It's been so long...

I can't believe that my last post on here was at the end of June.  So much has happened since then and most of it has been diarised ready to enter but before our departure life was chaotic and ever since we arrived on 6th August, we've been without proper internet access, despite the promise of it being connected ready and waiting.

 I now have a dilemma.. whether to continue with my entries retrospectively and in chronological order or whether to cut straight to the present with news of our first few weeks living in our new country, leaving the remainder to be added by way of retrospectives...  I shall ponder but for now let it suffice to say that we're settling into our new home which although small, is very convenient and so beautifully rurally located in a wooded hillside setting yet within only 20 minutes' walk from Mark's school.

However the difference between what we saw when we made our original foray in June and what we found when we arrived in early August was quite phenominal!  The photos on the left are of the garden in June and on the right are as it was six weeks later with the onset of the wet season. So green and lush...

We were told that the rain started the moment we left Mexico in June and it kept falling every day following! It's continued very regularly since we moved in with tropical style storms the like of which we have never experienced!
Click the Play arrow to see...

Here are a few shots of our new home. On the left is the front of the house which sits at the entrance into the landlords' house and grounds, and the remaining photos show some internal shots. We love the arched windows but the metalwork infills make cleaning a real chore!

The Kitchen is smaller than we're used to but hey ho!  It means it has to be kept really tidy!


The one very useful area is a large walk-in clothes closet - more room here than in our wardrobes back in Reading!

The "Utility Room" however, is very different, as can be seen from this photograph - very well ventilated, no chance of condensation being created, and never gets overly hot.  Indeed, I think that in the winter it will be darned cold!  So far, it has suffered extensively in the severe storms we've been having and we're advised to get an "overcoat" for the washing machine...



On the other hand, one of the main things that attracted us to this house is the separate Annex which comprises a large Living Area, with its own toilet and shower room








Finally, here is a glimpse of the Landlords' house, built about 20 years ago in the style of Antoni Gaudi - it's fabulous!  

House rental...

I cannot believe how lucky we’ve been!  My former colleagues Dan and Kate Williams from Premier Letting took on the task of letting our house and within 48 hours of the To Let board being erected, we have found tenants, Ana and Geraldo Perroud and their two lovely daughters.  They will move in on August the 5^th and we fly out to Mexico on the 6^th. Things could not have worked out better.  We have organised storage for the items of furniture they do not need, and everything is set!

The letting details almost made us feel we wanted to rent it ourselves :)

Catching up...

It will have become clear that I've been making lots of notes and taking photographs, and have only now been able to spend a little time making posts to this blog.


More to follow...

Mexico...

I’ve just read the following in an article to which I’ve subscribed:

6 Reasons Why Mexico Is Safer Than You Think

Topics: Lifestyle | Mexico Safety | Travel Advice

Written by: Mexico Insight

Published: Monday, May 2, 2011

News headlines reporting drug-related violence in Mexico have caused people to question safety and security in Mexico by default. To provide some perspective, listed here are six reasons which demonstrate that Mexico’s drug-related issues, although real and in need of addressing by governments, do not make Mexico wholly unsafe, nor do they foretell a collapse of the Mexican State.

Visitor numbers are rising: The Bank of Mexico is responsible for collating and publishing foreign visitor statistics. Earlier this year, the figures showed that over 22 million foreign visitors arrived in Mexico in 2010—a rise on 2009′s figures and one of the highest recorded numbers since these records began. Despite the swine-flu of 2009, the global economic crisis, and the drug-violence, people keep coming to Mexico.  Statistics from foreign consulate records show that the overwhelming majority of visits to Mexico are trouble-free.

Mexico’s economy grew at 5.5% in 2010. Industrialised nations turn green with envy just thinking of Mexico’s economic growth rate. Years of sound economic governance, shrewd investment, and relatively low debt (public and private) have created an attractive environment for investors and foreign companies. Furthermore, Mexico is now one of the world’s few ‘trillion dollar’ economies, and mature nations are today falling over themselves to work with Mexico—if you don’t believe this, look up how many foreign trade missions have been taking place here in the last couple of years, led by top politicians and ministers of the respective countries vying for a piece of Mexican pie.

No expat exodus. In decades past, when Mexico’s economy was less certain and less stable, foreign expats would often flee home in the event of a peso crisis.  Today, even with the drug-related violence playing out, no such exodus is taking place and, furthermore, interest in relocations to Mexico is rising. Mexico’s government is fully expecting its expat communities to grow over the coming decade and beyond, and has been working to facilitate this process, as the financial and cultural benefits it brings are significant. If Mexico is a wholly dangerous place to be, why are existing expats staying put and inquiries for relocations to Mexico increasing?

Most people remain unaffected by the drug-related violence. Recent figures published by the Mexican government showed that most of the homicides in the country over the last few years have comprised of gang members killing other gang members. Tourists, business visitors, and foreign expats are not being affected by the drug-gangs, and statistics show that the overwhelming majority of visits to Mexico pass by trouble-free.

Mexico matters: the neighbour to the south of the U.S. is one of the world’s most important nations - poised to play a major role in world affairs during the 21st century. Its shared land border with the States is a primary reason why drug lords want control of the overland trade routes into seemingly insatiable U.S. narcotic markets, where the illegal substances they peddle are readily available to those who seek them. For these reasons and others, the matter will not be resolved by Mexico alone, but by Mexico and the U.S. working in partnership.

Mexico’s underlying story is strong and getting stronger. Notwithstanding the current drug-related violence, the country’s macro economics are in good shape; Mexico has substantial oil and gas reserves as well as considerable mineral and precious metal wealth; foreign visitors keep coming back to visit despite the unsavory news headlines; foreign governments are actively courting trade and commerce with Mexico; expats living here are going about their lives normally; statistics continue to show that Mexico’s levels of general crime and violence continue to be lower than those of most large U.S. cities; foreign expats we talk with say that they feel safer here in Mexico than they do in their home country.

Spring looks at its best...

Spring has been lovely this year and our garden has been beautiful with flowers and shrubs all looking splendid, with colours and textures to envy.  We'll surely miss this but maybe if we're lucky enough to find a property with a garden we can create something equally as attractive, albeita very different...  maybe a collection of cactus!!

We’ve been continuing with the work at home to prepare for a future letting.  The garden project has continued apace, the turf has arrived, we’ve spent a few hours laying it and thankfully the weather has been kind enough to provide much needed rain to ensure it takes without too much use of the hosepipe!

And we've finally succeeded in producing an additional lawn to compete with Wimbledon...

With more still to do...