Friday 16th November 2012……….P day!!!

So today was Play day no plans and I called Carolyn and she seemed a little better and asked her if she wanted to come out and get some fresh air and she did….so I had a few little surprises for her……had a little Picnic packed up and we went and sat out in the sun.  I then had booked a Pamper session for her at a local spa and I dropped her off for two hours……….I went and did some chores and on my way passed by this old gentleman near to the tennis courts!!

He lives across from the tennis courts and last year I helped him move some firewood into his yard..he walks so slowly with a cane and that is a pick axe handle….I admire him as he takes so long to walk but a few paces!!!

I then went by Casita Doris from last year love the walled flowers and trees…

I then picked up Carolyn and she said she really enjoyed the Pampering….took her to her favorite Chinese restaurant where she picked out some food and the took her home and she was going to lay down…..she had managed to re pot three of my Pots and I loaded them up and drove them out to the casita and put them on one of the window ledges and they look great.

So now home relaxing and I want to wish all my readers a very happy weekend!!!

Thursday 15th November 2012…….no photos today!!!

Woke up to snow this morning so my usual 2 hours tennis in the sun to start my day was cancelled!!!!

 

 

Not true but it is my blog remember……..I took my scooter in for the first service today which was free and then walked down to tennis and picked it up afterwards…..I went to visit Carolyn who was feeling a tad more energized…did a few chores for her and then later in the afternoon came home and for a change sat out in the lounge chair and read my book.

At 5.30pm I went into town to see Daniela at English class but when I got there I realized it was not Wednesday and she was not there…I miss those girls!!!!

I then went to my favorite restaurant, Hecho's and then to St.Paul’s church where they have play readers every two weeks.  It is just a small intimate venue holds about 60 people and the actors read their lines…this is one of my best nights out the play was really good and it only costs 20 pesos, not even 2 dollars.

Now home and ready for bed…….Yashi Koshi!!

Wednesday 14th November 2012………….another busy day!!!

Many of my reader’s know about how passionate I have always been about the game of soccer and during the last 15 years my involvement as an elite soccer referee so this article I found very interesting hope some of you do to!!!

Phil McNulty | 08:13 UK time, Monday, 29 October 2012

For an hour Stamford Bridge staged a football match to savour. Chelsea and Manchester United spent this time laying out every exhibit to illustrate their potential to be Premier League champions.

The scenery was suddenly, uncomfortably, shifted. It was moved into relatively uncharted territory where a referee is at the centre of allegations that he used "inappropriate language" to two players - and part of Chelsea's complaint is that he used racial language.

How sad that football is once more second on the agenda. This was a game that was on its way to being celebrated but instead concluded in a toxic cloud of controversy, recriminations and accusations involving referee Mark Clattenburg.

The post-match developments after United's contentious 3-2 win that saw Chelsea make a formal complaint to the authorities about Clattenburg is of such a serious nature that it will overshadow all that went on at Stamford Bridge.

Referees' organisation the Professional Game Match Officials says Clattenburg will co-operate fully into any inquiry and welcomes the facts being established - but once again what is meant to be the main event is pushed into the shadows by happenings in and around it.

Even before that news seeped out from the dressing room area into what was already a highly-charged environment, Clattenburg had endured a trying and mixed 90 minutes.
As the clock moved past the hour mark, this was a match perched on its tipping point.

At 2-2 it could have gone either way. In an antagonistic finale it is impossible to shake the conclusion that the work of the officials moved the delicate balance decisively United's way.

Referee Mark Clattenburg has been accused of using inappropriate language towards two Chelsea players. Photo: Getty Images

United opened in blazing style and opened up an early two-goal lead through David Luiz's unwitting deflection and Robin van Persie's superb finish. Chelsea, once they had shaken their heads and cleared the shock, responded magnificently with goals either side of half-time from Juan Mata and Ramires.

And so Stamford Bridge awaited the fight to the finish conclusion of this heavyweight contest - only to see it end as unsatisfactorily as a classic boxing match stopped on cuts.
No-one could seriously question Clattenburg's decision to send off Branislav Ivanovic for tripping Young as he went through.

Chelsea were still in the hunt with 10 men but any slim chance left town when Fernando Torres quickly joined him in the dressing room.

It was a defining moment. Torres, who was actually just about to be replaced by Daniel Sturridge, was clearly caught on the shin by Jonny Evans. The fall may have had an extra flourish but he was caught.

Evans stood with arms outstretched awaiting sanction but instead Clattenburg advanced clear in his mind that Torres had dived. It was his second yellow and a sending off - and Chelsea were left with a numerical disadvantage they simply could not overcome.

The task of refereeing at elite level is fiendishly hard and requires nerve as well as ability. The problem here was that Clattenburg surely needed to be 100% certain Torres has indeed simulated to make a decision of such magnitude. None of the evidence was that clear cut.

And to make matters worse United's winner, that came accompanied by a sense of inevitability, was scored by Javier Hernandez from an offside position.

Clattenburg left Stamford Bridge with neat vitriol being poured in his direction and what was a fine advert - in a purely footballing context - for the Premier League was further scarred as objects were hurled at United players celebrating Hernandez's goal and a steward ended up in hospital after being injured in the same incident.

There was even an unseemly spat between the two benches after the sending off of Torres, with Chelsea's staff making their sense of injustice clear to a plainly unmoved Ferguson.

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo, with a measure of justification, suggested his team could have gone on to win if it remained 11 against 11. Ferguson, with equal conviction, could say the same.

The over-riding sadness, especially for the neutral observers it should be said, was that it was not left to both sides to go at each other fully-loaded to find a winner.
United ended with the three points and there was plenty to please Ferguson.

They have once again shown that for any perceived defensive and midfield frailties, United have a range of attacking options and formations that make them intensely formidable.

Van Persie is a guarantee of goals. Wayne Rooney can operate either in a deeper position as a creator or as an attacker. And in Antonio Valencia that have a winger of real pace and threat.

He started, along with Ashley Young, after United manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed he heard an 80-year-old grandmother from Rochdale called Margaret bemoaning his use of the diamond formation on the club's in-house television channel.

The angry Octogenarian found Ferguson in agreement with her on this particular occasion and United's width and pace were crucial ingredients in a win that now leaves them only one point behind Chelsea.

For Chelsea, there was also plenty to admire in their work, even in defeat. Yes, there were flaws at the back that left them playing catch-up but they showed admirable character to fight back and even their nine men were only undone by an offside goal.

So much to admire and yet so much of it to be ignored in another inquiry into "who said what to who" that has become the game's regular companion in recent times.
Once again, football comes in second.

 

Today was a busy one which started out with the gas truck coming at 8.30am to fill up the tank

I then went to visit Carolyn at 10.30am and she had a little more energy today…from there to my Spanish class which again was awesome and from there over to poker where I managed to win 165 pesos.

Next was to the carpenter’s shop where I picked up my 2 bedside tables and small desk, they look really good and I took them to the casita where I think they fit in well.

Didn’t get home till 7pm so another busy day winding down with some TV time!!!!

Tuesday 13th November 2012…I am trying to think of a way

to start my blog with out the usual..”two hours of great tennis in the sun” again…but it is the truth and happened again this morning.

Here is a neat photo of where I spend all this time..

I then went and picked up some fruit and soup and went over to visit Carolyn and I was sad to say she was not any better and feeling very lethargic and needed to spend her time in bed..I left her with instructions to call if she needed anything.

Came home and had lunch and called the propane gas company that delivers propane to the big tank outside …I spoke to the driver and he said he would be here by 2pm.

I spent the afternoon doing chores, homework and catching up on computer work by 4.30pm no gas so I called again and he told me he would be around at 8am in the morning.

As I learned in my social protocol class at Spanish class last week…this is Mexico and this is sometimes the way things happens and you can do nothing about it and no point getting upset or causing a fuss as that will likely only delay things so I thanked him and said I would see him in the morning.

My friend Gregg has fixed the stand on my TV and I went by his house to pick it up and then took it to my casita with a few other things..I cannot wait to see it all finished maybe another two weeks…this is the sign to the campo where the casita is located!!

I was back home by 6pm and a dollar to the first person that spots my new friend CAT!!!!!

Taken from the upstairs bedroom!!!

Here she is!!!

Just a quiet night!!!!

Yashi Koshi!!

Monday 12th November 2012…just another ho hum day!!!!!

I was scheduled to play my first game of tennis with Carolyn this morning but again she took sick over the weekend so we had to cancel, she really has not been a  100%  since I arrived so here’s hoping she get’s stronger every day…..so I went to plan B called Gregg and we played singles this morning,  again another wonderful way to start the day!!

Came home for breakfast a shower and back down town for my 12.30pm Spanish class….

this is the school across from the Spanish school..

 

…this class is 6 lessons of 90 minutes and is all about basic conversation…I was going to take this class in January BUT I am so glad I signed up now and Rocio our teacher she is a sweetheart(that is what she calls us!!) and an excellent teacher it is all about pronunciation and learning key words and phrases to survive and make ourselves understood….I really enjoyed the class and of course there is homework!!

From there I came home picked up the car and did some errands and picked up the 4 pots I bought at a garage sale on Saturday and a lamp and then took them over to Carolyn’s house..she is going to re pot them all for me….I invited her to come to my house to watch the finals of the tennis from London but you know she is sick when she declined…..so after making sure she had al she needed I came back but on the way stopped and ordered 2 bedside tables and a desk to put my TV on from a small carpenter’s shop I went to on Saturday they look great and he is going to stain them and I pick them up on Wednesday.

Now settling down with tea and perhaps a piece of strawberry cheesecake and going to watch the tennis……

Yashi Koshi!!

Sunday 11th November 2012…….Thank you!!!!!

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians are asked to pause in memory of the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives in military service.

Why the poppy?

The association between the poppy and war dates back to the Napoleonic wars, when a writer saw a field of poppies growing over the graves of fallen soldiers.

During the Battle of Ypres in 1915, Canadian Lt.-Col. John McCrae was inspired to write the poem In Flanders Fields on sighting the poppies growing beside a grave of a close friend who had died in battle.

The poem was a great inspiration in adopting the poppy as the Flower of Remembrance in Canada, France, the U.S, Britain and Commonwealth countries.

The first poppies were distributed in Canada in 1921.

Today the volunteer donations from the distribution of millions of poppies is an important source of revenue for the Royal Canadian Legion that goes toward helping ex-servicemen and women buy food, and obtain shelter and medical attention.

At public gatherings in Ottawa and around the country, Canadians pay tribute with two minutes of silence to the country's fallen soldiers from the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Afghanistan conflict and peacekeeping missions.

 

Also known as Veterans Day in the U.S.,

Remembrance Day was first held throughout the Commonwealth in 1919. It marks the armistice to end the First World War, which came into effect at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, a year earlier.

It isn't a national holiday across Canada, but employees in federally regulated employees do get the day off. Several provinces and territories — including Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, and Yukon — do observe a statutory holiday.

Canada's military and the First World War

Two minutes before the armistice went into effect, at 10:58 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918, Pte. George Lawrence Price was felled by a bullet. Price would become the final Commonwealth soldier — and the last of more than 66,000 Canadians — to be killed in the First World War

They died fighting at Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Passchendaele and Ypres — battles remembered for atrocious conditions and Canadian valour. In Ypres, Canadian soldiers were exposed to German gas attacks, yet continued to fight, showing amazing tenacity and courage in the face of danger.

In many ways, the identity of the young country was forged on those bloody battlefields.

About 650,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders (the province then still a colony of Britain) had served during the war, beginning in 1914. The last Canadian veteran of the conflict — John Babcock — died in February 2010 at the age of 109.

After Babcock's passing, the federal government announced that it would hold a national commemorative ceremony on April 9 to honour all Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served during the First World War.

Second World War

.

Between the declaration of the Second World War in September 1939 and the conflict's end in 1945, Canadians fought in Dieppe, Normandy, the North Atlantic, Hong Kong, during the liberation of Italy, and in many other important air, sea and land campaigns.

In total, more than one million men and women from Canada and Newfoundland served in the army, air force and navy. More than 47,000 did not come home.

Canadian troops played a crucial role — and made a mighty sacrifice — in the 1944 D-Day invasion and the Battle of Normandy, a major turning point in the war's Atlantic campaign. More than 5,000 were killed in the land invasion in France.

The Canadian Army went on to play a significant part in the liberation of the Netherlands, which ended in 1945. The Dutch, having suffered through an extremely harsh winter, enthusiastically greeted the Canadians and forged a strong friendship between the two countries that lasts to this day.

 

I got up at 8am and watched the first semi final game of live tennis from England this is the last major tournament of the season and it was a great game.

I had heard about a huge celebration involving blessings of the horses in a town a few miles away and decided to pack a lunch and get on the scooter and go try and find the town……I went almost 50km  and found the small town of San Martin down this dusty road..

even had a water hazard to cross..

at the end of the road was a huge parking lot and there were hundreds of people around but it was all food and craft vendors lots of them!!!

Anyone for lunch??

The one unusual thing I saw was this statue and people were lined up to throw money on top of the statue not sure of the meaning of this!!

The church was beautiful

and busy!!

It was an interesting adventure but I did not see one horse ….. I did almost 100 km and the scooter is just very reliable…..

Back at home I put up another humming bird feeder….

I lost my birthday list a few weeks ago so now I have these dates when I know it is a friend’s birthday but sometimes do not know who and that was the case yesterday….

Sorry Guy that I forgot your special birthday glad you had a wonderful time with your family…good luck for continued good health and your casa awaits you when you are ready…blessings!!!

Saturday 10th November 2012…. another busy day!!!

Starting with tennis at 9am…one of our regular players could not attended so Loren and I played two hours of singles…it was hard but a lot of fun!!!

From there I went to a garage sale where I bought 4 great pots for my casita I shall pick them up next week.

Came home and had lunch whilst watching another good soccer game from England and at 1pm went and picked up Daniela and then Paola and we had been invited to my Spanish class partner’s home for a hot tub swim.

It was good to see Mary again and meet her family and the casa they are renting is lovely….I was so proud of the girls when I introduced them they both put out theirs hands to shake and then kissed them on the cheek, Mary was so touched.

We had a tour of the house and in the kitchen there was some cookies for the girls and then it was into the hot tub!!!

Check out the tree!!!

I think it is important for the girls to visit with my friends and interact they are so well mannered and I am so proud of them……thanks Mary for a lovely visit have a safe journey home tomorrow!!

From here we went to the Bodega where we had a drink and did 20 minutes of English study.

Then dropped off Daniela at CH…she was just beaming!!!

Paola and I then went grocery shopping and we picked up a few things for her Mum…Paola is such a delight she helps and is always smiling.

Took her home and gave the groceries to her Mum and she was very appreciative…….didn’t get home till 6.30pm!!

So now cleaned up and ready for a bit of TV……

Yashi Koshi!!!

Friday 9th November 2012…another week flying by!!!

Well I had tennis this morning but with two differences I played at 8am which is early for me and the sun was hidden by clouds which made it nice to play and the other difference was I played singles…it is a whole different game but I enjoyed the 4 sets I played with Gregg!!!

Did a few chores in town and then came home and had lunch and then watched the real boys playing tennis…live coverage of the World championships from England……then decided to go for a long walk  …I went to a presa(lake) which is about 10 minute walk from my new casita!!!

I wanted to try and get around to the other side on top of that hill!!

I walked a few miles but could not find a way around perhaps next time I need to walk down by the shore…it was still a lovely walk!!

No people but a few animals

I got back about 6pm and then just a quiet night at home.

I wish all my readers a great and happy and safe weekend!!

Thursday 8th November 2012…another Birthday Boy!!!!

Today my OLDER Brother turns another year older out of respect I will not post his age suffice it to say he is 4 years older than me!!!!

One of his rare scrabble wins during the summer!!

Thanks to modern technology I was able to Skype Malc this evening and wish him a Happy Birthday…..glad you had a great day miss you and Janet and love you both!!!

So tennis again this morning and you already know how much I enjoy these mornings…came home and dashed up to my casita to bring back some plant pots which Carolyn is going to re pot for me…she is still not feeling well so I took her a little care package over this afternoon.

Then went and did some errands and passed by my old casita from last year and these flowers are hanging on Karen and Gregg’s casa!!!

and this neat tree is across the street!!

I was back home by 4pm and sat outside and read and then washed both the car and the scooter and now settling down to make some supper and a quiet evening at home……hope your day was a good one!!!

Wednesday 7th November 2012…Happy Birthday Andy!!!

My Nephew is celebrating his Birthday today hope it was a great one!!!

Well my last class was this morning and it has been a great experience made so much better by incredible teachers and the best partner anyone could want…I know so much more that I did when I started but still just scratching the surface….there is a basic conversation class which follows on from this and I was going to take it in January but then figured I need it now so I signed up and start class again on Monday..it is only 6 classes but I hear it is very beneficial.

After class and lunch I went to poker and managed to win 200 pesos!!!  I then went to visit Carolyn who is still not feeling 100 %…now home and just relaxing with TV and a cup of tea!!!!

I just found this article from the local paper back in Nanaimo!!!  Very sad!!

Family, friends saddened by violent death of Nanaimo retiree in Mexico

Ben Ingram, Nanaimo Daily News

Published: Wednesday, November 07, 2012

A Nanaimo expatriate living in Mexico has been found dead, reportedly tied to a tree around the neck with his own belt.

The death of Ron MacKintosh, 64, was confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa on Wednesday.

The mother of his two children, Joan MacKintosh, said that his son and daughter are devastated.

 

The body of Vancouver Island man Ron Lloyd Mackintosh was found in Barra de Navidad

 

 

 

 

"We have just received the news," his ex-wife of 15 years said.

Foreign Affairs issued a statement Wednesday to say their thoughts are with MacKintosh's loved ones. Canadian and Mexican officials are investigating the death and providing consular assistance to the family.The results of an autopsy are not yet known.

MacKintosh had a girlfriend in Mexico named Marie Halliday, whom he had been living with. He had gone missing along with his 2008 Jeep Patriot on Oct. 21.

He had retired to the area in 2010 and first lived in the town of Melaque. Within the last six months, MacKintosh and Halliday moved to Barra de Navidad, a small village down the highway.

It was business as usual for him to visit friends in Melaque as he had been doing when he was reported missing.

A friend of MacKintosh's, Brian MacDonald, kept in constant contact with him after his retirement to Mexico.

MacDonald said MacKintosh, a gentle person by nature, had always dreamed of retiring under the sun.

"He was a friendly gringo. Ron retired a little early, he'd been travelling to that area going back fairly consistently for almost 30 years," MacDonald said.

MacKintosh had left home without his passport or identification to visit a friend in Melaque. He was last seen around 5:30 p.m. local time and was believed to be heading back to Barra de Navidad down a stretch of highway when he disappeared.

"Ron knew that road like the back of his hand, he'd driven it thousands of times," MacDonald said.

When asked about the accuracy of a media report from Mexico that said MacKintosh had been found tied to a tree, MacDonald said he did not want to get into the grisly details. He said that his friend's hands had been bound and his belt removed from his pants to tie his neck to a tree.

"Beyond that, I have no comment," he said. "It was just a matter of driving home, being in the wrong place at the wrong time in a good vehicle. He was abducted and taken into a back road."

The two had known each other for 35 years. As a construction engineer involved in several projects throughout Nanaimo and Vancouver Island, MacKintosh gained a reputation as being hard working and dependable.

"He was a gentle man, never had any temper and honestly was not really mentally or physically capable of hurting anybody," MacDonald said. "He covered my back more than once."

MacKintosh's former colleagues echoed the sentiments of his long-time friend.

J.R. Edgett Excavating employee Gord Parnham described MacKintosh as a modest person. Parnham said that the Nanaimo engineer had been looking forward to the simple life in Mexico.

MacKintosh was known throughout the Vancouver Island construction industry as an engineer with Koers and Associates Engineering in Parksville.

Founding director Tony Koers said MacKintosh was with the company from the very start.

"It's a shocker," he said. "Everybody is extremely sad of course about the loss. They all respected Ron."

MacKintosh had located to Vancouver Island after meeting the mother of his children in Windsor, Ont.

He was involved on projects throughout the region, including several in Nanaimo.

"It's a huge loss," Koers said.

MacKintosh is survived by his son, 28, and daughter, 24.

Yoshi Kosher!!

Tuesday 6th November 2012…it is back!!!!!

Woke up to this!!!!

but still the courts were too wet to allow us to play tennis this morning!!!!

At 11.30am it was my turn in the dentist chair…time for a cleaning, painless and only 200 pesos!!!

Then I had some chores to do in town and then went up to the Tuesday market…this is a huge open air market and if you cannot find “it” here you don’t need it!!!

and then went out to my casita to move some stuff around and finally came home around 3pm….did a load of wash and then read my book, did some studying and now relaxed and watching the election results on TV.

ELECTORAL VOTE COUNT:

Barack Obama - 64, Mitt Romney - 67

This is the count as I post!!!!!

May the best man win!!!!!

Monday 5th November 2012…….still raining!!

Today is a special day In Britain and the following article is taken from the Internet!

 

 

 

Holidays and traditions

What is Guy Fawkes Day?

November 5 is celebrated in Britain to commemorate the failure of Guy Fawkes and other terrorist conspirators to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. Public firework displays are organized with effigies of Fawkes burned on bonfires, and smaller parties take place in back gardens throughout the land. The 5th of November is also called 'Firework Night,' 'Bonfire Night,' or 'Guy Fawkes Day.' In the days leading up to it, children traditionally take their home-made effigies, or ‘Guys,’ out into the streets and ask passers-by for ‘a penny for the Guy,’ using the money to buy fireworks.

The conspiracy to blow up the Houses of Parliament on November 5, 1605, is known as the 'Gunpowder Plot,' and was discovered the night before the explosion was to occur. The origins of the plot remain unclear and the truth will probably never be known. Generations of historians accepted it was an attempt to re-establish the Catholic religion. In more recent times, others have suspected that the plot was the work of a group of agents-provocateurs, anxious to discredit the Jesuits and reinforce the ascendancy of the Protestant religion.

The plot centered around five conspirators, Robert Catesby, Thomas Winter, Thomas Percy, John Wright, and Guy (or Guido) Fawkes, later joined by Robert Keyes, who were determined to blow up of the House of Lords in 1605. The detonation was to take place on State Opening day, when the King, Lords, and Commons would all be present in the Lords Chamber.

There is no doubt that Fawkes, though remembered wrongly as the principal conspirator, was in fact a minor cog in the wheel. Born in 1570 in York, he was brought up as a Protestant. In 1593, he enlisted as a mercenary in the Spanish Army in the Netherlands - he became a Catholic shortly before that date. He was at the capture of Calais in 1595, where he apparently distinguished himself greatly. He may have been chosen for his skills when it was planned to tunnel under the House, and it was an advantage that, having been abroad for some time, he was not known in London.

The plot was discovered, in the official version, through an anonymous letter to Lord Monteagle, a Catholic, warning him not to attend the State Opening. Whether the letter was genuine or a forgery is uncertain. In any event, on November 4 an initial search was made of Parliament. The cellar was thoroughly searched at midnight and Fawkes found with the gunpowder. He was then arrested.

All the conspirators (except Robert Winter) were killed or arrested by November 12 and taken to the Tower of London. They were probably subjected to extensive torture, which formed part of the punishment for treason at the time. Fawkes and the other conspirators who remained alive were tried for high treason and were convicted and sentenced to death. The executions included hanging, drawing and quartering. The heads and other portions of the conspirators' bodies were set up at various points around Westminster and London.

The Houses of Parliament are still searched by the Yeomen of the Guard just before the State Opening to ensure no latter-day Fawkes is concealed in the cellars, though this is retained as a picturesque custom rather than a serious anti-terrorist precaution (for which, of course, there are proper means).

 

It wasn’t actually raining when I left for school but it started again as soon as I arrived…..I found the class hard again and will have some studying and some remembering to do before the last class on Wednesday.

It was raining slightly when I came home and I stopped at my favorite veggie store and then the big Mega store  to buy some meat and when I came home I knew I was home for the day so I got the crockpot out and prepared a stew in there.

Had lunch and then did some washing and some chores and some computer work and then made some tea and finished my book.  It was nice to have a relaxing time…. I then took a long hot shower and had supper and the meal was very tasty.

I did some of my homework and now settled down watching TV.

The good news is that the weather will start to improve tomorrow and then Wednesday get back to our sunny days.

On my blog it is possible to check the number of people who go the blog each day and where they live and this afternoon I did this and saw someone from New York had been on the page and I clicked their link and this photo showed up!!

The photo is taken about 8 years ago in Linda and Guy’s restaurant in Puerto Penasco…Linda is in the dark blue dress with Guy next to her and I was pretending to still be a waiter……funny how that happened!!

I am schedule to play tennis tomorrow morning but fear the courts will not be dry…..stay tuned!!!

Sunday 4th November 2012…rain stop play!!!!

Yes you read it right woke up to rain!!!!!!!

Carolyn and I had planned to play tennis this morning so I picked her up and we went for a drive instead and the first stop was to go to my casita so Carolyn could look around and take measurements and get an idea of what I need.  She is an interior decorator and she has many great ideas….next stop was a consignment store having a sale where I bought two paintings in frames for 130 pesos for the casita.

We then drove out into the country and toured a beautiful new housing estate and from there we went on a tour of this funky house and chapel in the country called the chapel of Jimmy Ray!!

The bathroom!!!

It was one of the most unusual buildings I have ever seen and the number of bottles used in the design must number in the thousands!!!!!

It was now 4pm and time to eat so we went to the restaurant La Burger I have never been before but Carolyn has and told me they make the best burgers ever and it is so popular and both these facts were true…the burgers are huge and I have a photo of Carolyn biting into hers but I fear if I published it she may not decorate my casita a or do it really girlie!!!!

I dropped Carolyn at home and the rain was pounding down…

Thanks for all the help and a lovely day Carolyn…now down to business HOMEWORK!!!!!  Only two more classes to go….

Yashi Koshi!!