Friends Reunited

Thirty years later we got together - and nobody had changed a bit
we couldn't stop talking, eating nor could we get organised for a photo. here is the best of the bunch, but I can assure you we all still looked 21 - especially me - I was apparently the youngest survivor of our year.

Ali and I got to share a room at the venue and apparently we talked until 3 am - as I said no change there! There are plans for another reunion before we are retirement age - however the way pension are going that could be a long way off!

Basking in the Basque Country

Had a lovely visit to Juan of the Basques en route for home - he took us to the restaurant owned by Edurne Pasaban - famous lady world class climber. Her pictures of the nine mountains over 8,000 feet took your breathe away. She also climbed Everest. Juan also took us to his Basque dancing classes - they kept up the Pas de Bas (Step of the Basques) for a good hour at great speed. We managed one dance but it left us knackered. After the class we showed them the Gay Gordons (How do you translate that?) Thankfully they could all sing Scotland the Brave so they sang while we danced. After all that excitement we headed north for France and onward to home. Wee clip of the car roof is the last time you will see that particular car.

El primero bautizo

 We went swimming last Thursday and met the new lifegaurd. Les got chatting with him, as you might expect. His name is Andrei and he is Russian. When he heard we were in Spain with a Christian mission he was quick to tell us that he had become a Christan and was getting baptised on Sunday - please would we come! OF COURSE!!

What a great day about 100km from Madrid by a lake where it was cooler, 6 people were baptised and three of the pastors shared - in Ukrainian! We were given a personal translation into Spanish by a series of "chicas"

Food served was delicious and the company was great - Andrei had a good day although I have never before seen someone going to a baptisimal service with flippers. I suppose he is a professional lifegaurd.

One chica who translated for us is moving close to our flat and wants to improve her English - a good chance to get some local Spanish girls together for conversation - watch this space!

Andrei being baptised - what a happy day he had!

Views of the pews..

Not our usual view from the pew - on Sunday we got a different perspective when the Pastor called us up the front to share about ourselves and why we are in Spain.. thankfully it seemed to go OK and I heard on the grapevine today that the Scottish Missionaries have 2 sons so it seems we were understood even by the Argentinians.

Son-one-too

It has been pointed out to me that I haven't posted on son-two, and I can't even call him that as he will complain...so here he the THE BIG ONE. Still growing at 19 and if his granny is right about growing to fit your feet he may well be the tallest before long. Despite being deserted by his parents he has passed his exams and got a summer job at his favourite cafe with the same team as last year... he comments "In some ways I'm just as home as ever." Happiness is his strong point and he communicates effortlessly, grammar is just a detail!

Son-one

Andrew is happy. After 4 years of study he is about to graduate so no more exams for the forseeable future, he has got an internship with Futureproof Marketing in London and as a special end of term treat his Mummy took him to the park - some things never change - Well done AP! (Good job he never reads this blog!) http://www.futureproof.co.uk/

Yes - blokes CAN write letters...

This week's blog prize must go to James Burgon who can not only write a letter (all by himself) he can make a parcel and post it. Les was the happiest bunny imaginable when he got a call from the portero to say we had post. He loved his Sailing magazine and ate his Orkney fudge while listening to the enclosed CD. I aslo got a parcel ostensibly my Mother's day gift from Donald but I noticed it was Alana who posted it. It was a make up bag - check out the other cool stuff that Edna Matos makes.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/Artesanato.Kioka

Red letter day!

This is a new post!   We got post today: two letters - a world record. Thank you so much to Auntie Chrisabel and to Alan and Myrtle from Fareham. Emails are great and comments on a blog are super but you can't tuck them under your pillow to read in the night! Now I must get on with a few letters - have written 4 thankyou letters today already. Reminds me of the 3 great lies in life

1. I am from the Government, I am here to help you.
2. Yes I will still love you in the morning.
3. Your cheque is in the post.

 Credit for that goes to Jim. (Baron Wallace of Tankerness)

In the money?

The night before we left Orkney my Mum gave us 5000 pesetas - left over from a holiday in the Canaries, I think. Well get this.. the note had a picture of the bank on it and even a floorplan. So today we walked to the bank, got frisked and went into the room upstairs where they change pesetas into euros.

Actually there was a queue of people each with a 5000 peseta note and yes we all got the same exchange rate - the man must keep a stack of notes counted out into 31 euros for each visitor. Yes we did celebrate - I had an orange ice lolly and Les had a feast!