February 2010

Hi Peregrinos, friends and relatives that still bother to come on line and read this, chuckle!











This month has been quite a stressful one but we consider ourselves very lucky.We have heat waves and the driest and hottest summer on record while a number of you have been shivering in snow storms plus blown away by gales and having to go to work each day too! Me, I just try to get out early and get my walk in before it gets to 30c and some days that’s not been possible! A few days I decided going out to get cooked with a big pack on your back was perhaps a bit daft! Some of the locals have been telling me that for ages, chuckle! In this heat fire is always a risk but our part of this enormous state has missed them. No tidal waves or earth quakes either! No, over all it's good, even if my Transit van tries to drive me mad. In September a new starter motor, then this month the fan for the air-conditioning and the engine fan, then I have to get the starter done again!!!! When they did that, they pointed out it was the powder from a worn out clutch that was the problem. Fords fitted 3 different types of clutch in the year the van was made and mine has the most expensive one. Jeff my mechanic friend has been searching for an alternative and said he had found one at a third of the price that should do the job. As of yet I haven't heard from him so I get the feeling there might still be problems fitting it as I think he thought he would have had it done by now. I know he is doing his best so I haven't worried him today. Here is a few photos of the river this month

















The most exciting thing this month was Maisie winning the club Ladies Singles Championship and I could see it meant as much to her as my walking into Santiago the first time. This in mind I went to watch and it was a good game and to me better than the winter Olympics! Mind you it went on for nearly as long, chuckle, but I was able to sit under the shade to watch and film rather than freeze on ski slopes. For those who would like to try to understand this game and see Maisie play, she has a video made up of the pieces of shots I took on the day on Maisie's blog It's approx 14 minutes long and quite a big file, so will take a while to 'buffer'.
The whole match took over 2 1/2 hours! The winner was the first to reach 25 and it took them 33 ends before Maisie finally won 26 - 18. It was a very good game and they were very hot and tired by the end as it was a hot day and they were playing with 4 bowls each, which meant each put down 132 bowls! Quite a marathon in this heat! I think that accounts for the rather red faces in this photo , chuckle!






Jo and Simon also celebrated their 19th Wedding Anniversary with a quiet lunch for two which they said was very nice indeed. (photo in the February 2010 album which you can get to from the Our Web Page link)


















3 birthdays celebrated altogether this month were Jo’s brother-in-law Matt’s and his 2 little boys. Another very hot day and Matt cooked home made pizzas for all out on the patio. Having eaten more than I should have as they were so tasty, we were then treated to 3 pieces of birthday cake, one piece from each cake! Oh boy! we were full chuckle. The little one had fallen from the bed three weeks ago, hence the arm in plaster but it didn't stop him having fun and crawling about on it! All had a great time.


























Jo and Alex have been busy with their art work and have turned out some great work. Unfortunately I never took the camera the other day. Jo put some of her pictures in a local Art Exhibition early in the month (see some photos in the February 2010 album) I'm pleased to say Lizzie has been working hard and fitting in well in the 1st term of High School.

I have been trying to paint again and have started painting a photo I took in Oviedo while on my North Camino. I had used it on the cover of the book I published and it was a magical moment for me. It has some 20 people in it and two main dancers. I am trying to paint the crowd so that they just might recognise themselves if they ever saw it. They are quite small and it remains to be seen if I can achieve that ,chuckle. I will put up the picture as it is at the moment. Just the rear wall and the first people on the left side are probably complete( I love the little boy asking his mum the time) the dancers face is not that is only roughed in at the moment.

We should be able to tell you a bit more about the other half of the family (John, Silvia, Emil, Maya and Benjamin) in next month's blog as we hope to get down to Denmark WA soon, if all goes well. We know they are all well by chatting to them on Skype.
Hoping you are all well and keeping warm
Abrazos from us both
Mike and Maisie