Sunday 9th December 2012…..a bit of everything!!!

Had a quiet breakfast morning and then met Carolyn at her tennis club where we hit balls for about 30 minutes and she felt and did good…..almost ready for our first mixed doubles on Tuesday.  At the club they were having the finals of the boys 17 year old singles so we stayed and watched it and we both said that the boy that lost although having all the skills lost the mental battle and the match.

I then come home and did some chores and at 4pm went to pick up Paola we were invited to one of my tennis buddies home where they had a huge celebration in the Jewish faith.

Paola looked lovely in one of her new outfits from yesterday and she seemed to enjoy the totally different experience.

The home was really lovely!!

Pretty soon she found some children and they played this game for a long time!!!

The special lighting of the candles!!!

As we were leaving all the children were given a small gift and Paola opened it in the car and it was a lovely coloring book and crayons…..we both had a great time she is a joy to be with and I hope all this exposure to different events opens her eyes to the bigger world out there.

After I took her home I went to Paula and Jerry’s camper where we had a wonderful Shepard's Pie dinner and good conversation..thanks so much!!!

How about a photo from the past!!

Back home a little tired but happy!!!

Yahsi Koshi!!

Saturday 8th December 2012…spoil the kids rotten day!!!!!!!!!!

 

Remember when we thought Tiger Woods was the only golfer on the planet who could bring in an appearance fee north of $2 million? Well apparently the 14-time major winner has company in the eye-popping appearance fee department, after Australia's Herald Sun reported that Rory McIlroy's now asking for just over $2 million to show up for an event.

According to the Sun's story, McIlroy's management team had come to an agreement on an appearance fee with Australian Open officials at the end of last year to play the event, but following the 23-year-old's torrid finish to the 2012 season -- including an eight-shot win at the PGA Championship -- the fee went from $1 million to $2 million, thereby putting him out of reach financially for Aussie tournament officials.

 

Is McIlroy's appearance at a tournament worth $2 million? He's without question the hottest player in golf at the moment, owns the No. 1 ranking and has a couple major wins under his belt, so the resume would lead you to believe he's worth a hefty appearance fee.

But $2 million? That's debatable. In a golf landscape where appearance fees dictate the quality of the field at major international events, the price to entice the best players in the world to an event has skyrocketed in recent years.

Some may disagree with the practice of paying for a player to show up at an event, but as we've seen in years past with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who have received hefty appearance fees to play, if you want the best in the world, you better be prepared to back up the Brinks truck.

 

 

The world as gone mad!!!

 

  I will come to your charity event and show off my prowess on the tennis court for only a turkey dinner!!!!!!

AND I will allow the ladies to run their fingers through my locks!!!!!!!

 

So the usual start to my Saturdays…9am tennis and this was really great games today two different players and I thoroughly enjoyed my time.  Back home for a late breakfast whilst watching a live soccer game from England.

Then let the fun begin…Paula and Jerry had bought a couple of outfits for the girls from this great thrift store in Nova Scotia called Frenchy's and as it was my time to have Daniela so we went to pick her up. I told P & J that I was going to buy runners for Daniela because hers were worn out and they insisted they wanted to get them for her for Christmas. Thank you..

So with Daniela in tow we went to the Mercado and Daniela went right to the same store where Carolyn bought her runners last year she immediately picked out the pair she wanted..

 

The shoes are great !!!!

We then went to pick up Paola and she was so happy to see Paula and Jerry again and of course Daniela…we came back to the campground and Paula had arranged a fashion show for the girls with their new clothes….what a thrill the giggles, the laughs and the wonderful outfits..sit back and enjoy the show!!!

Then it was time for the girls to watch some TV…

We all had a wonderful afternoon and the girls were so happy……

From here we went up to the Botanical Gardens to see some more friends Chris and Juan…had a visit with the girls and it was good to see  them again.

I then dropped Daniela off at CH and then took Paola home…what a day!!!

Back home again and showered and changed and went to a small open house at one of my poker buddies and from there met up with Paula and Jerry and Chris and Juan at Hecho's restaurant..we had a special time exchanging stories a lovely end to a great day!!

Yashi Koshi!!!!!

Friday 7th December 2012….Hey look who is here????

My first stop this morning was to go get Paola and we came to the house where she first answered her e mails she likes to do this she writes in English as I tell her the words and some of the spelling.  She then got busy making signs for our friends Paula and Jerry are arriving in the afternoon!!

We then bought a poinsettia and went to the RV park and put the welcome sign and plant in the spot where Paula and Jerry are going to park.

I then took Paola back home but on the way we saw Carolyn in her car so we stopped to say hello and Carolyn wanted a photo so this was the end result cute eh??

This is the last article in the soccer referee story I have written about before…you may not find it very interesting but I did…. this incident went from the player and club accusing the referee to him being exonerated and then the player fined good job!!

John Mikel Obi banned for Mark Clattenburg threats

Chelsea's John Mikel Obi has been given a three-match ban and fined £60,000 by the Football Association for threatening referee Mark Clattenburg.

Mikel admitted an FA charge following an incident in the match officials' changing room after Chelsea's defeat by Manchester United on 28 October.

The FA accepted the player had believed the referee had racially abused him.

However, the union Prospect, which represents referees, said it was "dismayed" at the "lenient" punishment.

In a personal hearing on Thursday the FA's Independent Regulatory Commission accepted the Nigerian midfielder's explanation.

"But for that factor the suspension would have been significantly longer," the FA said in a statement.

Prospect national secretary Alan Leighton claimed "far too much weight" had been given to Mikel's mitigating circumstances.

A Prospect statement added: "It is vital that officials were given real respect and this decision regrettably gave entirely the wrong message. A player in parks football found guilty of behaviour like Mikel's would have faced a long-term ban."

The FA investigated the allegation against Clattenburg which prompted Mikel's behaviour and found that there was no case for him to answer.

The police also dropped their own inquiry into the allegations that Clattenburg had racially abused Mikel, 25.

Mikel's team-mate Ramires had made the allegation and Chelsea later said they regretted the way the matter was handled.

Clattenburg missed four weekends of Premier League matches while the FA investigated Chelsea's complaint.

I came home for a couple of hours and then went back to the RV park to meet Paula and Jerry…these are very special friends that I met in 2011 when I toured Eastern Canada in Ramona…they invited me to stay with them for a few days we became close and special friends…these photos are from then

If you go back to my blog posts for September 4th 2011 you can read all about how we met and how kind they were to me!!

It was lovely to see them and they are here for 11 days so will get lots of chances to catch up and they are very special friends to Paola and Daniela so lots of visiting..great to see you and thanks for my gifts!!!

On the way home I stopped to buy myself a poinsettia for home

I think you may find the below article informative and interesting!!

 

Notes on 'La flor de Nochebuena'

Spanish Article's Grammar and Vocabulary Explained

 

 

Durante la temporada navideña,
During the Christmas season,

Navideño is the adjectival form of Navidad, the word for Christmas. The feminine form is used here because temporada is feminine. In Spanish, unlike English, nouns aren't readily used as adjectives.

la flor de Nochebuena es muy popular en los Estados Unidos.
the poinsettia is very popular in the United States.

Nochebuena, a combination of noche (night) and buena (good) is the word used for "Christmas Eve." Although the phrase flor de Nochebuena could be translated literally as "Christmas Eve flower," doing so would not be as clear here as using the English name of the flower.

Pero muchos no saben que la flor es originaria de México.
But many don't know the flower is originally from Mexico.

The phrase ser originario de is frequently used to indicate where something originates. Note that originario (or the feminine form, origiaria is the original sentence here) is an adjective, not an adverb as in the English translation. Note also that the word que is left untranslated in English. In this case, it could have been translated as "that," a word often omitted in English. But in Spanish, que is essential.

En español, la flor tiene muchos nombres
In Spanish, the flower has many names

como la flor de Navidad, la flor de Pascua, la flor de fuego, la estrella de Navidad y la corona de los Andes.
such as the Christmas flower, the Pascua flower, the fire flower, the Christmas star and the crown of the Andes.

The word Pascua originally referred to the Jewish Passover. In Christianity, it came later to refer to Easter, whose timing is theologically connected with Passover. Its meaning later came to be connected with various days of the Christian liturgical calendar, and in plural form (las Pascuas) typically refers to Christmas. In fact, "¡Felices Pascuas!" is one say of saying "Merry Christmas!"

Los indígenas mexicanos la llamaban cuetlazochitl,
The natives of Mexico called it cuetlazochitl,

Indígena, meaning an indigenous person, is one of those unusual words that end in -a in both masculine and feminine forms. In the above sentence, la is used to mean "it" because it refers to a feminine noun, la flor. If the reference had been to a masculine noun, lo would have been used.

que significa "la flor de pétalos resistentes como el cuero".
which means "the flower with petals tough like leather."

Note that in Spanish, the period comes outside the quotation marks, the opposite of what is done in U.S. English. Note also that the de in the definition is translated as "with," even though de typically is translated as "of." This provides a more natural translation. You should always translate for meaning, not attempt to translate word for word.

Para los aztecas, la flor roja era símbolo del sangre de los sacrificios que ofrendaban al sol.
For the Aztecs, the red flower was a symbol of the blood of the sacrifices they offered to the sun.

The verbs in this sentence are in the imperfect tense, as is usually the case with verbs that refer to events or repeated actions that occur over a long period of time.

En los EEUU, la flor es conocida como la poinsettia en honor de Joel Poinsett, botánico y el primer embajador estadounidense a México.
In the U.S., the flower is known as the "poinsettia" in honor of Joel Poinsett, a botanist and first U.S. ambassador to Mexico.

EEUU is the abbreviation for Estados Unidos. See how the letters are doubled as is often done in an abbreviation of a plural noun.

En México hay una leyenda sobre la flor.
In Mexico there is a legend about the flower.

Hay is a form of haber that is very commonly used to mean "there is." The past tense, as in the following sentence, is había.

Se dice que había una niña muy pobre
It is said that there was a very poor girl

Se dice, a reflexive form of decir, is a common way of saying "it is said" or "they say."

que lloraba porque no tenía regalo para dar al niñito Jesús en el altar de su iglesia.
who cried because she didn't have a gift to give to the baby Jesus on the alter of her church.

Niñito is a diminutive form of niño, a word for "boy."

Un ángel escuchó sus oraciones, y le dijo que cortara las ramas de algunas plantas cerca del camino.
An angel heard her prayers and told her to cut the branches of the plants near the path.

The verb cortara is in the imperfect subjunctive form, because the subjunctive form typically is used with commands and requests that follow que. The le in this sentence is an indirect object pronoun; "to cut the branches" is what the angel said, but the girl is whom the angel told it to.

Cuando llegó la niña al altar, al contacto con sus lágrimas, de las ramas brotaron bellas flores rojas y resplandecientes.
When the girl arrived at the altar, upon contact with her tears beautiful and brilliant red flowers came forth from the branches.

Use of al followed by an infinitive, seen here in the phrase al contacto, is a common way of saying in Spanish that something occurs as the result of another event. Also note how the word order in this sentence is different than what it would be in English. Such use of verb-followed-by-the-subject word order is much more common in Spanish than it is in English.

Eran las primeras flores de Nochebuena.
These were the first poinsettias.

The translation of "They were ..." also could have been used. As the subject is often omitted in Spanish sentences, you can let context determine the smoothest translation.

Ya tenía regalo adecuado para el niñito Jesús.
Now she had a suitable gift for the baby Jesus.

Ya is a very common adjective whose translation varies widely depending on the context. The adjective adecuado is obviously related to the English "adequate" (making it a cognate). See how a different translation is chosen to make it fit the context better

A quiet evening at home and getting ready for a busy weekend.

Yashi Koshi!!

Thursday 6th December 2012……Daniela Day!!

Thursday so you know that routine by now yes tennis….and then chores around town and then I met up with my friend Carol we had not connected for a couple of weeks so lots to catch up on….back home to shower and change and to head to Casa Hogar where I had arranged for some of the girls to attend a performance of the Nutcracker at the down town theatre..

We had a few adults and we each took some girls I had to “put up” with these kids!!!!!

and this BRAT!!!

Is my Daniela not a classical beauty inside and out…we sat next to each other and the little ones were thrilled with the show these photos Daniela took!!!

The show was really well done and my girls had fun I am always amazed how at such events they sit so well behaved and never are a problem…we had to stop on the way home for a little treat for each of them…….it was wonderful to see Daniela and I can tell that when she sees me she is genuinely touched and she knows she is loved.  Dropped the girls back at CH by 8.45pm the little ones were asleep on the way home!!!

Yahsi Koshi!!!

Wednesday 5th December 2012 …..if yesterday was slow this was a busy day!!

Started off with going to pick up Paola and we went to the park near her place

and did some English/Spanish and then I got her to do a couple of drawings…this is a new attraction which she really does like and is good at it.

I picked this drawing out of her book and she copied it!!

Then this one!!

I am keeping all her drawings in a folder.

We then went to a bakery for snacks and then I took her home.

Next on the agenda was to go with Carolyn to hit tennis balls…she is feeling much better and is getting stronger each day I think by next week we will be ready to resume our mixed doubles games.

From there I went straight to poker where I enjoyed losing 100 pesos.

Home for supper and then back into town to go to the Play readers at the local St.Paul’s church the play was the one woman show Shirley Valentine…I have seen the movie and the play was very funny.

I have a busy weekend coming up with lots of fun things planned so stay tuned!!!

Yashi Koshi!!

Tuesday 4th December 2012……….slowish day!!

Had 2 hours of tennis this morning that was played in lovely sunshine and again a great workout and still happy to report that I am not suffering any knee or elbow problems….I do ice and cream before and after!!!

Did some chores around town and went to my favorite veggie place and bought these for 23 pesos which is not even 2 dollars!!

Again I encountered the beauty of this country and it’s people..the man who sold me the veggies I thought told me they were 33 pesos when actually he said 23 pesos the words are similar in Spanish and I failed to realize he said veinte(20) instead of treinta(30)..so I gave him 33 pesos and turned and started to walk away when he called me back and gave me back the extra 10 pesos I had given him!!!

Back home I took the afternoon off and watched a live soccer game from England..I know decadent behavior.

I had to go back into town to go to Casa Hogar my visit there was not the news I was hoping to hear I had asked to be allowed to have Daniela for three big events coming up the next little while but was in formed  the Madres would not grant me permission…this is hard for me but it is something that I cannot seem to do anything about….

.on the way home I  came across this store that I had not been in before so I thought I would give it a try…guess what slice I am having  tonight with my tea??

Monday 3rd December 2012….warm and sunny!!

This world is filled with wonderful people even ones I have never met….after I posted a few days ago about Paola getting her own computer and her own e mail address this morning she received this e mail….she has not seen it yet but will reply when she does…

 

Hi Paola!
Just wanted to say hello since you now have a
laptop and your very own email address!
Although Les and I have never met, I have been reading
his blog for several years.
I think it is wonderful that the two of you have such a great
friendship. Good friends are treasures!
I actually live near where Les used to live in British Columbia.
Canada.
I live on an island called Saltspring Island. You can
find it on Google earth on your laptop.
We live on a small farm with 4 cats, 2 dogs, 2 sheep, 4 goats and
a horse!
For many years we made pottery and sold it to stores
in Canada and the USA.
I also wanted to comment on your drawing that Les posted
on his blog today(Dec 1).
As an artist myself, your drawing caught my artistic eye.
Paola.....YOU are a VERY TALENTED ARTIST!
What a beautiful gift you have been given!
Please keep drawing (and ask Les to share them on his blog)
so that we can all appreciate and enjoy your beautiful drawings.
I look forward to them!
Big Hug!.....Un abrazo!
Renee

 

Thanks so much Renee for your kind words and taking the time to write blessings to you!!!

I picked up Paola at 10am today and we just spent the time doing chores in town, she is great company and here is my very first photo of her the day I met her!!!

and this was the first time I took them swimming to La Gruta!!!

Boy have they changed.

I was home by noon and spent the afternoon outside relaxing and reading and then decided to go to CH and see if I could confirm some outings with Barbara the new director there…she was not at CH but I did ask and got see Daniela…it was a joy when she came running to me arms open and a smile so wide she was so happy to see me as I was her!!!

Here she is with her sister Lupita!!

I even managed to get a little game going!!

It was great to see her and hope to see here again on Thursday.

Back home I put on my hiking shoes and went to the lake

A beautiful sunset!!

Hope the evening is a good one for all my readers!!!

Sunday 2nd December 2012….a different day!!!

So today was the big garage sale and by 9.30am I had everything outside on the side walk and I really did not know what to expect…I have to admit it was really very slow only 12 people showed all Mexican except one lady BUT they all got great deals and I managed to sell all the big stuff so I am very happy…I took in 2800 pesos about 215 dollars…so at last now I can put all the moves and buying and  behind me for a couple of months.

Today was the first day I have not left the house…I spent the afternoon cleaning up from the sale and sorting some things out and then after supper I watched a couple of movies…..so a slow day!!!

Yashi Koshi!!

Saturday 1st December 2012…….a happy Birthday and a new president!!!

 

 

Once in a while a person comes into your life and a bond of friendship is struck and the friendship grows into something truly beautiful!!!

I am blessed to have a few of these friendships in my life.

One of them is Heather who along with her husband Kirby and the three boys took me into their hearts and their gorgeous home. Over the years we have become family and although I am on the road many months of the year we remain close and tight.

Thank you Heather for all you have done for me and it is with great joy I wish you a very happy Birthday…Love you…

 

I wrote the above on last year’s blog for this date and nothing has changed!!!!

 

Mexico's Enrique Pena Nieto inaugurated as president

 

Mr Pena Nieto said Mexico had "lost ground" in his party's 12-year absence from power

 

Enrique Pena Nieto has been sworn in as Mexico's new president, promising to boost economic growth and tackle drug-related violence.

"My government's first aim will be to bring peace to Mexico," he said.

Some 60,000 people were killed in drug-related violence during the rule of his predecessor, Felipe Calderon.

Security was tight in Mexico City for the inauguration earlier as petrol bomb-wielding protesters clashed with riot police who fired tear gas.

One protester was gravely injured after being hit with a tear gas canister.

The demonstrators are angry at what they say was vote-buying by the president's campaign, says the BBC's Will Grant in Mexico City.

They were also protesting more generally against the return to power of Mr Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) after a 12-year absence.

But in his inaugural speech at a ceremonial palace in the old city centre, Mr Pena Nieto said the state had "lost ground" since his party left power.

"Lawlessness and violence have robbed various parts of the country of peace and freedom," said the 46-year old.

Security issues

Earlier, amid a cacophonic trumpet fanfare, outgoing President Felipe Calderon handed a sash with the colours of the Mexican flag to Mr Pena Nieto at the city's Congress building.

All week in Mexico City, a ring of steel had been in place around the building ahead of the ceremony.

Only three women are in the 20-member cabinet named by president-elect Enrique Pena Nieto

It had created massive traffic jams in the already congested city as authorities tried to prevent protesters from gaining access to parliament.

Earlier, the new president, who is 46, named a 20-member cabinet.

His foreign minister will be Jose Antonio Meade, who was treasury minister in Mr Calderon's outgoing government.

Mr Pena Nieto spent his final days as president-elect in talks with leaders in the US and Canada, Mexico's partners in the regional trade organisation, Nafta.

The PRI governed without interruption for 71 years until 2000, and its opponents often accused it of being authoritarian and corrupt, and of having links to the drug cartels.

But during his election campaign Mr Pena Nieto was adamant the party had evolved.

 

"I can say categorically that in my government, there won't be any form of pact or agreement with organised crime," he told the BBC. "It's not the path nor the route to greater security for the Mexican people."

Earlier this month, he denied the PRI's return to power would be a return to the past. "It is not, because this is a different country," he said.

The new president has indicated he will focus on tackling extortion, kidnapping and murder, and he has drafted in support from Colombia's former top policeman.

The outgoing president is due to take up a position at Harvard University and maintains he has made Mexico safer.

But for many Mexicans, Mr Calderon's legacy as president is of an estimated 10,000 drug-related killings a year for the past six years

Taken from BBC website.

 

I know I sound like a broken record but Saturdays are the same… I have 2 hours of really good men’s doubles and then come home relax and have lunch watching a live English soccer game..today was a wild one 6 goals in 30 minutes…..I then dropped Catalina off at her bus and went to pick up Paola…she was ready and waiting for me and today we were going to the next town, Celaya,  where there are 2 Wal-Mart's and a Costco..I needed to try and return some items from a couple of weeks ago.

We had snacks on the drive and I was trying out my Spanish with Paola..she then started to draw and I did not know she was so good..this took her about 10 minutes!!!

We arrived at the first

and there was no problem returning all the items except the toaster oven which I realized  I purchased at the other Wal-Mart for a reason I could not understand they would not accept it here ..so off we went to the other Wal-Mart where after about 15 minutes they told me I think that I was 2 days over the 30 day limit so no refund…it is OK it will go into the garage sale I am having tomorrow.

Whenever we come to the house we both always take our shoes off and when we leave Paola always tries to wear my crocks…so today it was time for her to get her own so I treated her to a purple pair and she loves them.

From here we went to Costco where I stocked up on some frozen food and like all Costco they have a great fast food counter where Paola ordered a lovely couple slices of fresh pizza, a drink and we both got strawberry sundaes….and then headed home.

Such is the kindness of this beautiful 11 year old girl..she told me she was saving half of the sundae for her Mum and a slice of the pizza for her Brother…so much she teaches me about love and caring!!!!

At home she helped me sort out the stuff for the sale tomorrow and then I drove her home…yet another great time with her.

Tonight I priced all the stuff and ready to go tomorrow at 10am…do not know what sort of attendance I shall get but if I sell half the stuff I shall be happy.

A happy and safe weekend to you all!!!