Dear Friends and Family
I had every intention of sending you  the traditional Christmas newsletter but, as usual, events overtook me and here we are-more than a fortnight into 2018 and not a word written! Perhaps it is serendipitous and appropriate that I start instead just six months after arriving here in Rous to start a new life.

2017 was a tumultuous year of contradictions:  sad endings and bright beginnings; downsizing and expansion; farewells and
reunions; hope and despair. Gerald's demise left me depleted in mind and body and it seemed that in losing him I had also lost a sense of purpose which even my beloved menagerie and garden could not restore. That I survived so well was largely due to the wonderful support  provided so generously by many of you- in France, in Australia and the US but most of all by those in the UK who picked me up; dusted me off and pushed me to organise my future.  I don't know what I would have done without Sarah who, in Miranda's absence, appointed herself a surrogate daughter; drove constantly from Hampshire to Hemevez over an eight month period to chauffeur us from hospital to hospital and back again and was a tower of strength and a source of joy, laughter and practical assistance in spite of her own heavy commitments to farm and family. I will never be able too thank her enough-nor the whole Watts/Mills family for sparing her for so long and so often.
 
After we had all been struck down by the dreaded winter flu over Christmas 2016 and the  New Year I limped back home to recuperate and to consider my future. Miranda and Rowan had already suggested that I should return to Australia (and had organised a month's visit the previous year to suss out possibilities) but after over twenty years  in Europe it was a hard call.  The house looked unlikely to sell--too big; too old; huge high maintenance grounds and gardens and no central heating -and  I loved my life in the beautiful, tranquil, unspoiled country of the Cotentin. But in February the unbelievable happened. A Dutch couple arrived, fell in love with the property and made an offer not only to buy it, but also to take most of the contents.  Anne is a serious gardener with immaculate decorating skills so I was vastly relieved to know that the land would be cared for and the integrity of the building respected. There was a sudden burst of energy required to find homes for all the birds and animals; to decide what I should keep; what to sell; what to give away....what to do with a big library filled with books and research materials...barns full of equipment.....sheds stuffed with garden tools and machines..stables full of hay....attics overflowing with unmentionables.. Before I knew it June was upon us;  the farewell parties had started and my departure became a done deal.  However, the love and generosity of all my friends was so overwhelming  that I began to have second thoughts--what was I thinking of to walk away from a corner of the world which had given us so many happy years; from the two choirs with which I sang with such joy; from the proximity of my oldest friends  and from the centuries of history in every nook and cranny; every town and village; every roof and room?  But events have a way of accelerating at times like this and before I could change my mind the furniture had gone and I was on my way to England for another round of farewells--to Sue and Betty and their families; to the folk  in Suffolk where I had spent six wonderful years; to the choir in Eye and many others. Pauline and Gordon even drove down from Scotland, braving the horrendous motorways, and Moyra  was a wonderfully welcoming hostess, generously arranging reunions with all those who mattered most. And on June 30th it was all over- I was on my way to Heath Row with two bags and a backpack of mixed  hope and trepidation.

I arrived in Sydney on July 3rd to stay with my old friend Wendy Blacklock for a couple of weeks to catch up with family, my step children and the many old friends who had so kindly expressed pleasure at the thought of my being back in Oz.  Sydney Harbour was still as glorious, glinting in the winter sun, but the traffic seemed  to have tripled even since my last visit, and huge featureless apartment buildings had proliferated  everywhere, even obscuring the iconic views of the Opera House. It all felt quite alien-little ancient history here to reach for, and domestic architecture strangely flat.

Four days before flying upstate I managed to fling myself head first down a flight of stairs in Wendy's apartment. Concussion and a fractured clavicle saw me into Royal North Shore hospital . NOT an auspicious start to my new adventure but I was fortunate that I did not break my neck.  However, my good intentions of being an immediate help to Miranda came to naught since I could neither drive nor even tie my own shoelaces. The cottage, in the grounds of their 85 acre macadamia farm, needed total renovation and was virtually uninhabitable, so I had to stay in the main house and was more burden than assistance. M and R. were, however, extremely welcoming and generous-remarkably so, as I had to share their home and daily life for three months ( and we all know the import of the Chinese proverb ...!) Their friends and neighbours were also kind and helpful, offering advice and contacts as well as hospitality.  However, I have to admit to feeling out of my comfort zone for quite some time; a feeling exacerbated by an inability to understand much of what was said to me in supermarkets and shops or heard on television. And by the embarrassment of having to ask Miranda to translate,  in Woolworths, the advice proffered by a perfectly charming young woman in what was clearly a home grown Australian accent. I was mortified!

However,  the renovations kept me occupied and involved  and planning a garden restored my sense of purpose.  With constant company the loneliness diminished and by the end of September I was able to move in.  The work had been more or less completed in twelve weeks, which was incredible, and I am delighted with the results. The cottage is  light and airy and is surrounded by magnificent trees:.enormous jacaranda, African tulip trees, 80feet tallowwoods and eucalyptus, 100 foot pines, lemon
myrtles, Chinese fan trees, mangoes, avocadoes, flowering gums and over 6,000 productive macadamias.
The bird life is incredible, noisy and colourful......kookaburras, parrots, lorikeets, rosellas, herons, spoonbills, frogmouth owls, egrets, ibis, indian mynahs, tiny blue wrens and all kinds of LBDs, and there are rabbits, hares and koalas down by the creek and water dragons and goannas everywhere. There are also fifty kinds of spiders and at least
three kinds of snakes.(which are much more scared of us than we are of them and they are very useful in controlling the rats which find the nuts a gourmet treat). The climate, according to the CSIRO, is the most equable in Australia, and the long white beaches of the NSW/Queensland  coast are only twenty minutes away. In fact, the country is very beautiful- undulating, in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range,  with a wealth of rivers and lakes, incredibly fertile red volcanic soil and areas of beautiful rain forest.  All in all, I am sure that the move was, in fact, the best  decision I could have made. The medical facilities are excellent...proved recently as Miranda had a knee replacement in September and I had extensive dental surgery in October- the day surgery centre in nearby Ballina is like a spa and the new hospital in the Gold Coast  more like a six star hotel- and, unlike the UK, there are hardly any delays.

The population of Northern Rivers is proving to be much more cosmopolitan that my original expectations, many people having moved here after fascinating careers elsewhere. I have joined the very active Alliance Francaise, a French book club and a monthly luncheon  group which features amazing food and great wines. Tomorroiw I start as a volunteer at the Lismore Botanical Gardens which concentrate on native flora and which will be a useful education...having restored a 300 year old  English garden and created  a 5 acre paradise from a maize field in France I am now in new territory with hitherto unknown  subtropical plants which grow at twice the rate indicated on their labels! My north facing deck is already being colonised by creepers and climbers and the blue/white/lime yellow garden is beginning to look as if it has always belonged there. Am now starting to underplant a cloister of hoop pines with what will be banks of white azaleas, purple grasses and eriostemons  (native wax flowers) and to plan an ornamental potager.

It is good to have family so near after all and I am gradually getting to know my 15 year old grand daughter. I miss all my dear friends in Europe dreadfully but am glad to be reunited with the even older friends here. Life is pretty good and will be even better soon when I find a new four legged companion which will take me for long walks. With no stairs to run up and down and very little housework to do the exercise regime could do with a bit of a nudge.     I had my first house guest to stay for ten days when Wendy  came for a  Christmas which could not have been more different from those of the last twenty years. It felt very strange. 40 degrees Celsius; no carols; no music; completely secular, the only  familiar things were the Christmas crackers and the turkey, ham and plum pudding which I cooked for a company of twelve chez Miranda..  I  was glad when it was over, though it was, of itself, not unenjoyable.  It is difficult sometimes to realise that I have only been back here for six months..it seems on  some days to have been much longer; on others as if I have just left Hemevez for a short holiday and will shortly be back into the grey damp of a Normandy winter.  But the other morning I realised that I was singing to myself as I weeded ..the first time in over sixteen months. So I guess I am over the worst and have moved into contentment.

I love getting news from "home".. please keep it coming.  My apologies for repetition to those who have asked for, and received, regular updates already. I have sent pictures to many and am happy to send to anyone else who may like them..just let me know.  I hope that some intrepid souls may find their way to this little corner of the world...you can  be assured of a big welcome and a comfy  bed. Much love to you all and my very best wishes for an exciting, healthy, peaceful and happy 2018.


Diana

55a Rous Road
Rous 2477 NSW

mobile 61(0) 458490591