Tuesday 25th June 2013…….. a bit of a day!!!!

Well it happened again….heavy rain storm last night meant the tennis courts were closed this morning so no tennis…so what does a guy do when he cannot play tennis??  He makes breakfast turns on the TV and watches live tennis from Wimbledon!!!!

Did that for a couple of hours and then had errands to do in town and then went to the big weekly Tuesday market ..they say if you cannot buy it here it does not exist!!

came home and started to do laundry BUT>>>>>>>>>>>>> I was just running the water when the power went off and I heard a truck outside and I went to look and the electric meter outside the house said BUSCAR CONNECT…which means look for connection.  I asked the neighbor next door and he had power so I surmised that the truck had been from the electric company and they had turned off the power to the whole compound.  They do this when the bill is not paid.

Now my rent includes all utilities and the land lady is away for a couple of months and she has a property manager who would take care of issues like this but of course his contact number was on my computer and no internet…so I drove to Linda a and Guy’s house, in the rain I might add, and used their internet to connect and call Sergio both at home and on his cell with no answer…….so I had a copy of the electric bill so decided to go down town to their office and see if I could pay the bill and again did this on the scooter in the rain because parking down town is impossible…..get to the office and they had closed 5 minutes before I arrived.

So the next step was to drive back to my house, in the rain, see a pattern here?  Load up all my frozen dinners that I had just bought yesterday and drive them over to L & G’s house, yes you guessed it in the rain, and use their freezer, which luckily enough I had just turned back on yesterday because I thought I was going to put some dinners they had ordered in their fridge but their meals were not ready till later this week so lucky I had the freezer part of the fridge to store my food…….so now doing the blog before I venture back home as I am going out for dinner with friends tonight…..so you can see a bit of a day!!!

 

More memories of Europe!!

Germany!!

Switzerland!!

Rome…all taken last year!!

Yashi Koshi!!

Monday 24th June 2013……Monday again!!!!

Boy these weeks go by so fast…..I have always had trouble here in Mexico with the people that I hire to do work for me in how to treat them and a prime example is Pati…..she is the lady that cleans my casita she sort of came with the move as she cleaned for the person before……she is a lovely lady and I know her son and her husband…..she charges 40 pesos per hour and now I have hired her to come every Monday at 9am for 2 hours…she does a great job and I always leave her some fruit and a 100 pesos.

Had breakfast at Wimbledon…day 1 today so more TV watching for me.

I had to go into town to do some chores and saw these sights along the way!!

This is a photo of the man that walks about 100 yards in front of the garbage truck ringing a bell!!!

This morning I went to look at a garage space for Little Bluey it is close to Linda and Guy’s house 10 km away but that is not a problem the garage is covered and very safe so I have rented it and it is one less thing to worry about.

Again I walked home from there to my casita 10km and again by the railways tracks and saw this today

The last 5 km are through the main streets and I very nearly had a nasty experience…..I was walking down a street with vendors on the sidewalks with awnings and as I passed by one of these I turned my head to see what food they were selling and walked straight into the metal awning….it almost knocked me down as I banged my head…..I was lucky a nasty bruise but no bleeding…just shows you how an accident can happen any time any place …anyway made it home safe and sound….

Had a good dinner and a great hot soak and now settled down for game 6 of the hockey finals….

Great memory Wimbledon 2010!!!

Beautiful Bermuda my home for 10 years!!

Double click to make image bigger again Bermuda!!

A few years ago when I arrived back in Nanaimo in April and woke up to this after 6 months on the beach!!!!!

Yashi koshi!!

Sunday 23rd June 2013……..day road trip!!

Decided on a day road trip so with drinks and food set out for…..

 

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The Bernal Peak in Queretaro, Mexico is considered the third biggest monolith in the world after the Rock of Gibraltar in Spain and Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro.

Located in the town of San Sebastian Bernal is 57 kms from the capital of the state of Queretaro, this monolith is one of the major tourist attractions in the region.

In accordance with scientific studies their formation have volcanic origins, before the Spanish conquest in the region, this was used by indigenous people known as "Chichimecas" as a ceremonial center and once conquered by the Spanish to the extraction of various minerals from 2007, Sebastian de Bernal and his great rock, are considered "Magical Towns of Mexico" for its natural beauty and picturesque village, recognition that includes it as a historical and cultural preservation.

Its altitude is 2525 meters above sea level and 288 high, there are all sorts of urban legends around this monolith from the underworld spirits to extraterrestrial without fail who attribute "Magical - Mystical" powers to this natural formation and attended mostly during the equinox "to charge energy".

The village which lies at his feet is a very attractive, particularly for its architecture and picturesque atmosphere where you can buy souvenirs or eat at one of the restaurants or just walking through the small streets.

The drive was easy and after many small hills and farmer’s fields you round the corner to see the first glimpse of the ROCK!!!

The X is where I am heading!!!

People already there..

If my calculations are correct I started out at about 7500 feet and walked to about 8700 feet..the last few hundred feet were hard but the views rewarding…

The summit!!!

It was a really good workout…came back down and spent some time in the lovely town square!!!

The yellow building just off centre left is the main church in the square!!

It was a good day out and made a nice change.

I bet many of you did not know the story below!!!

Hellmann's Mayonnaise story

Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico , which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York . This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico . But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York . The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost. The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day.

The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as...

Sinko De Mayo

 

No comments!!!

Some photos from a while ago!!!

Florence last year!!!

Ringing the bell at the end of my charity 58km walk around Lake Cowichan, Vancouver island…5 years ago!!

My morning entertainment from inside Ramona….Nova Scotia…2012!!

Pura Vida!!!

Saturday 22nd June 2013…girl’s day!!!

Back to Saturday morning tennis which is the best tennis of the week and today I think was the best ever we all played hard and had some wonderful rallies not bad for 4 old timers…I did at one point whilst retreating for a shot get tangled up with my racquet and took a tumble with somersault..I think I scored 9.8 for artistic impression plus a bloody knee and elbow and very dirty clothes!!!!!  But no damage!!!!

Home for an hour to ice up and have lunch then took Little Bluey and picked up Paola and then to Casa Hogar and picked up Daniela and Cece again and this time I also took another girl, Gigi…..because it was so miserable weather wise and I had researched there was an animated movie showing at the cinema and I know the girls have not been before so that is where we were heading.

Had to get the popcorn/drink special and all set.

The movie was a new release Monster university and all the girls enjoyed the show and were well behaved…I asked them where they wanted to go next and they all wanted ice cream so off to the store…

 

 

 

 

I then dropped the girls back at CH it was lovely to spend time with Daniela again…. and then took Paola home it was a fun afternoon and I think they all enjoyed the outing.

Back home for the usual bath, supper and game five of the hockey finals…..

Wish you all a wonderful Sunday…

The usual old photos…

I am presuming Greenland..on the way from Vancouver to Manchester!!

Down town Nanaimo!!

The incredible Palenque!!!

No idea where this is!!!!!!!

yashi Koshi!!!

Friday 21st June 2013…as my Grandma would say…”a little bit of this, that an tuther!!!!!!!

I am saying it again another dreary coolish day….. had an appointment down town this morning at 10.30am so I went down to little Blackey and the rear tire was flat…so I walked her over 2 blocks to a tire shop that is owned by the husband of my cleaning lady, Pati…..I left it with Silvestre and told him I would come back in the afternoon for it and then walked about 50 yards and got on the local bus

So 5 pesos and 10 minutes later I was downtown where I had an interview!!!

San Miguel School of English

History

The San Miguel School of English was founded in 1952 by Augusta Irving, a young school teacher from Brooklyn. She taught the first classes in her home. Later, as she got more teachers to volunteer, they gave classes in their homes. As the school grew and progressed, there were classes for several different levels.

For a period of time, the school held classes in some rooms at Instituto Allende. Then in 1986, when the Jose Vasconcelos bilingual school opened on Calzada del Obraje, SMSE moved to this location and for many years, using the facilities in the evening three nights a week. A graduate of SMSE, Jesus Ledesma, is currently the principal of Jose Vasconcelos School. In 2010, through the assistance of another former graduate Jorge Bustamante, the school was able to move to the Heroinas Insurgentes elementary school on Recreo.

In September 1998 there was a flood in San Miguel. Students were so motivated to come to their classes that they put large stones on the flooded bridge over the arroyo in order to cross to the school. The police finally closed the bridge. On the day of this flood, the school’s founder, Augusta Irving, died.

Current Status

The San Miguel School of English is a non-profit agency incorporated under the laws of Mexico to offer classes in English for Mexican residents of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.

The Mission of the school is to teach beginning, intermediate and advanced levels of English to residents 16 years and older to enhance their employment and cultural abilities.

The school year goes from late August/early September until the end of April with approximately 250 students in six levels of English. The students’ ages range from 16 to 70. We use a lottery system for beginners because there are always more beginners than we can accommodate with classrooms, seats or teachers.

All SMSE teachers are volunteers. The students pay 300 pesos tuition per semester and buy their own books. It is difficult for some students to pay, so we provide scholarships for need (10), perfect attendance (30) and academic achievement (10) each year. The scholarships award the students free tuition for the year; academic scholarships also include books for the following year. (Books can cost more than the tuition.)

The school has a structured teaching system with books, workbooks and exams and excellent teachers’ guides. Students are required to take a test after each chapter and a mid-book and final exam. They must have an average of 70% or above to pass to the next level.

Each April there is a graduation ceremony at which the students receive diplomas for the level they have passed. There is also some exhibition of accomplishment by the level-six class and the awarding of the scholarships, followed by a party.

As all teachers are volunteers, we try to help them in any way we can. The teachers’ manuals are very clear and helpful. We also have a library for the teachers to use for extra fun activities like Bingo, crossword puzzles, matching and other exercises. We also have audio-visual aids to supplement the teaching/learning process.

Volunteers may teach a class full-time, share a class with another teacher or serve as long or short term substitutes. As volunteers our teachers like to take time to travel, attend concerts, go to parties and enjoy other aspects of life as well as experience the sense of fulfillment that teaching gives. To make allowance for this time off, we have a number of substitutes who can fill in for a day, a week or even a month when needed.

 

I applied for a volunteer teaching post two nights a week starting In September and I was accepted …I am quite excited about this and look forward to another opportunity to help and learn myself!!!

I walked back to the bus stop to get a bus to come home and this lady is at the stop with her daughter…

Check out the girl’s face…priceless!!!

So I bought these for 30 pesos..so cheap and of course some candy for the little girl.

These photos were taken all around the bus stop..a typical mexican day!!!

I went to pick up Little Blackey all done…cost 50 pesos!!!

My lovely friend Robin came for afternoon tea great to see her again and to catch up and she brought these gorgeous flowers for me…thanks Robin!!

As a bonus tomorrow I have heard from Casa Hogar and I can have Daniela tomorrow afternoon so I shall need Little Bluey which is parked at Linda and Guy’s so I set off on foot at 4pm to walk to their casa….I went on the road for a while and then cut down onto the railway tracks and went the back way

The gloomy skies..

Linda and Guy this next photo is for you…….this is in your back yard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I enjoyed the walk and I got the car and stopped at Paola’s house on the way home she was out biking so I did not see her but so glad she is using the bike but I saw her Mum and asked if it was Ok to pick up Paola tomorrow at 1pm and she said it was fine…..

memory shots!!!

2012 Slovenia

The reason why Ken always enjoyed coming out with me!!!!!!!

Happy Solstice..blessings Les