Two days of extremely changeable weather and now, at 6pm, finally the sun breaks through. You can tell it has been slightly less hot than usual when you notice the cars parked around the complex no longer have their windscreen wipers sticking up in the air. Normally drivers will lever them up so they do not stick to the windscreens!

Two nights ago a corker of a storm had everyone battening down the hatches and scurrying for cover. Last night the rain was so heavy, not only did Singapore disappear, it was also impossible to make out Country Towers, the twin ‘posh’ high rises across the golf course from us. We heard a siren start up about 6.30 pm and wondered if it was a flood alert, but have been unable to find out for sure.

Now the air is cleaner and temperatures more comfortable for we Westerners. A slight smog hangs over Singapore and downtown JB, but not what one could call serious pollution. Here in Seri Alam the increase in traffic heralds the evening tide of workers returning home; you cannot compare it to a British rush hour, however, as it is much too sedate!

The rain has had positive results: all the vegetation is thriving and I have spotted egrets, many different varieties of small birds (I don’t have an ornithology guide yet), and what may have been storks, plus a lone heron. Whereas in India our flat was level with the tree canopy, here we are way above and it is much more difficult to identify birds. Those that do swoop past are much appreciated, but not as dramatic as the kites we used to see in Bangalore.

The return to school for our daughter has gone relatively smoothly. She attends a brand new school and, apart from initial teething problems, it is all falling into place. I drop her and her father off by 7.50am and collection is at 3.30pm. I’m not sure why, but teachers are obliged to stay on until 4.30pm, so my husband gets a lift from a colleague later. So far so good too on the school meals front: at RM7 a time + RM3 for a snack, it’s not particularly cheap for an Asian country, but she has enjoyed the choices thus far.

There are 8 girls and 4 boys in her class, led by a young British lady. Our daughter is, of course, British, there is an American girl and the rest are, I believe, Chinese Malaysians. The uniform is a white blouse, maroon skort, white socks and black shoes, although the idea is that the school will become a shoe-free zone once the non-slip white socks come into stock. This is apparently a Japanese trend which the school’s founder has latched on to … but pity the poor mums asked to keep white socks white!