Well I am well and truly back to reality with the weather plummeting overnight to wintry windy conditions and a top of just 14 degrees. A huge contrast to my 35 degree days in Ho Chi Minh and a whole different wardrobe too! Luckily the sun is out which makes it feel slightly better but the wind is icy and they have had 20cm of snow in the mountains and it’s only May. The winds used to be known as The August Winds but nowadays seem to come any time from May to October, and the MOTH is already hating it. He has been busy moving outdoor furniture out of the path of the wind, all cushions have been relegated to the indoors, pot plants have been moved and the original sash windows in the house have been locked and gaps plugged with rubber wedges (they do make a hell of a rattle at 2am when the wind is blowing I must admit!) so we have officially battened down the hatches ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at us…

On the other hand Autumn is so pretty in Berry with so many deciduous trees showing off their golden hued leaves and creating so many piles of crunchiness for the kids to jump in with glee!

So as I am madly trying to adapt to cold wintry days that sadly involve no newborns I am thinking back fondly to how the Vietnamese LOVE babies. They are astonished that we have them outside prior to 2 months of age and are very curious when we walk by with a pram. Everyone has a look in and they usually smile or talk amongst themselves (we think they are in awe of our little clip on fan and are actually mildly jealous) and they are all so caring when we walk into their cafe/restaurant/shop. They switch on the aircon or pull down the blinds to make sure the little ones are comfortable. Doormen walk out with umbrellas to keep the little darlings sheltered and comfortable in the bright sunshine. Teens on motorbikes slow down and pull alongside us as we walk to check out the baby, usually smiling before accelerating away. In Australia we would probably be worried as to their motives but in Vietnam family is everything and they genuinely love babies. One day we caught a cab with Myla curled up in the depths of the baby carrier and the driver seemed to be a bit crazy going uncharacteristically fast and only when we pulled up at our apartment and he looked behind to get the money did he realise we had a baby and he couldn’t apologise enough!! He wasn’t worried in the slightest about us but had never meant to put a little baby at any sort of risk.

We had some lovely outings, every day trying to go for a coffee or a walk at the very least as you can go rather stir crazy being in an apartment all day no matter how nice it is! Myla loves the pram and usually rips out the zzzs for our entire outing despite the heat so our coffee dates were quite tranquil and just what a new Mum needs to feel she still has a life of sorts! As it is the rainy season in Ho Chi Minh at the moment the mornings are generally hot as the humidity builds up before the afternoon storms. Occasionally we got caught in the monsoonal downpours and it was amazing to see how very quickly the streets became flooded with water up to people’s knees and cars struggling to make their way through the surging water.The storm water, in addition to the nearby Mekong at high tide overflowing into local streets, had one local making the most of it by spearfishing outside his apartment block and snaring a catfish for dinner!!!

Afternoon snuggles with Miss Myla were the best! We are delighted that she has now been granted Australian citizenship which means they can bring her home in June to meet the whole family. Can’t wait to see our little grandbabies together in the same room!

So now I am home and trying to get my poor garden into shape while it’s a bit calmer and not the growing season. We have had no rain now for weeks and weeks and my veggie patch is looking a bit sad. At least the grass has stopped growing quite so fast and we have a chance to catch up on the pruning and weeding. The little finches and wrens are back in the garden dipping and darting in and out of our hedges, their twitterings heard above the sound of the wind and the cows are all eating whatever bits of grass they can find. The farmers are already hand feeding them which is very bad news coming into winter. You just can’t win as a farmer it seems, either too much of one thing or not enough of another – crazy!

While we are starting to rug up for winter our youngest is starting to enjoy the most beautiful of seasons in London. Spring and summer with the increased daylight and more ambient weather just makes you feel good to be alive and he was very lucky last weekend with the weather when he celebrated his birthday in Bordeaux with 20 of his closest friends! They rented a fabulous manor house and enjoyed many many of the local wines along with a dinner cooked especially for them by a local chef and served in the grand dining hall. A’int life grand!