Happy Christmas
Posted: December 24, 2012 Filed under: Britain, change, Christmas, England, family, Reflections | Tags: change, christmas, family, married, wedding 5 Comments »
Christmas is being spent in Northumberland with family. Today included a trip to a fresh, breezy, blue-skied Tynemouth – the anti-Hanoi.
Yesterday we got married again. This time with the whole family present, sisters, kids etc and a lovely day was had by all.
For a number of reasons, 2012 has been a trying year for us. In October, on our anniversary, I asked Loan to marry me (again) and yesterday was the culmination of that. It also seemed to break a run of bad luck. Since then a new job has been secured by me and a new cafe opened by Loan.
All of the above means that, for the first time in 12 months, we’re absolutely committed to Hanoi. We wobbled this year and the wobbling made us more unhappy than anything Hanoi could throw at us. In the end all we needed to know was our near future would work out and when that fell into place we happily settled again.
Beyond this the only thing I need to really love/survive Hanoi is an annual day like today in Tynemouth. Head, sinuses and cobwebs cleared.
I will hate Hanoi again. In the middle of next summer, in a pool of sweat, I’ll dream of windy Tynemouth but I’ll also love Hanoi many many times inbetween.
Happy Christmas to all. I hope your year is ending as well as mine is.
Fabulous photo’s Steve. Congratulations on the wedding & the job. Merry Xmas!
a love/hate relationship with Hanoi, but hopefully you’ll have a wonderful 2013 filled with everthing you could wish for
Congratulations on your second ceremony
And looking forward to continuing to follow your life via your writing
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year: greetings to you, Steve & Loan!
Just like you, I’m spending Christmas away, not because I detest it in Hanoi, but a different kind of a comfort zone, this time it being Kuala Lumpur, is always a welcome respite..
Can’t see the photos, as the Flickr link is set to private, but I’m sure they’re lovely. Congratulations again to both of you, and I’m glad the UK saw fit to give at least one day of blue skies to welcome you back!
Have a wonderful time back home, and don’t forget your invitation to pie and beer if either of you fancy another welcome 
I can sympathise on both counts. I miss Hanoi and Vietnam in general (hell, I miss travelling). I also miss my native Tyneside. But for family and work reasons – and with both I am very happy – I’m in grubby Glasgow for the long term.
Congratulations on the backup wedding, too! I think we’ll stick to just having the one. Some people obviously just like wedding cake