Estancia Peuma Hue - "Land of Dreams"

Photos from our holiday with Bryce and Delwyn staying in a lodge on the shores of a lake near Bariloche - absolutely idyllic! 

Views of our cabin.

And with the owner, Evelyn Hoter

Main entrance gate.

Inside our cabin

View from my room

Down by the crystal-clear lake

Inside the main lodge where we ate every evening

View from dining room looking over lake

Food, glorious food

Things we did...

Oops, Gringa has come to call... and we're right out of carrots!

This little thing won everyone's hearts! "Tehue", 6 days old here

Friendly animals everywhere

These birds are very typical of Patagonia, buff-necked ibis 

Walked up to a view-point one day, here you can see me as a tiny blue blob against a massive rock

The viewpoint is right on the Continental Divide. The water from this lake flows into the Atlantic Ocean, and...

Looking to the right of the lookout, over the highway south.  The water from this lake empties into the Pacific Ocean.

wild fuchsias

The pilot of this boat is the great-grandson of an Australian who came over and farmed in Patagonia. He took us across to the other shore where we had a picnic and walked back through the bush.

Hard to find a more peaceful spot than this!

The estancia is in the clearing amongst the trees on the shore.  

The Cauquen goose

Some pix from convention time 2016

We had the unexpected visit from Bernard Manning who came over to Buenos Aires to renew his Aussie passport.  Monica and I took the poor man traipsing around the streets in the pouring rain, with a 50kg pack on his back, full of coffee and other goodies for me from Gus!  The three of us got soaked to the skin as we ended up with one brolly between us.  Not to worry, the passport was obtained, and so was mine (before his 👍).  Pictured also are Keith Drury (England), and Walter Goodridge.

Many cooks! Buenos Aires convention with many helpers.  Kevin making pizza bases, Florencia and Karen turning out some Hassleback spuds with a twist; Arlene Garcia and Ronda Stidolph standing in kitchen; Jenny Connelly and Marcela; Floppy making bread; Floppy and Marcela mocking my dud porridge buns.

Waiting to leave at the bus station.

Cooking at Rio Cuarto

Three Aussies: Beverley Loechel, Bernard, Wendy Cornthwaite

Four members of the extended Barjacoba family who are in the work: Patricia Oberto, Mirna Barjacoba, Sara Barjacoba, Walter Goodridge.

Norma Justus and I, co-workers this year.  We were together in 2011.

Bernard's "mongrel dog" that wandered in after the meeting and made itself at home.

Bryce and Delwyn arriving at Neuquen airport, with Jenny Connelly who knows Bev's family well!

This was GOOOD!!! Staying at their hotel with them, it was so hot, just what the doctor ordered!

View from my hotel window - very typical of Neuquen!!

Lunch out with Jenny

And Marcela Salgado

Marcela's twin Gisela made a 7-hour bus trip and turned up to the meetings on Sunday as a surprise. First time she's been to a meeting since Marcela went in the work.  She was pretty happy!  

Workers all having tea together before catching their respective buses to their fields/back to their countries.  For the visitors it's the last of their 3-month round of mtgs.   It's always a huge rush!

Last photos from 2015

Here are some photos I intended to past late last year and never got around tuit! Our final visit to the town of Chos Malal in the north of Neuquen province, where one of our friends is an English teacher.  I was lucky enough to happen upon some goatherds bringing their flocks from where they winter over, droving them up into the mountains to their summer pastures.  It was a real neat sight!

The herd of goats coming down the river-bed.

There must have been around 300-400 goats.

They were putting them in this corral for the night, ready to start the journey again in the morning.

This is Graciela Luck and her husband Fernando and children.  Graciela was brought up going to meetings with her parents, but never wanted it for herself.  Almost two years ago, she suddenly felt a strong need to be in the meetings, and in December told us she would like to make her choice known publicly.  She is one of 10 siblings, and has just three brothers serving God. Both her parents are still alive (father turned 90 recently), so has been real nice for them to see!

To farewell the year, some got together for a picnic by the river (NB a "picnic" in Argentina usually involves meat and fire, not sammies!!)