Time to Tie the Knot

Ahhhh 

Gosh it seems just like yesterday that I was watching Dale my son playing his first proper football match as a budding star of the Gunners when he was around a 6 or 7 year old. He didn’t make it on the books of our great but slightly fallen team but I am proud to say he did great in life  - really great.

Ah the memories

One thing is certain time really does fly – just a little bit to fast for my liking!  With bags packed I am, in a few hours leaving the pampa plains and heading to New Zealand where Dale and Kate will tie the knot on 1^st March (where does that expression come from) and I am really looking forward to it. I guess at times like these its always a trip down memories lane and I have many wonderful ones of Dale. One is how I used to drag him and his sister Jodie off to many of the gigs I played in those days. One favourite of theirs was when our band played for Billy Smarts at Littlehampton (oh the mention of it makes me think of candy floss and kiss me quick hats). The kids loved that gig as being a part of the band they were given free tickets on all the rides. Not sure they listened much to our music but Dale must have listened to some as he has asked me to play some songs at his wedding  - when he asked me I felt so happy and honoured. So not only will I have my suitcase I will be going with guitar in hand and with few warm up  gigs under my belt to get my rusty  fingers working a bit again I am off. Thankfully for the guests there will be other entertained in the form of Kate’s dad who is a professional jazzman.

I am going to miss La Margarita but I am also looking forward to going somewhere I have never been before. We have had many guests from NZ on La Margarita and it seems a fabulous country and I have to say each and every one of them was a great advert for their country –such nice people and boy did they like to party so should be fun.

This is David Cummings alias the English Gaucho hasta pronto

Life on La Margarita 2012

Gauchitos with Dad Ignacio

Life on  La Margarita 2012!!

Ignaki with Dad

Gauchita Francisca at 7 looking like a natural

Mariana with Francisca and Isabella

I remember years ago when I purchased La Margarita I had to look for a caretaker for the estancia. Gomez who had worked for the previous owners had decided that, at aged 72, it was time for him to retire and I agreed – it’s takes a lot of energy looking after an estancia. I put the word around the town that I needed a caretaker and since it was a time of crises here still I was inundated with offers from people who wanted to caretake La Margarita. They arrived on foot, on bike, in cars (that looked like  they should have been scrapped years ago)  and by horse. In the end I decided to hire Genco . He was an ex policeman and said that he wanted to live the country life and was very able to look after La Margarita. I liked him so I hired him. He worked for me on the understanding that at sometime in the future I would be looking for couple so that the caretaker’s wife could look after the house. Genko was great and he was as good as his word and really looked after La Margarita during his watch. I do remember however, he had one problem in that he had vertigo, a fear of heights so bad that a few rungs up a ladder were enough to bring it on. It meant that I had to do all the shimming up the windmill when there was a problem with it – a small price to pay. When his watch came to an end we left on great terns – he had found a girlfriend and he needed to spend more time in town. Along came Lalo with  Lettie his wife who  stayed for nearly five years. When his watch came to an end he certainly left La Margarita a much better place than he found it. He was a genius at fixing things – only when Lalo couldn’t fix it was it thrown away. It was a sad day when his watch was over and they both had to move to the next town to look after Letties father.  We placed an ad  for a new caretaker and hey pesto  we found Ignacio and Mariana. It takes time to get used to a new regime as you can imagine. It was the same when Genko left and Lalo started. Ignacio and Mariana have been with us now for around nine months and I have to say it is a pleasure to have them working on La Margarita. Ignacio is a genius with horses and they have never looked better, he works great with guest and always has a smile for them. Mariana works like a Trojan in the house looking after guests and making sure everything works how it should do plus making sure her three children are taken care of. Both Ignacio and Mariana speak English, which is a great bonus for guest when they come and can’t speak Spanish.  Their children Isabella. Francesca and Inaki are a delight and are definite bonus for the estancia. For me it is a pleasure to have this lovely couple working here on La Margarita. They have created a great ambience here, which is great - long may it continue. If you come to La Margarita I am sure you will feel the same way when you meet them.

This is David Cummings alias The English Gaucho hasta la vista   

Messing Around on La Margarita in January

I sometimes feel a bit guilty when I write about how lovely the weather is here in the summer. After all where I come from i.e. London many of my friends and family are now suffering snow and icy winds and here we are saying how hot is here.  Certainly January in Argentina can be a tad hot – reaching as high as 42 sometimes - whew. However, as the saying goes when we complain of the cold  “there is no such thing as the wrong weather only the wrong cloths” that applies to La Margarita except of course you need fewer clothes here in the Argentina summer, a pair of shorts, a tee shirt and don’t forget your swimming costume – the temperature can dip in the evening so bring a sweater with you just in case!

This year has been no exception as regards the weather, it’s been hot and then it’s been hotter. Those guests that have come to La Margarita have made fair use of the pool and the great outdoors.  Taking a dip in the pool, chilling out in a deck chair, taking a siesta in a hammock, riding out early morning or later in the evening in the evening, taking a late evening stroll to enjoy the best sky show in the world that’s about been the rhythm of the guests this January and having quick look at the photos it looks as though they had a good time.

This is David Cummings alias the English Gaucho hasta pronto