I think Autumn is just as transformative a season as Spring,  just in reverse! After a few hot months we can get back into the garden and reinvigorate the soil in the veggie patch after a solid growing season has leached many nutrients from it. As we are starting to get the odd inch of rain here and there things are much easier to weed and preparations for the Autumn and Winter crops are under way. Our roses are enjoying their last flush of the year and it’s a pleasure to bring them inside as it will be a while before they are back in business now. The local farmers have been out in force harvesting corn, baling hay and ploughing the soft earth with new crops while it is still warm enough to encourage growth. The whole countryside has an earthy grassy smell which is delicious. Our new chickens are starting to feel at home and so far the roosters have been playing nice and I am actually starting to quite like them! The MOTH has picked out the ‘chosen’ one and the other will be returned this week to it’s original owner as less is definitely more when it comes to roosters. They are much quieter when they don’t have to compete with another chap for the hens and hopefully “Le-Rod”(lovingly named after MOTH’s brother) will have an easy enough life wandering about with his girls without having to crow too much about it! Literally.

Our long lost mate Smutzer made an appearance this weekend after being given time off for good behaviour from helping his daughter renovate her garden and it was lovely to see the boys pottering about doing boy stuff with nails and fence lines and measuring up the cubby house for some spanking new wood to make it a totally lovely and baby safe place for young Cooper and his soon to be born cousin to play in. We were so lucky to have it already here when we bought the house, complete with a sandpit and a swing from the amazing pear tree that it shelters under, it will be a haven for the littlies when they get a bit bigger. It has a huge chalkboard inside and a slippery dip to complete the fun!! Smutz had all the old boards whipped off in a blink of an eye and will build the new deck in April with some help from our very own Grandpa of the year.

After a maniac terrorised New Zealand last week, once again I am finding solace in nature as we come to grips with the extremes of human nature. Such hatred with it’s devastating results followed by much loving kindness as people tried to balance out the huge chasms between religious and political beliefs. I guess some people would say I am burying my head in the sand but losing yourself in something as simple as planting new seedlings in the soil or walking down a country lane with a dog who is full of boundless joy really helps counter those feelings of hopelessness that can occur as our total media immersion of these atrocities make you feel as if you were actually there.

Another way of giving your brain a break is to try a new hobby and my two hour art class every Friday afternoon is a wonderful way of completely switching off as I cajole my creative right hand brain to do it’s best at copying various images provided by our very patient teacher. Apparently there is no wrong way to paint a picture (which works for me!) and therefore I have no boundaries to adhere to (which also works for me…) We have had a brief introduction to various techniques and methods and we learn about layering and perspective etc through our artistic endeavours. IT IS FUN!! I am definitely no gifted genius but I think it is a very enjoyable way of passing time and looking differently at your surroundings, really noticing what is on the horizon/forefront etc. I am totally hopeless at mixing colours to get the one I had visualised in my head but as they say – practise makes perfect!

I needed some form of therapy last week as my youngest son and heir took to the ring in a charity boxing match. He saw it as a good opportunity to raise money for disadvantaged kids whilst getting fit and all under the banner of his new Company in London. It took place at The Troxy, an art deco theatre in East London and was live streamed on Facebook so luckily (or unluckily) we could watch from Australia while we were eating our cornflakes. On the day of the fight Tom received a call to say that his opponent had pulled out and had been replaced by a bloke who had previously won 4 fights. Not what a guy wants to hear on his debut and we were rather scared on his behalf . Tom The Iron Fist Cameron however had other ideas and came out guns blazing. 57 seconds later his opponent was on the floor of the ring and Tom was the winner. A knock out in the first minute of the fight! Relief all round and a smiling Tom was the victor.

My fortnightly visit to see Cooper was wonderful. The little guy is growing beautifully and is as cute as a button. If I’m lucky I get to see him awake at least twice and Liv is so sweet letting me change him, cuddle him and hang out with him for a while until the wheels fall off and he needs to shut his eyes again. Needless to say I just love those times and he looks so intensely at me with those gorgeous eyes and I feel as if he’s summing me up and I would so love to know what he’s thinking. What on earth could be going on on in their little heads at this age?

I am off to Vietnam next week for a quick visit with the pregnant one before her life changes forever! I am looking forward to seeing their new place and helping with the final preparations for the nursery as well as spending some precious Mother/Daughter time together. The list of things to bring with me range from baby cot sheets to vegemite to some new novels for the Mum to be (goodness knows when she’ll get time to actually read them though….!!) as well as gifts from the UK and Oz as Vietnam’s notoriously bad post makes it impossible to send anything directly. I, in turn, am looking forward to the fabulous Vietnamese coffee, fresh coconuts, lazing around the pool chatting and exploring her new neighbourhood. I am so grateful to live in an era where we can share this time together, albeit for a short while. My Mum and I didn’t have the same luxury 32 years ago when I had my babies 12000 miles away from her in the UK with no mobile phones or even emails. A photo had to be developed and then mailed to show her our first little baby. How times have changed and for the better in this instance!

Some things have actually changed quite a lot……….

A tattoo sleeve used to mean you were a biker who would kill, now it means you’re a chef who makes a lovely pork belly with balsamic drizzle.