House sit St. Miguel de Allende Mexico (March 31-April 18)

I am having difficulty saving this blog and these pictures of my current house sitting casa; hopefully my efforts will be rewarded this time!

Moving to another lovely casa house today.  Enjoying my housesitting, learning spanish and teaching ESL (Tuesday and Thursday mornings) to a group of cute Mexican girls and some nuns in an orphanage near El Centreo.  Also doing some hanging out here, yoga, massage and physical/ mental training for the May climb down the Grand Canyon with Marianne and group!

I will leave this amazing place and the cobbled-streets heart of Mexico, St. Miguel de Allende, on May 22.

I am sorry not to be in Vancouver on April 21st for Arran's 28th birthday and on April 28th for my 70th!

Keep posted!  Saludos!  Dyane

A view from the top 

Some new found friends 

Lovey in kitchen

Dining

Dining 

view from Sitting area

Up stairs to sunroof 

View into courtyard

Dining

Kitchen

Downstairs to dogs

Dining art

Lucky in kitchen 

Lucky cross-legged

Artwork leading to office

Art applique

Gentler art 

Fountain, plants, courtyard 

Office, guestroom ...

Underworld mask 

Another courtyard

mirroring ..

Maria, lovely maid

Courtyard

Passage to front door 

My bedroom!

bedroom to courtyard 

Courtyard 

My bathroom! 

Papier mache artwork ..

Lucky and Lovey guarddogs

Steps to front door

Foutain and plants 

Crazy art ...

Welcome ....  !

Jacarandas & bourgainvillas

Yellow mansion on LHS, cobbled streets ...

Cobbles around tree 

Monday, April 8 and gave my first early morning yoga class to a room full of wonderful Mexican women.  I used a dvd to help demonstrate the asanas as my Spanish is pretty non existent!  They seemed to enjoy themselves.  The Mexican yoga teacher wants me to come back and teach her afternoon class ....

I have hired a Mexican woman/ teacher for 1 1/2 hour Spanish classes three times a week.  My first class was yesterday and she is very good.

I will attend the weekly Monday afternoon 'Global Justice' or 'democracy-at-work' small group discussion talking about the economic crises around the world.  Thoughts, words and questions to the group are intriguing, like "Irrational Exhuberance" and "What is the underlying structure of the economy?" ...

I am also looking forward to teaching ESL twice a week to a group of 30 young girls at an orphanage in town.   First class tomorrow.

Last Friday a group of us went on a fabulous tour of a pyramid:

Cañada de la Virgen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cañada_de_la_Virgen

The site lies about 16 km west-southwest of the city of San Miguel de Allende ...

I miss the company of Rosemary and Matthew who returned to Canada last Sunday.  Despite this I am   slowly but surely settling down to a very pleasant lifestyle in this unique town in the centre of Mexico.  I have met and spent colourful and tasteful, sometimes educational or/and stimulating times with interesting gringos, or folks either living or staying here for part or some the year.

The cobble stones on the streets definitely slows you down and you are forced to be present.  The tiles and flagstones present amazing colours and forms.  A stonemason's fantasy world!   I just love walking through town, along the small streets and alleyways.  Every door and access to a building or a courtyard is different and one is more amazing than the other!  I wonder how long it takes to be bored here; from speaking to several folks one never gets tired or jaded.

I am going to post on my website more frequently.  This space can be my 'morning pages' of my current life experience, so, stay tuned!

Saludos!

Still in Mexico!

Rosemary and Matthew sent me a birthday present of a ticket to visit St. Miguel de Allende for the last two weeks in March.  I am trying, so far unsuccessfully, to post a few pictures of some of our times together...  R and M returned to Canada on April 1; I stayed on!  I postponed my return ticket for two months because, in short, I have fallen in love with the place.

  

Where has the time gone?  February 2013 already and soon we are into March and softer weather and the emergence of colours and light!

Since last writing I have renovated my condo (new carpet throughout, new cupboard doors in kitchen and bathroom and new cabinet tops and splash tiles).

I am slowly building my new business as a Doula or support and (breathing/ relaxing) coach for Moms-to-be.  I feel privileged to be assisting my first two Moms and will be with them both as they give birth to their little one; both expected within the next two weeks.

I am working on my website (!)  please check it out and give me any suggestions to help me in my 'networking' goals!     www.yogalynchpin.com

I continue enjoying teaching ESL and am tutoring two students in their respective home 2 - 3 times a week.  I also volunteer at the Children's Hospital and, am a 'Greencoat' at the Vancouver Airport.  I have joined a small but dynamic writing group and love our weekly meetings at the Burnaby Shadbolt Centre.

This year I turn seventy and it is going to be an exciting twelve months!  In March I will join sister Rosemary and Matthew in Mexico for 2 1/2 weeks.  In May I join triathlete friend Marianne to climb down and spend the night at the Grand Canyon.  In August I will join Sister Madonna and Gary Billmark in the first (2013) Penticton Challenge.  Gary will do the swim, Sr. Madonna the cycle and, me, the run.  So add strengthening jogging and running to the above mix!

Thats all for now.  Thinking of my family and friends, very often and send my love out to you all.

Dyane

November Tales

Ok, it's early November and I have just come home from a six week stint as Acting Manager of the  Point Grey Guest House, a rather sophisticated bed and breakfast venue near the University of British Columbia, a few blocks away from the sea.  I love this residential area and felt very priviliged to have had this time here.  This photo shows Rowena, the PGGH wonderful assistant, and Shelby the dog.  It was definitely a pretty concentrated period of 'appropriateness'; no schlepping around here!  Large and fancy breakfast preparing, serving, schmooozing, phone calls, e-mails, general catering, walking the dog and just pulling out my own style of, and very welcomed, "Irish hospitality"!  I met wonderful people!  The photo below is in the living room after supper, taken with my Glengara Park, Dublin, school friends, Hilary and Heather (from Aus). The three of us were feted graciously by Hilary's husband, Patrick.

Now its back to my condo in North Burnaby (east of Vancouver) and the final touches of renovations in the kitchen and bathroom.  I started tutoring English yesterday.  Arran and Teresa and their two dogs continue to move through life happily.

Now, stepping back one hour in time tomorrow, and reaching out to whoever is following my story!

hugs, Dyane