I left Melbourne’s hottest March on record last week. In my final days I gloried in the sunshine, the lack of rain and the most consecutive days over 30C ever recorded. Water skiing, swimming and camping on the Murray River, kids running splashing around the backyard, playing in the park,  an evening at the Moonlight Cinema in Melbourne’s Royal Botanical Gardens and a pashmina was all I needed in the night air.

Then I arrived back in Edinburgh just as the UK was in the throes of it’s coldest March in 50 years. Instead of 7C and clear skies as predicted I was greeted by 2C and snow/rain mix. Luckily Kellie was on hand to collect me from the airport so I didn’t have to trudge from the bus stop to the flat in the wet. It was certainly a bit of a shock and I didn’t leave the flat for days. Perhaps it was the nine months of summer but I’m finding it harder to deal with the weather this time round. I wear at least three layers indoors and five or six outdoors. I don’t have a shoulder from which to hang a handbag. Thanks to the high necked jackets and thick woolly scarves, I no longer have full neck function. I cross the road by turning my whole torso to check for cars.

I did take the opportunity of being unemployed again of going to London to visit my friend Karyn and her new baby and for a ‘once-a-year’ gathering with some university friends, Cassie and Bec. Cassie now lives in Singapore and was coping with the cold and snowy weather about as well as I was. Julie also arrived fresh from Melbourne’s 36C degrees and layered up with the rest of us. Most of the weekend was spent eating and drinking (ready for hibernating for the winter??). Unfortunately the grey skies didn’t do London’s sites justice but we tried.

I’ve heard that spring will get here sooner or later. Probably not before the clock’s change for British summer time this week though!