Full Moon in Woodford

I don't know where to start to tell about my trip to Vietnam, I think the best thing is to do it bit by bit.. along with my daily life.....

today is the full moon.. according to my MOONTIME diary: a magnetic & magickal time; be careful what you ask for & gracefully accept what you receive. An emphasis on water and light opens doors for healing & transformation. Best day in the year for planting and harvesting potent herbs. And in my notes it says that this is the Dingo Moon, but yesterday I noticed the little finches on my grass... chittering away to each other in the brisk morning sun and my apple tree is almost bare so I have decided to call this May Full Moon "the crisp bare apple tree finch Moon" - something very picturesque about that I think....

vietnam is a beautiful country, full of contrasts. I didn't see the night sky once, I am not sure if it was pollution or cloud cover from the nearby cyclone in Burma... but I sure missed our Australian stars. The weather was hot & very humid and it rained almost every afternoon. The people are mostly delightful.. trying so hard to understand our english and wanting to help all the time. I just found it very hard when girls with babies on their hips came up to me asking for money all the time.. I just felt so helpless as I knew I could not help them all.

lining the streets are street vendors. Selling all manner of wares and junk. The aroma from the cooking was quite delicious and we did buy some small cakes from a little old lady.


Joe & I did a few tours - City sights- where we visited the Presidential Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and the War Remnants Museum, where there we saw planes and helicopters from the Vitenam War along with photos and other war bits n pieces. I could not continue through the tour as it became too emotional for me to see photos that were on display.. so I went and sat outside watching the busy world go by.

Then onto a Pagoda where I bought some incense to bring home and also lit a spiral of it to hang in the Pagoda. The theory is that as the incense burns down, your prayers are taken off to 'God'.... excellent theory I think.

Saigon by night, where we went to a traditional Vietnamese restaurant and tried various foods and beer.. then shopping.. where I bought some gorgeous silk lanterns. The buildings in the city were gorgeous, run down, but gorgeous. The French influence could be seen in the colours and architecture...

I was amazed at the beautiful timber shutters that adorned most buildings. I would love to get my hands on some of them.... I am sure oneday, some antique dealer will discover these treasures and will offer a pittance to unsuspecting Vietnamese families... take them back to France and make a fortune......*sigh* the way of the world.

each day we would take a walk around the streets and I never tired of looking at the homes. All very narrow but about 3 stories high and painted the most vibrant colours and most of them had statues on the top balcony, whether they were of Kwan Yin or Mary. The streets were quite clean.. ladies used large straw brooms to sweep. I just loved the sights.. the coolie hats, the straw brooms and the street vendors.. a little busier than I expected but it is a developing country and I am guess I am glad that I could visit when I could.. I am sure it will be spoilt in a few years time.


that's it for today... enjoy your Full Moon & remember be careful what you wish for... I am going to do some drumming... something Ruth and I are working on across the globe!