Well, I am sitting here like a ripe red tomato. The reason being, once again, I went out on the beach without sun protection. You always think ’oh, well, it’s not actually blazing sunshine’ so it’ll not burn. But it does so I have been putting on cream and more cream and more cream. I was away with the teachers up the coast for their annual trip except this year we went for an overnight. The reason for that, if you remember, was that we had been due to go on retreat for a few days in October but a problem came up in the staff and we stayed back to do in-service. Anyway, this time we were off no problem: we went in country up to Manabi province and Puerto Lopez. There we went to a small community called ‘Aguas Blancas’ where a man took us around the countryside for an hour and showed us all sorts of animal life and vegetation. It was very interesting (mmmmmm) but much more so was the sculpture pool where we went bathing. The idea is that you cover yourself in sulphur mud and it helps the complexion (mmmmmmmmmm?). We then made our way down the coast – standing on the back of a truck for an hour and a half) till we got to Libertador Bolivar and the parents’ house of Asucena, one of our teachers. There we stayed for the night, after we had danced a bit and gone a midnight walk on the beach. Next day was the ‘getting-burnt-on-the-beach’ day but it was great fun. The waves were enormous and you had to have your wits about you to withstand the strength of them. In any case, it was a fantastic two days and once again showed that the staff at our school are a great bunch of people. Before that on Wednesday we had our Primary 7 graduation ceremony. This year it was in the Parish Hall and not in the school – mainly, I think to get more people in. It was very fine with the usual formality (Let’s stand for the National Anthem), a plate of rice and chicken and loads of photos at the end. Still smiling. The heavy rains have continued to fall – this week, and last night in particular, the heavy heavy stuff has arrived. It is amazing how it just sweeps everything in its path. Last night, being Friday, I was in Narcisa chapel when the rain started. So when I returned through San Ignacio I saw how the rain was flowing so fast that it was bringing all the rubbish left at the top of the street. It was like rubbish and waste spread out all over the long street. Today there is a big clear-up going on all over the place. Leonor from San Ignacio has been in the news again – her retention wall fell away last year as a result of the rains and God alone knows what might happen this year. I think she sleeps at the front of the house away from the walls that might fall in. (I have just come back in from Divino Nino 5pm Mass on a Saturday and I think it would be fair to say it is chucking it down. Thunder. THUNDER and Lightning. Just going from the Church to the car I got soaked. And yet the guys are out playing football … now that is dedication. Talking of water, I got a call today from the Guayaquil Rotary Club to say that the laying of the pipes that will bring water to the Nursery, Church and House here will start on Monday. This will be a tremendous saving as we spend $50 a week on water for the Nursery and Church. I will be able to have shower again!

The visit up north to see Martin Kelly, a St. James priest from Motherwell Diocese, dominated last week. I had not been to see Martin in his Puerto Quito home since coming here and he had always been at me to visit. So, with Colm Hogan at my side, I took the bull by the horns and got the bus up north. It was a great ride (I got some sleep in) as we passed hours of rice fields and banana fields. And when we eventually got to Puerto Quito it was an amazing experience. It is very much countryside parish but is so extensive – there are something like 90 wee communities that Martin needs to attend – some he gets to every week, but most are once a month. Martin has been in that parish for over sixteen years and things have definitely been built up during that time: roads have been built where once Martin had to walk across fields; new communities have appeared; and, on a Church level, Martin ahs set up Chapels and community centres as well as the main Church and Hall. There are as well a few well-based social projects that help the people develop their farming skills. All in all, I was very glad to have visited and seen how a ‘campo’ parish can work so well. My car has been causing me problems recently: last week it started to shake quite heavily while I was out and about. So I took it into the garage to get the wheels balanced and alignment done. Naturally enough for Latins it took two days longer than they had said. However, like the Gospels, I was just insistent and kept phoning every three or four hours. In the end, I think they were just glad to see the back of me! However, without the car, this allowed me to indulge in my favourite shanty pastime: get out walking and visiting people. Two afternoons last week I got my wellies on and trudged through the muck, up and down hill, to see as many people as I could: I visited Aida in her simple house and, once again, I got to see Richard as he develops his house with Scottish money. One of the lessons I have learned here is to ditch the car every so often and get out walking – you are able to spend time chatting with folk which you obviously cannot do when you are in the car. A simple lesson, eh? I have started two courses this week: my regular guitar class and a course for new Eucharistic ministers. My guitar class is taking place in La Paz chapel at the far end of the Parish; it is great to see the enthusiasm of the young folk. I had bought six cheaper guitars and amazingly I got six participants so they each have a guitar in their house to practice. It is also clear at the very start that has good skill and will advance quite a bit during eth classes. The other course is for Eucharistic ministers to help with Communion: once again the people, young and old, are glad of the opportunity to advance in their faith. Of course one of the things that would frustrate anyone from back home is that, although I set the time for the start of the class each week, no-one turns up on time, they all arrive at least fifteen minutes late!!!! I met with Pedro Mogrovejo, our architect, through the week. He had been working on plans to build three more classrooms. It looks like we might have enough money to do that build. In spite of the economic crisis, it looks like our friends back home have continued to be very generous! My two good nun friends, Louisa and Isabel, are off to Spain for a month’s break. They need it I think as they were completely run out for weeks. They work in another Parish nearby but have worked here on various occasions and what I like about them is that they are a good sounding board for many ideas and frustrations of mine. They always give me time to let off steam! Louisa is from Gibraltar (so is bilingual) and Isabel is from mainland Spain. Together they have worked well fro five years but it really is funny when you go and visit: you would think they are always fighting and arguing but I think they need that spark to get them going.

Well the rains have started – almost every day and night this week it has been raining. I am surprised how every year the start of the rainy season seems to take me by surprise as if I wasn’t expecting it. Having said that it has been heavy and steady rain 0 not yet torrential …. So we wait for that to start. In any case, I am now walking around in my three-monthly muddy shoes. And there are certain parts of the Parish where water simply gathers so the pools have started appearing. Connected with the rains was an evening’s power cut. We have power cut all the time – this one was on Thursday from 4pm until 10.30pm. But what was surprising about this one was that it affected 80% of the population. 80%? If that had happened back home, it would be called a national crisis. Just another day here. Wee Andres’ Dad has been in hospital getting treatment for his diabetes. Basically he stood on a rusty nail and, because diabetes had affected that foot, didn’t feel it until it had infected the foot. There was a fear that he might have to get his foot cut off but, with treatment (and with cash), the foot has been saved. I went to see him in hospital the other day along with wee Andres and Andres’ Mum. The good news is that he had the operation on his infected foot on Thursday there and everything seems to have gone well. If the doctor gives him the all-clear on Tuesday, he could be home within a fortnight. I have promised that we will have Christmas meal when he comes out!!!! Talking of rusty nails – I stood on one this Wednesday. I was at Maestro chapel for evening Mass and, while ringing the bell to get people to Church, I stood a piece of wood with a rusty nail – which went through my shoe and pierced the skin. As Mass went on I realized that that piece of wood had been there since the construction which finished in June. Over six month? An old nail? So I decided to ask at the pharmacy what I should do – Alberto, the pharmacist, is very good on advice fro gringos. He said I should have a tetanus jab. Okay, where? Over the road. So there I was Wednesday in the living room of a neighbour, who just happens to be a nurse, getting my cure. So far there have been no side effects. In Ecuador we are moving into the long holiday season and several people have already ‘shot the crow’ and are off. All sorts of bus runs take place. Even the priests. The priests of our area went to a sports complex nearby on Wednesday – I took part in swimming. Then in the big raffle. Hey there were good prizes, an air conditioning unit as well as a large TV. I had a good time and, as ever, it was good simply to talk to folk that normally through the year you just work with. I was surprised, though, that one of the priests, knowing I was Scottish, offered me a glass of Johnny Walker as I walked in. I had to refuse – I was driving and, in any case, it was 10am!!!!! We also a catechists party – the usual mayhem and games. I had provided the eats so everyone was happy about that. This time, though, I made sure the cake was given out at the start … I seem to remember if it is given out at the end, it often ends up in a food fight!!!! Nothing to do with me, guv! One of the things that occurs the world over, I think, is fall-outs between Church musicians. I don’t why but wherever you go there seems to be disagreements. For the past month we have had a fall-out between Tito, our main musician at the Parish church and Damian, the young guitarist who has got a music group around him. I had worried about it for a while and I had tried to get them together for a chat but they refused or simply didn’t want to come. Anyway, they came finally on Thursday and we had a head-to-head. It amazes me here that people are so frank to each others’ face in an argument. That was what it was like on Thursday with each person saying how much the other had got up their nose. However, after a half an hour, it was all sweetness and love; all proclaimed their love to the Parish ….. and this weekend we are back to where we were two months ago!

Well the real personal excitement this week was telling my family that I would be home in March for Mum & Dad’s 50th Wedding Anniversary. I had booked my ticket some months ago but had kept it a secret. So when Ian phoned to ask if I would be able to manage a few days home – seeing that the 31st March is so near to Holy Week! You can’t publish the words that were spoken when I told them about me keeping it secret. I am really looking forward to be home for ten days around eth anniversary. Parish life keeps me busy and, as ever, my best thing is simply to get out and meet folk. Yesterday among others, I went to old Louisa (she still wears the clothes that Tracy and Suzanne bought her), to Aida who is looking for a new bed and a chair, and to Silberio who is still getting to grips with losing a leg last year. I also had a sad occasion on Sunday morning after early Mass – I was called to the house of Alvarito: this six-year old had special needs and had taken a fit that morning and died. It was so sad to see the distraught family and friends who clearly had a great affection for their little star. Sad also to see the way that poverty affects even in death – six-year old Alvarito was not in a coffin but wrapped in a shawl …. They would be getting a coffin once they had traveled the country to his place of rest. This week we were back at Ayangue for our regular meeting with the St. James’ guys. After all the activity of the Christmas weeks, it was great to get there and enjoy the rest. Strange to be able to swim in the ocean – knowing that back home the temperatures are way below zero!! Yesterday I went to visit Richard one of our very committed catechists. He lived with Gisella, his wife and their one child, Omar. Their house was falling to one side and was so small that even a cat could not be swung. In any case, several people have made donations to his new house. I had seen the house at the start of the project but it was amazing to see how much it has developed in the past weeks. It is also great to see that Richard, at the moment unemployed, is doing it all by himself with some help from his brothers. This house will last for ages and will be a great present from Scotland.

Well a Happy New Year to “ yin and a’ “! I hope that your celebrations went well for Hogmanay and that you are not in too much of a National Recovery position! Here Hogmanay is a fantastically noisy affair. It really is a mixture of Hogmanay and Guy Fawkes’ night; for the 31st December they do all the things that people do back home for Guy Fawkes – they make a ‘Guy’ our of paper and go round the streets asking ‘penny for the Guy’. The only difference is when the clock strikes twelve for the New Year, their Guy is stuffed with firecrackers so the burning doll starts to go wild with noise and light. The first time I was ever here for Hogmanay, I thought I was in a war zone with all the noise going off. Having said all of that, there is a great atmosphere with everyone walking the streets (I did too) and meeting folk. I went in to people’s houses as I passed by – sharing their food and drink. I needed up at the Bells in Jose Carlos’ house (he was one of the group in Scotland last year) and it was a very happy evening. So, having partied for a few hours on the streets it was time to put my head on the pillow and try for some sleep in the face of opposition from the massive speakers of the street party next door! Happy New Year! On New Years’ Day a group of the priests from here met in one of the hotels in the centre of town. It was a great afternoon with a great meal (smoked salmon was even on the menu but sadly no steak pie) and the good craic meant that we stayed all afternoon chatting and getting extra rounds of water and coke!!!! Earlier in the week I had gone out to Ayangue on the coast to see the work going on there. With my new responsibilities in the St. James’ Society, I have to look after the work there. At the moment they are building an outer wall around some of the land next to the house. Basically Ecuador’s President has decreed that any unused land is to be taken back into the control of the state – so there has been a mad rush to fence in all sorts of land. We only have a wee parcel around the house there but in any case it is getting fenced. So it was good to see the workers and see how it was progressing. And, taking Jose and Arisela with their kids meant that we had a morning on the beach. Mmmmm, Christmas week and swimming in the sea – lovely! I also took a group last week along to one of the orphanages we regularly visit – Sor Domingo Bocca. We went with a group of the youth group here. They has asked us for a Christmas Mass but we also put on a few numbers and they acted out a wee sketch. So, with the Christmas sweeties that we took along, it turned out to be a great afternoon also. Apart from that things have been quiet around the sector as people go away into the countryside to visit their families there for the Christmas week. And today – the 2nd – things are still in recovery mode after New Years. I am enjoying the quiet and rest.