Christmas is over. The turkey has been eaten, the presents opened and returned and diets gone by the wayside.

Now we have New Year’s Eve to look forward to spending with family and friends. Many are having a quiet dinner at home or going to a house party and many others are going out to one the excellent restaurants here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala to partake of a gala New Year’s Eve Gourmet dinner with dancing and champagne at midnight.
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We have a lot going on this holiday season. All our children are home which is terrific. We are particularly happy our son and his fiancé are back safely from Phuket, Thailand.

We had a lovely adult Christmas Eve dinner at our house with family and dear friends and Christmas Day we also had dinner at home complete with all children and our almost 8 month old grandson and 6 year old step granddaughter. It was terrific to see Christmas through the eyes of young children and we are very grateful for our wonderful family.

We have three more formal dinners to go to over the next week and also a night out of dancing.

Things will settle down January 3rd, 2012 and then we have four weeks of relative peace and quiet before our family from up north start arriving for our son’s wedding in February. My husband, naturally, has invited them to all stay with us which is going to be a serious logistical problem which I will think about later.

By the end of February we will begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel and will look back on this time with fond warmth and treasure the great memories of us all being together.

Serious diets will be embarked on with great enthusiasm and rigid exercise programs reinstated.

Golf dates will resume and life will go on in our beautiful village in the sun.

We would like to wish everyone a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. We are all looking forward to 2012 being a better year for all

Christmas is 6 sleeps away and everyone is rushing around trying to get all their shopping for presents and for food done in time. I am one of those people that have nightmares that it is Christmas Eve and I have not done all my shopping. One year, I was particularly clever and I did all my shopping and preparations in November and I had a lovely stress-free December.
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Well Christmas/Navidad is almost upon us once more and we are all busy decorating our houses for the festive season which drives some of us to drink more eggnog and Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry that perhaps we should.

One of things I have always enjoyed about this time of year is seeking out the perfect Nochebuenas (Poinsettias) to adorn our homes and gardens.
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I have not blogged for a little while because my husband’s Mother passed away November 26th, 2011.

Kevin flew to Toronto on November 22nd and was lucky enough to have 4 days with her along with his 3 brothers and sister. I commented that Pat must have been happy to have them all there to make her laugh and my husband told me “She is making us laugh. She is such an amazing woman”.

After her passing the rest of the family flew to Toronto for the placing of her ashes with her husband, Arthur Stuart Collins, and the Memorial Service December 2nd.

The immediate family is now 19 and we came from Scotland, Mexico, Victoria, Canada, North Carolina and Virginia to be together and to draw strength from each other as we have done so many times before.

We drove together to Peterborough, Ontario on Dec. 1st to place Pat’s ashes next to her husband who had passed in 2008 and the setting was beautiful and it was a beautiful sunny day. Pat and Art had chosen a lovely stone wall overlooking the Otonabee River with a stately tree in front of the wall.

The Memorial on Dec. 2nd was a splendid tribute to this well-loved woman who we all loved dearly as did many of hundreds of others outside the family.

My husband’s brother, his wife and his sister had worked incredibly hard to have a fitting service for Pat and I know she would have been very proud of the warmth, caring and heartfelt tributes that poured out for her.

Pat (Nanny) will be sorely missed and it is hard to think of this earth without her but we know she is now with her beloved Art in heaven with whom she spent almost 60 years.

If you would like to know more about this very special person you can Google her and many stories and interviews will pop up. There was also a full page obituary/tribute to Pat in the Toronto Globe and Mail December 9th. Pat’s videos about her past as a ground-breaking camerawoman during the war have been uploaded to Youtube. This morning we got an email with all the references to Pat that were picked up because of the Globe and Mail article. I said to my husband that “Nanny has gone viral!”

Pat would have loved this as humor is a big part of our family’s rich fabric as anyone who knows my husband can attest to.

God Bless you, Pat, Mom, Nanny. You will be with us always and your ability to make each and every one of us feel like we were the most special people in the world will live on in our hearts. We will love you forever.

Today, November 24th is American Thanksgiving Day and I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.

I think this is always a good time to count ones blessings and remember all the things we have, in fact, to be thankful for.

We have so much to be thankful for. Our son and his fiancé are returning home next week having been in Dubai and Thailand for over 15 months. Our very good friend is returning for 5 months. My daughter’s boyfriend will be home for Christmas. We will have our first Christmas with our 7 month old grandson and we are all healthy.
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I came home from shopping and various other chores this morning to find all kinds of photographs strewn around the living room.

Our daughter had been cleaning out her room and had found some real gems. Everything now is digital but there is something very nostalgic and warming to hold a real photograph in your hand.
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The New Monday Market at the Hole-in-One Restaurant was a huge success. There were wall to wall people and lots of wonderful sights and smells.

There is a guy from New York who makes the best meatballs you have ever tasted.
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There is an exiting new Monday Market at Carretara Chapala-Jocotepec # 89 in San Antonio Tlayacapan at the Hole in One Restaurant. Tel. (376) 766-4477.

The new Monday Market opens Monday, November 14th and the hours are from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

This new market features some of Ajijic’s best cooks and artisans selling prepared food to go and hand made craft items.

The market will have a enticing selection of baked goods, Middle Eastern Food such as hummus, roasted peppers and baba ganoush and much much more.

Also soups will be available.
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I have noticed for the last few days that Poncho, my friend, who runs Superlake in San Antonio Tlayacapan, has started to bake fresh goods every day. Today the aroma captured my attention and I bought a fresh healthy multi-grain baguette.

Now I consider myself a bit of a bread connoisseur and I can tell you it is the best bread I have ever eaten.
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This will be our third year of attending this event which we have always enjoyed. We enjoy it because the food and music is good and we like the charity it supports.

This a charity that spays and neuters, feeds 76 dogs, gives refuge and rescue and helps all needy animals regardless of ownership.

This year the menu is a Prime Rib Dinner for $250.00 pesos per person and a cash bar.

The Entertainment is Carol Bedford and Jerry Mayfield.

There is also a Silent Auction November 6th at 4:00 pm at Paseo del Mirador # 14 in La Floresta.

Tickets are available at: Handy Mail, Diane Pearl, Blue Bell Ice Cream Ship, Animal Care Pet Shop, Yves Restaurant, 2nd Time Around (next to Ruben’s Restaurant) or call: 766-3813, cell 331 431-7744, 766-0780 or 765-3435.

Unfortunately, no tickets will be sold at the door and it is by reservation only.

This event always opens the festive season for us and we always have a good time with good food, wine and company with the bonus of knowing we are helping to look after and feed animals.

Come on out and enjoy a lovely dinner with wonderful caring people.

We hope to see you there!