MOVING TO ENGLAND

On Monday, September 1st I will be relocating back to the UK, specifically to the county of Dorset in the south of England. This was where I spent my late teens and early twenties and where I completed my nursing training. I visited England in April to scout out possible locations to live and chose the ancient town of Wimborne Minster as my future home. In the meantime, a small, two-floor apartment (with its own private garden) became available and I am now in the final stages of packing and shipping. The shipping company are coming tomorrow, Monday 18th, and I am having a moving sale next weekend. Because of costs, I have had to cut my shipping down to 100 cubic feet! I have been thinking of going "home" for about two years, having spent the past twenty-seven years in the states! It is an exciting time in my life and I am looking forward to the next adventure.

PARAISO INFANTIL ORPHANAGE

In the 1970s I worked for two years at the Paraiso Infantil Orphanage down in Colombia, SA. The picture on the top right shows it as it was then. I was there with Voluntary Service Overseas, a UK organization, and worked as a nurse/social worker with the babies and children. Over the past few years several of the children (now adults) have contacted me and one recently returned to visit the orphanage, which is now a missionary school. The photo on the top left is what it looks like now, not much different after thirty years. It was an interesting walk down Memory Lane!

NEW LOOK FOR OFFICE

It is amazing what a new look will do for productivity! This month I have been updating my office and replacing the heavy wooden furniture with lighter metal and glass pieces. Here is a pic of the new office. I still have to get a couple of student chairs but I am happy with the look. I transferred most of my files from my PC (which was getting very slow) to my laptop but kept the PC as it has a CD burner and floppy disc drive.

Guest on BCTV with Cokie Booth

On Tuesday, August 28th I trooped down to the BCTV office and sat in line to visit with TV interviewer Cokie Booth. Cokie is a local realtor who hosts a bi-weekly, local interest, TV show. I took down three of my books which are currently in print: Remote Perceptions, Shire, and River of Passion and we spent an interesting ten minutes talking about Shirehampton and the books. The time went very quickly and I gave Cokie gifts of my books. She was very gracious and I learned that the show will air in Boulder City next week. My first book, Remote Perceptions, is published by Hampton Roads and the last two by PublishAmerica. They can also be found on Amazon.com.

More Photos from Rancho La Puerta, Mexico

The Red Camellia - a short, short story

The Red Camellia
Noir Genre – 10 mins.
Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico
Writing Class, August, 2007
Instructor: April Smith

Instructions were to write a story based on Little Red Riding Hood in the Noir Genre. I changed the characters around a little, making Red Riding Hood the villain.

The Red Camellia walked the streets; the dark, dank, back alleys of Manchester. She wore red; just enough to titillate and suggest the promise of a wild ride. She saw him walking down the station forecourt searching for a taxi. Like a slinky on a string she oozed up to him, trailing wafts of cheap Eau de Cologne.
“I’m not buying!” he barked, pulling his trilby down over his eyes. She was selling but was more interested in taking. A cab pulled round the corner and he slid into the opened door. She slipped in beside him.
“I’m still not buying!” he spat the words out of the corner of his mouth. They rode in silence until they reached Chorlton-cum-Hardy, a working class suburb where the street walkers were common as muck.
“Keep the change.” He paid the taxi. She rolled out of the taxi after him, grabbing at his raincoat. Waiting at a nearby gate was an older woman; motherly, plump, smiling, welcoming. She scowled at the red harlot and made a gesture to a young “bobby” standing in the shadows, who hurried over with cuffs and dire warnings.
“We got another one, thanks Ma! Another one bites the dust.” said the man in the trilby.

Rancho La Puerta, Mexico, August, 2007

This weekend I returned from a replenishing, recuperative, energetic week's vacation at Rancho La Puerta in Mexico. http://www.rancholapuerta.com/ The Ranch is situated just over the US border and just outside the small town of Tecate, where they brew the famous Tecate beer. It was started in 1940 by Edmond and Deborah Szekely as a place to exercise, breathe, eat healthy and live spiritually. Edmond Szekely wrote about the Essenes and other ancient teachings. Deborah Szekely continues the Ranch's traditions of simplicity, beauty and healthy living. Their original one-room adobe house is preserved as a museum on the grounds and is now surrounded by trees and flowers.

To vacate means to empty yourself ready for new experiences and memories and that's just what I did - I vacationed. All the organic fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, flowers and herbs used in the Ranch's dining room come from their own farm, Tres Estellas, which is situated about two miles from the Ranch. Each week, guests can hike the two miles for an organic, outdoor breakfast and tour the farm, before hiking back through the foothills of Mount Kuchumaa. The Ranch's chefs and cooks transform these foods, along with fresh seafood from nearby coastal Ensenada and local cheeses and grains, into delicious, nutritious, low-cal meals. The ranch itself was delightful consisting of individual casitas (little houses) filled with colorful furnishings and privacy when needed.

I was fortunate enough to arrive during Writer's Week (it was also Ballet Week with Ronnie Mahler). The writer's in-residence in this past week's School of Life were April Smith and Dan Wakefield. I was able to attend several classes and presentations and will add a short piece I wrote, entitled The Red Camelia, to the Literature section of this blog. During the week I took part in a breakfast hike and water exercises, walked the labyrinth among the ancient oaks, went on a bird walk, chanted, meditated, drummed, attended talks by the writers and presenters, perused the museum, had massages, rested in the hammocks, learned about the history of the Ranch, puzzled over the Sumerian sun baths, walked the grounds on a guided tour of scultpures and arts, and won a Mexican vase at Bingo! (This vase caused some consternation at customs when my case was xrayed - a Mexican vase must have the same profile as something dangerous!)

Above all else was meeting such wonderful, warm and interesting people. I had resigned myself to spending the week pretty much on my own. It was not to be. From the first day, on the Ranch's complementary bus from San Diego Airport, I began to meet fascinating people. The custom seems to be to share first names and where you are from, and only then to share more if you want to. During the week I shared meals and conversations with some wonderful women, mostly professional, mid-career, and all with interesting lives. There were a few men at the ranch but they were mainly there with their wives.

Now I am back with more writing ideas and lots of creative insights. I didn't lose weight but I did lose inches and gained muscle (both physical and mental!) I plan to go back, maybe for my birthday next April, and repeat the experience. In the following post are some more pictures of my stay at the Ranch. Enjoy!