After 36 long hours and two transfers in Singapore and London we arrived to a heatwave in Paris. We’d rented a traditional old Haussman apartment in Montmartre with lofty ceilings and full length French windows overlooking an avenue of cobbled streets and Plane trees which rustled softly in the breeze. Despite being only a 10 minute walk from Sacre Coeur and the bustling Place du Tertre our street was quiet and mostly full of locals rather than tourists and we quickly fell into the rhythm of life in Paris enjoying coffee and aperitifs at the local cafes and finding the Metro a brilliant way of getting around despite our rather amateurish French. Contrary to popular opinion the locals were friendly and helpful and not at all arrogant!

We had a couple of days to do our own thing before our youngest son joined us from London, our first reunion since he moved there nearly a year ago. We were genuinely impressed with a digital immersive Van Gogh exhibition at the Atelier de Lumieres, an old foundry built in 1835 and converted to a large digital media space in 2014 where we saw his paintings projected onto the vast walls and set to fabulous music both classical and modern and featuring the significant periods of his life and works. Highly recommended even to non art lovers.

We continued onto lunch (which is always a good idea in Paris) and thanks to a colleague of the MOTH who lived in Paris for a couple of years we enjoyed a tapas style lunch in a tiny bistro near St Germain. Little tastes of delicious morsels beautifully presented and washed down with chilled rosé. Suitably refreshed we hit the streets keeping to the thin line of shade provided by the buildings as the temperature rose into the 30s. Not the best sightseeing weather but plenty of reasons to stop at quaint pavement cafés and watch the world go by which is my very favourite thing to do! I had never been to the Galleries Lafayette and with another recommendation to try the jamon from black pigs raised on walnuts available in the food hall there the MOTH actually agreed to venture to a shopping centre with me! Not that you could classify it in the same genre as Westfield as it is an amazing building, more like an opera house than a shopping centre!

The next day heralded the arrival of Tom and we were so excited to see him after all this time. It was as if he had only gone yesterday as we chatted about all things old and new and wandered up to the Place du Tertre for some lunch. He loved the bustling square and all the quaint alleyways as much as we did and as everyone was trying to avoid the heat we all fought for seats in the shade and all drinks had a compulsory side serve of ice! The temperature was only in the mid 30’s but Paris is just not set up for the heat – no aircon or ceiling fans and we were just lucky to have the beautiful full length shutters on the outside of our windows which we opened and shut according to the time of the day to try and keep things as cool as possible.

The boys found a lovely spot for our evening aperitif, outside in the shade but looking straight through and down a steep street towards the golden orb of L’Opera. A slight breeze blew through and that, together with our cold drinks, kept us contented as we people watched and generally immersed ourselves into the local life.

We decided that as it was way too hot to walk around that we would use the metro and booked ourselves onto a hop on hop off boat tour on The Seine that we thought sounded like a cool option on a warm day. Sadly there was only room for about a dozen people at the back of the boat outside and the rest of us were forced indoors under the glass roof which acted like a greenhouse and rendered us all a sweaty mass of humanity. We hopped off to see how Notre Dame had coped with her big fire and was quite pleasantly surprised to see she was still in good shape despite the devastating interior damage. Things could certainly have been much worse and many millions of dollars have already been donated to return her to her former glory.

Nearby we paid a visit to the fabulous Shakespeare and Company bookshop. I had first visited here with my daughter in 2004 when she spent 4 months in Paris as a 16 year old and as it was winter she often spent hours at a time here curled up on an old velvet sofa reading one of the many tomes and staying warm. It is the bookshop of bookshops for it’s character and charm alone. I found Tom tucked away in a little nook enjoying one of the thousands of titles that are on offer to read.

Then on to a wonderful restaurant in St Germain ‘Le Relais D’Entrecote’ where the choices are steak or steak and the supply of golden fries is unending. Reservations are not accepted and the line to be seated is often unending too unless you go early. We were very lucky to score the last table inside in the (struggling) aircon and proceeded to spend a wonderful hour or so enjoying this well loved restaurant with its successful formula. Steak cooked medium or rare with their special sauce, preceded by a simple salad with walnuts and a buttermilk dressing and served with the crispiest chips and a bottle of their own bottled house wine from Bordeaux. Heaven!!

Over the next couple of days we explored our local area, ate in some amazing little places and enjoyed Sacre Coeur on a Sunday morning with all the bells pealing and with never ending views across Paris and we felt so very happy to be here in this beautiful city enjoying each others company.

We ate frogs legs and fresh creamy burrata washed down with gallons of cold rosé, breakfasts of buttery fresh croissants and milky coffee, the boys zipped around on electric scooters and we stayed up late with hundreds of other people trying to avoid the heat and generally enjoyed our time together. Paris is always good no matter what the weather and it will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Well what an up and down few weeks we have had. The weather is either fresh to freezing or balmy to hot and you never quite know which one you’re going to get! Yesterday was 23 degrees with blue sky and sunshine and it was hard to believe we were in Winter! No doubt the season will kick in properly soon and the wood burner will be in use 24/7. The best thing was we finally got some much needed rain. Two whole inches of liquid gold and a full rain tank for my chooks and veggies. Hopefully the weather is still warm enough for the grass to get some last minute new growth before it all comes to a grinding halt for the farmers. We were SO happy to see these rain clouds on the horizon!

I was walking Bailey down our lane last week when I noticed a strange shape near the portable hay feeders for the cattle. I was rather concerned as you can never tell if cows are just having a lie down or the worst has happened. I ventured into the paddock to check it out and found a rather gruesome and sad sight. Two cows were dead, each one with their heads buried into the hay and I wasn’t quite sure if something had collapsed on top of them or if there was an issue with the hay itself and as the other cows were still trying to eat around their deceased mates I made a hasty call to the farmer to let him know. Sadly he told me that it happens from time to time, apparently they get their heads stuck in the feeder structure and end up suffocating. They were obviously just the right ( or should we say wrong) size to get trapped. So here we have yet another of the 101 ways for the farmers to lose their stock, and yet another reality of living in the country.

I’m not sure it’s making me any tougher to be honest…..

The arrival of our little grandson cheered me up big time as it’s hard to feel sad with him smiling and cooing and gurgling at you! He seemed to like his little tour of our garden and meeting the chickens and most of all he loved being thrown up in the air by his Daddy! We had a couple of days with him before heading up to Sydney for a couple of days of golf for the MOTH and a city stay with our close friends. Dinner in the big smoke with friends from New Zealand took us back to our old neighbourhood in The Rocks area of Sydney and a trip down memory lane. The Coathanger is visible from most streets around there and you are never far away from Sydney Harbour. A magic spot.

It was a great opportunity to do some city things and I had a nice catch up with my 93 year old Father in Law and paid a visit to some of the shiny sparkly city shops (where I nowadays get completely overwhelmed and end up only buying something ridiculously boring like a pair of socks) and enjoyed a lovely dinner at a local Italian with the golfers and their partners.

We were soon zooming back down the freeway to The Meadow where our son had been house sitting for us while we played in the city. He enjoys pottering about the property and looking after Bailey and the chooks and it is lovely for them to be able to escape from the big smoke without it costing them an arm and a leg. Some friends of his with a one year old joined them so a good time was had by all. I was a bit concerned as we haven’t had to baby proof the house just yet but little Angus was a perfect guest despite the temptations that were on offer at ground level!! To make our long weekend even more special Sam and Liv stayed another day and that meant one more morning with a tiny person being delivered to my bed for early morning baby snuggles which really is the very BEST way to start the day!

Things in the chook yard are still weird. Le Rod, who looks magnificent with his height and glossy plumage, is still being a wuss and seems scared of everything including his shadow. When we throw scraps out to them he runs away unless something actually lands at his feet and at night he is always the last to get up on the roost, often spending 10 minutes walking up and down underneath the perch trying to work out where to jump up with the ever bossy Trunchbull pecking him every time he passes by! I am actually feeling rather fond of him now as he seems to be a bit of an underdog and has so far not even managed the smallest of cock-a-doodle-doos which is endearing him to me. However in the scheme of things he is a bit useless to us if he can’t father any chicks so I’m hoping he will man up a bit soon….

We were talking about how hard it is to get family photos which include the Mums as they are usually the instigators of photos with Dad and bub but rarely manage to get in any pictures themselves for various reasons. We decided to make the most of having an extra pair of hands and have an impromptu photo shoot in the garden in that golden 20 minutes after Cooper wakes up and before he gets hungry! Thank goodness for digital cameras as it is really quite hard to get a 3 month old to look at the camera! We are pleased with the results and cannot wait to do it all over again when his cousin flies in from Vietnam in July to meet the extended family! It really will be a miracle if they both look at the lens at the same time!!!!

Happy Days!!

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!

I’m in Vietnam, the rain is absolutely chucking it down wet season style and we are nice and cosy inside the apartment looking out over Ho Chi Minh City which is shrouded in dark brooding storm clouds. Miss Myla is snuggled up with her Mummy having some milk and we are patting ourselves on the back that we did all our outdoor stuff this morning before the heavens opened and that we managed to sneak in a girls lunch to boot!!! This morning it was so humid my eyelids were sweating as we popped Myla in her pram and walked around the corner for our café sua da, the delicious iced vietnamese coffee that is our daily indulgence. As we sat there sweat dribbling down our faces a Vietnamese girl entered in plaid wool trousers and a bomber jacket, long hair to her waist fully made up and as fresh as a daisy!!! How do they manage to look so good and not sweat????

It is my 4th day here and I am just LOVING being with my tiny granddaughter who is totally delicious with such a sweet little personality. She is very relaxed and loves nothing more than sleeping with her little arms above her head and her legs splayed so that she looks like a little frog! She is getting the hang of life pretty quickly and is feeding and sleeping well, she makes the cutest little mewling noises most of the time making me wonder if she will turn into a little Miss Chatterbox. She seems happy to be in aircon, in front of a fan or trundling along in her pram in the heat as long as Mummy isn’t too far away! She loves a cuddle and I am happy to comply as she will only be this tiny for a few weeks and I want to soak in all her newness and her curiosity as she tries to focus on us with her serious little eyes. The smiles that she flashes in her sleep show me how her face will light up in the next few weeks as she starts to recognise her special people and interact with them. Little Cooper is a total joy now at 12 weeks as he breaks into the cheekiest grin when he wakes up and sees you, making you feel like the most special person in the whole world!

It was a rather wonderful weekend as we witnessed the marriage of my nephew and his English bride in a simple but heartfelt ceremony under a setting sun on Sydney harbour followed by a delicious dinner showcasing the bounty of Australian produce in a room decorated with native flowers – just gorgeous! It was a lovely evening and the perfect place to be ahead of my flight to Vietnam the next day. As my flight wasn’t until 11.50 we went for a walk and enjoyed some coffee to while away some time but I decided I was happy to get to the airport early as I could grab some food and enjoy the shops and generally relax. Imagine my surprise and stomach dropping disbelief when I arrived early at 9.30 am to check in to find my flight was LEAVING at 10.15!!!! As I was holding a confirmed itinerary leaving at 11.50 the staff were confused but it made sense as to why 16 different parties hadn’t checked in!!! I have never run so fast through an airport and thought I was in serious danger of dying of an asthma attack as a result but arrived at the gate just as everyone was boarding!!! Relief was an understatement.

On arrival in Ho Chi Minh I had my passport and return itinerary on hand to show immigration as I can get 15 days in Vietnam with no need for a visa if I use my British passport which is a great little bonus with visas costing $90 online in Australia. So feeling rather smug I took my turn at the desk thinking I would be cuddling Myla in less than an hour when my man starts frowning and shaking his head in a rather disconcerting fashion. I patiently explain the visa situation to him as not all of them are very aware of it but he says he is but there is another  problem as I last left Vietnam on April 7th and it was only May 5th. Who knew that apparently you cannot visit twice within a month on the free visa system and as I was TWO days short I was in deep doo doo with the authorities who said they could send me home on the next plane for my flagrant transgression if they fancied. However in their kindness (and rather obvious grab for cash) they said I could apply for a visa there and then for the princely sum of $200 which I had to pay in cash which I didn’t have. So despite being a law breaker I was allowed to go out alone into the arrivals area through baggage and duty free to access an ATM to get them their money! By the time I finally got my visa and out to the baggage pickup our carousel had well and truly finished running and I had to search high and low for my case which I eventually found lurking in the trolley section near the toilets!! I was so happy when I finally pulled up at Lauren’s apartment and could at last be reunited with my family! What a day!!

We have had a lovely mix of days since arriving. Obviously our focus is Myla and there is nothing better than snuggling up on Lauren’s couch looking out over the vista of Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong river whilst the rain pelts down and she sleeps in your arms but we do try and get out every day. A walk to a local coffee shop or a delicious Vietnamese salad in a café for lunch or a trip to the grocery store to cook up a storm at home are all lovely but on Sunday as it was Mothers Day we decided to have a nice lunch out and Myla was a perfect little baby as we enjoyed a really delicious meal and a couple of complimentary cocktails to celebrate our three generation lunch.

I especially love the mornings as Myla and I are early risers and are happy to hang out with each other while Mummy and Daddy grab a lie in while they can! I love looking out and seeing the flashing neon signs gradually disappear as the sun rises over the city and the traffic begins to flow on the bridge. The local pho sellers, usually old ladies, push their mobile shops along until they find a good shady spot under a tree and set up the little plastic table and chairs for their customers. It is truly amazing what they can prepare on a single burner! You can hear the cockerels crowing on every street corner and see the local stray dogs emerge to search for scraps. The motor bikes, often crammed with entire families – Mum and Dad sandwiching up to 3 school children as they drop them off on their way to work – can be heard along with the guy who pedals around the street calling out over a loudspeaker to come and buy his fresh pastries which he sells from a trailer that he drags behind him. Life and action is all around in the vibrancy that is Vietnam. 

So with less than a week left I am going to soak up as much as I can of my little granddaughter but also enjoy all the friendliness and craziness of Vietnam and enjoy the 50c coffees, cheap as chips taxi fares and tasty fresh meals all for the princely sum of about $3 and of course enjoy the company of my daughter while I can, if only she lived in Australia and this wasn’t such an all or nothing affair!!

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We welcomed our delicious little granddaughter into the world over the Easter break, she arrived on her Grandad’s birthday which he is very chuffed about (he will finally be able to remember ONE family member’s birthday at least!!) Despite the fact that she was born in Ho Chi Minh City we actually managed to be very involved throughout thanks to the wonders of technology and we felt very privileged to get a video call very shortly after her birth to share in the moment with the very proud parents!

They are now home getting used to their new life and their (so far) very chilled and relaxed daughter. I am so excited to be flying out in a week to share some of the newborn bubble with them and my brand new large suitcase is full of various things for Mum, bub and Dad!! They seem to be coping well and it’s all slightly surreal to think the nursery we finished decorating just 2 weeks ago is now home to our very own little princess!!

We enjoyed a lovely 5 days with our other little baby extraordinaire over the Easter break and it was really gorgeous having them all finally here in The Meadow. Cooper was just amazing, not only adjusting to his first sleepover outside of home but also SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!! We naturally attributed it to the fresh country air and consider it a firm tick of approval from young Coops for our nursery setup and future stays with Grammy and Gramps. He made the cutest little Easter Bunny too…..

We managed a trip into Berry, a walk along the beach and lunch at The Shoalhaven Heads Hotel as well as entertaining some old Uni friends of Sams and enjoying some yummy food and a roaring bonfire along with a couple of nice bottles of red. In between we were happy to enjoy all the cooing and gurgling that accompany Cooper’s gorgeous dimply smiles and even a few gummy chuckles! He is the best fun to hang out with and the house feels rather sad and empty now they have gone home 😦

We had all been very interested to see how the Chocolate Drop would take to our little man and as predicted she was fantastic. She was definitely curious about all the interesting baby smells but she was so very gentle and gave him the Bailey lick of approval to his feet and hair! Cooper wasn’t fazed in the slightest and hopefully they will become the best of buddies in the future.

Despite the fact we are still wearing shorts and tee shirts during the day we know this won’t last! The whole lane has been busily getting ready for the cool weather ahead ordering and stacking firewood, burning off all the dead wood around the garden, covering swimming pools and generally hunkering down for winter. Once I’m back from Vietnam it will be time for the electric blankets and cosy throws on the lounge! The sun sets around 5pm now and the chooks are all snuggled up together on the roost by the time it’s dark at 6pm. They all seem to be getting on well with the possible exception of our latest chicken who is older than the other newbies and is super bossy. I have named her Trunchbull after ‘she of the same name’ in the film Matilda. The entire chicken coop is scared of her including the rooster who is showing severe signs of being a bit of a namby pamby and whom I seriously doubt will do anything of leadership quality. Le Rod is a bit of a dud so far I’m afraid…..

The balmy Easter weather has meant that the whole of Sydney was on the road to make the most of the school holidays and mid 20 temperatures. All the beaches are bulging with holidaymakers and the campsites are overflowing with cars and vans, bikes, surfboards and scooters and the sound of children having some old fashioned fun rings out around the coast. The famous Berry Donut Van has been doing a roaring trade after being voted the number one takeaway business on the South Coast and there are queues of epic proportions coming out of every café in Berry so we can safely say the local businesses have had a good Easter! On Anzac Day I loved hearing the roars of delight as people played 2 Up in the local pubs, a lovely contrast to the solemnity of the mornings Dawn Service and Anzac March. I love seeing the men and women in their uniform, young and old alike sharing a beer and a yarn on this most beloved day in Australia.

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As I write this I am so aware of how lucky we are to live in this time, this place and in this way. I am so grateful for those that came before us who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today. I am VERY grateful for the safe arrival of two beautiful little grandchildren and the happy relationships that surround them both. I am thankful for my little white house in the country where we can grow our own food and welcome friends and family to stay and enjoy the serenity of The Meadow and for my partner in love and life with whom I share it all. We are blessed indeed……

As soon as you land in Ho Chi Minh it feels like you have been reacquainted with an old friend. The smell, sound and sheer intensity of Vietnam’s biggest city is apparent from the minute you step out of the airport. On this, my 4th visit there was definitely a feeling of familiarity and despite Thao Dien being in the middle of a huge revamp of it’s roads (meaning that they were all dug up) it still had a lovely easy feeling of a town that is constantly evolving and changing to suit the huge expat contingent. This is done without somehow ruining the intrinsically Vietnamese feel  and I love how the locals are willing to give a new business idea a red hot go, resulting in either a booming business or a change of owner within a few months! A week goes SOOO quickly here, especially when you’re trying to make every minute count but somehow we managed to pack loads of stuff into 5 days and achieve our main aim of completing the nursery and the final preparations for the arrival of Miss Cook!!

Their flat is lovely with a tropical industrial feel and in a great area where Mum and Bub will be able to walk easily to a supermarket/café selling great coffee/wine bar/pho restaurant and with all local restaurants delivering meals costing only about $2 they have much less need than most for the precooked and frozen homemade meals that most new parents stock their freezer with. Other elements of having a baby in Vietnam are less palatable with very little English spoken by the nurses in hospital and none of the usual follow up professionals such as midwife visits or lactation experts/baby whisperers etc available but plenty of friends and colleagues have had babies over there and will no doubt provide lots of advice if asked. Plus Doctor Google is constantly to hand of course!

By a miraculous coincidence I was there at the same time as a close friend of Laurens (and her Mum who I have known for at least 16 years) who has now got a 9 month old daughter of her own to whom she also gave birth in Asia. She has been an amazingly helpful person both with advice for having babies in the tropics and with practical gifts which are very generous. Thank you sooooo much to Tilds and Gaenor for coming all that way to visit Loz, it meant a lot. We had a fun couple of days together that mostly revolved around Miss Mia and mealtimes!! Mia had everyone in Ho Chi Minh that we met completely smitten with her big blue eyes and lovely smile!! We enjoyed a few sundowners at various bars, a girly session at the local nail salon and also had some tasty meals at local restaurants and generally caught up on all the news and enjoyed their company.

Thanks to the beautiful Katy in Hong Kong, Loz and I had a last hurrah in a riverside hotel in the city for our last night together and enjoyed mooching by the pool and then heading out to explore HCMC. The night begun with a spontaneous G&T on board the Elisa, a lovely old wooden ship moored in the Mekong River and made all the more romantic by being draped in fairy lights. A couple of rooftop bars full of history with stories from the war followed by a tasty meal and fresh coconuts all for the princely sum of $10 before we walked home under a balmy sky to curl up in bed and recount stories from the old days and talk about all the adventures to come. I couldn’t have asked for anything better! I also got to meet the French obstetrician tasked with bringing my granddaughter safely into the world and heard her heartbeat which is always an amazing experience.

It was all slightly surreal though and I must admit that as my plane took off to return to Australia I shed a few tears and asked myself why the hell I was leaving her there with only 2 weeks to go. I am booked to return when the baby is 2 weeks old to lend a hand after Dad returns to work after paternity leave. I know that they will be a great team in those first few crazy weeks when you exist in a sleep deprived world that revolves around this amazing little being that you have created together!

Back in The Meadow Autumn is progressing with my fruit trees now bare and the deciduous trees changing colour. The Autumn camellias are starting to flower along with the Japanese anemones but the roses and gardenias are still blooming too! The plants are a bit confused with our balmy days of 26 degrees I think! The days are lovely with clear blue skies and sunshine but the nights are drawing in and it is getting decidedly chilly especially when I take Bailey outside before bed. The sky is full of stars as far as the eye can see with a generous sprinkling of the Milky Way against the black velvet sky – I never fail to be amazed by it’s beauty. I had envisaged a few wood fires this coming Easter weekend but I’m not so sure it’s even cold enough for one yet? Sam, Liv and little Cooper will be staying with us (it will be his first sleepover) and we can’t wait to have them all here for a few days. Bailey has definitely missed her playtimes with Sam and I don’t think she can quite understand how both her boys (Sam and Tom) have disappeared simultaneously from her life! Once Coops is a bit bigger those two will no doubt be in cahoots and up to no good, I fear for his toys and his food once they are both sharing the same space – I wonder who will win?? Our little boy is growing fast and is starting to smile and chuckle which only makes him more endearing. We took him to meet his 92 year old Great Grandfather yesterday which was just lovely. They shared a cuddle and a rather knowing smile! There is something special about the very young with the elderly somehow!

In sadder news our little adventurous furry friends Gin and Tonic, two of the sweetest Jack Russells you will ever meet and our neighbours in Sydney for the 7 years before we moved south, went missing after they decided to explore inside a long storm water drain when on their walk around The Bay and in their excitement running up it they had no idea it ended with a huge drop into a large underwater reservoir. The only blessing was that they were, as always, together. They had visited us in The Meadow and showed much discipline and restraint when faced with so many tantalising things – lizards, rabbits, and chickens to name a few! We have since taught Bailey their favourite trick of leaving snacks on their feet until given permission to eat and we will forever think of them when doing this now. It is so so heartbreaking to lose your four legged friends as they really do become such a special part of your family and I know from experience what a huge hole they leave. Our thoughts are very much with their devoted owners who I know must be doing it tough.

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.

It’s supposed to be Autumn and we have already seen glimpses of it. The days are drawing in and the leaves are turning red and gold but we are still having days of 30+ degrees in between the gentler days in the mid 20s so Summer hasn’t quite said goodbye just yet! We are looking forward to the change of season and an end to barbeques and salads and introducing some more robust food into the equation again! The footy has started but the cricket is still going so we are neither Arthur or Martha right now. It is nice to have cooler nights for sleeping and the sun is allowing us to sleep in until at least 6.30am as it pokes it’s head up later and later. A lovely time of the year to be sure.

We are making the most of these last days to go for lovely long beach walks. I’ve finally realised it’s much better if I look up the tides before I pack the choccy drop into the car and take off, thus insuring we can walk on hard flat sand if the tide is on the way out. She absolutely loves it, running through the water and investigating anything interesting that may have been washed up. The bonus is always meeting other dogs and seeing them all run around together like puppies. Our girl is fairly submissive and doesn’t seem to get into any trouble but she freaks out a bit if she bumps into any kelpies. These are the sheepdog of choice in Australia and they just can’t help themselves as soon as they see other animals. They stalk slowly and then drop down as Bailey approaches before suddenly jumping up and circling her in an attempt to “round her up” and she really doesn’t appreciate all the attention and the intrusion into her personal space! She is much happier fetching sticks or balls and running up the beach as if she owns the place!

We have some new arrivals in the chicken coop. Yesterday saw a delivery of 4 Sussex hens and 2 roosters! They are only 16 weeks old but already larger than our two existing Australorps so it has been an interesting introduction. This picture is pretty typical of the current standoff.  The older chooks always usually peck the living daylights out of the newbies but in this instance its just a little bit of argy-bargy to let them know who’s boss as their bigger size creates a slightly more even playing field! We are only keeping the 2 roosters for a couple of weeks until we decide which of them we prefer to keep (on what grounds you choose a better rooster I have no idea??) and as yet they are not old enough to crow so we’ll just see how things go in the chook yard as they get older, bigger and louder!

I whizzed up to Sydney for 24 hours for a flying visit to have cuddles with my new grandson who as you can see is totally gorgeous . He is three weeks old and is growing nicely. He hasn’t quite worked out what is night and day yet which makes for a couple of tired parents but they are doing a grand job and he really is a pretty good baby. There is nothing better than just snuggling up with him on the couch as he sleeps so comfy and contented. They are coming to The Meadow to stay at Easter and I can’t wait to spend more than just a couple of hours with him. Hopefully his Mum and Dad can go off and enjoy a nice lunch somewhere and have some adult time while we look after the little guy.

As I left my shoes behind in my hurry to have Cooper cuddles my friend kindly offered to bring them down for me as she was in her Kangaroo Valley house for the weekend and I drove up yesterday to collect them. It was a glorious day and I love the drive up there, winding up the mountain and passing through pockets of ancient rainforest as you climb to the top of the escarpment where you have views to the ocean on one side and down into the beautiful Kangaroo Valley on the other. The temperature drops at least 5 degrees at the top, there is little to no phone reception and you can totally imagine what it must have been like when the original explorers made their way up the mountain through thick vegetation on horseback or with bullocks and carts to discover that green valley perfect for farming on the other side. The first recorded European sighting of the valley was in April 1812, when surveyor-explorer George Evans passed through the area as he travelled north from his exploration of Jervis Bay. Evans reportedly claimed that the valley offered a view that “no painter could beautify.” and to this day it attracts artists and photographers and has a slightly bohemian feel with a charming little township servicing the 900 odd people that live permanently in the valley and the several hundred more that arrive every weekend! My friend lives in the Upper Kangaroo Valley and as I drove alongside the meandering Kangaroo River I saw little puffs of dust as farmers tended their fields, their tractors ruffling up the dry earth as they went. Despite the need for more rain (it is a constant catch cry wherever you go!) the huge variety of trees gives a lushness to the parched earth. The bird calls here are amazing and it is a wonderful peaceful place to while away a weekend.

Meanwhile in Ho Chi Minh City preparations are forging ahead for the imminent arrival of our little granddaughter (does life get any better folks????) She now has a little bedroom to call her own as they moved to a bigger three bed apartment last week which they LOVE! Loz has been having a lovely time decorating the nursery and getting as prepared as she can although the simplest of things have been hard to find over there (a clothes horse/airer is unheard of and the cot sheets are all nylon – eek!) Her lovely friends threw her an impromptu baby shower over the weekend which made her feel very special and with less than 6 weeks to go we are ready for another beautiful little bub to join the clan! These new little people have given us even more reason to stay fit, healthy and happy so we can be here to see them grow up and enjoy all the happiness that they bring. They also make me look at the world and wish I could make all the bad stuff go away so they can have the best life ever, but we all have the ability within ourselves to make every day count and live our best life, we just have to tap into all the amazing opportunities that life offers – big or small. Having these tiny little people is teaching me a lot about living life…

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!

It has been a lovely few weeks of that summer holiday feeling as we enjoyed the month that traditionally has Sydney emptying out and the beaches of Australia filling up as everyone escapes for the school holidays. The weather has been perfect with just the odd 40 degree day with earlyish southerly changes bringing cool breezes and/or thunderstorms so we haven’t had to endure too many hot days in a row. Australia Day officially ended the school holidays and we joined some friends at The Shoalhaven Heads Hotel for a couple of hours of fun. Jugs of cocktails served from their gorgeous 1950’s caravan ‘Hetty’ to enjoy whilst watching the crab races and then the thong throwing competition! Simple family fun with everyone decked out in Australiana and enjoying the live music and some local fish and chips. Things certainly don’t have to be high end to be fun and it was a great afternoon out.

Trying to write the numbers on the teeny tiny crabs proved tricky but the boys got the job done and there was much excitement in the crab ring as to who was going to win the contest!!

We have been getting stuck into the garden which had gone rather wild during the holiday period and was in dire need of some hours being spent weeding, trimming and harvesting some rather huge zucchinis and cucumbers that had escaped our attention! The landscapers came and finished off the new flower beds with some metal edging, fingers crossed it will deter the grass runners and give the MOTH an edge to whipper snip to, making life easier all round! Our new gardenia hedge is now weeded, mulched and enjoying it’s new position with lots of flower buds and bright new growth. It should smell gorgeous when all the flowers are out!

I went out and bought some nets for my plum trees which were laden with fruit and things were looking hopeful for me to finally make a decent batch of jam. The nets managed to cover about 3/4 of each tree, and I pegged the nets onto the branches to make it impenetrable and felt quite proud of my efforts until hubby said he saw two pairs of lorikeets (little cheeky parrots) hopping up from the ground onto the bottom branches and working their way upwards!! Needless to say they well and truly beat me on the race to the fruit and I literally managed to get ONE plum from each tree for us. They destroyed the entire crop, sometimes only taking one bite out of each plum before going onto the next one. Bailey had it all worked out, lying on the floor under the trees and eating all the fruit that the birds knocked down. Animals 1: Susie 0

As our first grandchild’s arrival is imminent we thought it would be nice to have a night up in The Big Smoke and take the parents-to-be out for a grown up night out with dinner and a show. We went along to The Book of Mormon and loved it. A very funny and irreverent take on The Mormon Church and I’d forgotten how much fun live theatre can be. It was especially nice to celebrate the start of Liv’s maternity leave and she had spent the day washing all the little baby clothes in preparation for his/her arrival! So cute to see their lounge room transformed and a few extra tiny socks to get lost in the wash…..Not long now!!

Last year I won my first ever prize at a long lunch hosted by Claydon Park. It was for 2 nights at Bannisters in Mollymook with a dining credit to boot. A very generous prize and I was excited to use it. Initially I had booked to go with my sister when she visited from the UK but we had to cancel after contracting a rotten virus. Then I thought I could go with my daughter when she visited from Vietnam at Xmas but it wasn’t valid during school holidays so as it was due to expire hubby and I went instead and we had a lovely little mini break away from the daily routine. Mollymook is about an hour further south from us and a little bit of a time warp but in a good way. We loved seeing the kids wandering home from school chatting away and happy to walk with their friends for however long it took. None of the fear based parenting that seems to happen in the city meaning kids have to be picked up and dropped off just in case some disaster befell them en route. We saw other kids, as young as 11 at 7.30am coming BACK from the beach with their surfboards tucked under their arms after a pre-school surf and not a parent in sight. It reminded hubby of the Australia he grew up in and it was reassuring to see that families can still enjoy this lifestyle today if they are lucky enough to be able to live in these coastal towns.

Bannisters has three different small hotels, two of which are in Mollymook and the other in Port Stephens and they are all owned by Rick Stein, the English chef. They all have a lovely holiday vibe, gorgeous pools and tasty summery food and cocktails which very quickly make you feel super relaxed. Lying by the pool under their sunny yellow and white striped sun brollies and with a perfect blue sky it was hard to feel anything other than content. If you are looking for a short local getaway I can highly recommend this little corner of the world.

Coming home we were happy chappies, the countryside was looking fresh and green after some nice rain and little bales were dotted all over the surrounding landscape as the farmers capitalise on their windfall, literally making hay while the sun shines and stockpiling food for the dry days that will inevitably recur. Australia really is experiencing all the extremes at the moment with the north of Queensland in flood, a years worth of rain in a few days and causing havoc. This is being watched on the news by the poor folks in southern Tasmania and Victoria who have been enduring terrible bushfires, with beautiful old growth forests burnt out and not to be replaced in our lifetime and other farmers who have had to cull their herds of cattle due to lack of feed and fresh water. It certainly is a tough continent. If we could only find a way to share all our water around…..

Turning into our lane our feelings of happiness quickly subsided as we saw there was obviously a problem with some cows in the paddock. The farmers and vets were there and our hearts sank as we realised things were not good. Two cows were obviously dead and a third was being put out of it’s misery. Apparently it was a case of kikuyu poisoning which is very hard to diagnose until adverse symptoms are noticed. The grass can produce a toxin after periods of drought followed by good rain and it is still unsure as to whether the army worms that like to live in the kikuyu are responsible for the toxins or if it something else. Either way it is a serious threat to small herds and extremely upsetting to all that witness it. I felt so helpless watching these beautiful gentle animals obviously struggling and can only imagine what it must be like for the farmers that have raised them. Heart breaking. We are all hoping that it doesn’t affect any other animals and they have all been moved away to other paddocks just in case. Honestly, who in their right mind would be a farmer?? I take my hat off to them.

Cows are such lovely animals, social, curious, gentle, quiet and engaging.