and finches and it is delightful to hear their twittering, pitched higher and easily heard over the rather strident calls of the bigger birds. They dip and dart in and out of the bushes as fast as bullets and are obviously happy that our garden is finally maturing and that they once again have some good cover for their nests.They love to hide in dense and sometimes prickly hedges and shrubs that other bigger creatures cannot venture into. Smart cookies!

In an attempt to use some of the gazillion zucchinis in the veggie patch I have been dicing them and putting them into just about everything. We tasted a lovely raw zucchini, chilli, mint and parmesan salad at our local Italian in Berry ‘Bussola’ which was made using a vegetable peeler to make long thin strips which marinates beautifully. Funnily enough though our favourite thing to do is the old fashioned favourite ‘zucchini slice” which can be ‘jujjed’ up with any manner of ingredients and makes a tasty lunch or snack. A recipes can be found in the kitchen section of this site 🙂

So in a week where we have seen the circle of life well and truly represented as we farewelled one friend and also welcomed in our little grandson I am feeling quite philosophical. Another generation full of hope and promise is here and in turn we are a step further up the ladder (eeek!!) but that makes it even more important for us to embrace all that this life offers and to stay fit so we can play with our grandkids! I start a four week art class next week thanks to a birthday gift from my family and I am looking forward to challenging myself to learn something new a bit out of my comfort zone!