A Postcard A Day - Friday 27 January 2023 - Friday Smiles

 Hello lovely ladies, 

How are you? Here the sun is shining and although it is cold, the weather is beautiful. I have hung out my washing and it is nearly dry. So, all in all, life is good and I have plenty to smile about.

Lets start with a postcard. Always worth a smile:

I thought that in the cold of winter, the idea of a cruise in the sun would be very appealing. This is a vintage travel poster advertising Canadian Pacific (after the work of Tom Purvis, circa 1937).

In 1884, Canadian Pacific Railways began purchasing sailing ships as part of a railway supply service on the Great Lakes. Over time, CPR became a railroad company with widely organized water transportation auxiliaries including the CPR Upper Lake Service, the trans-Pacific service, the British Columbia Coast Steamships, the British Columbia Lake and River Service, the trans-Atlantic service, and the Ferry service. In the 20th century, the company evolved into a transcontinental railroad which operated two transoceanic services which connected Canada with Europe and with Asia. 

The Canadian Pacific Railway Upper Lake Service, also known as the Canadian Pacific Railway Upper Lake Steamships, was a division of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), which began operating passenger and cargo shipping routes in the Great Lakes during the late 19th century.

One of the ships of the Upper Lake fleet was the SS Keewatin, now a museum ship in its former home port of Port McNicoll.

The postcard has a stamp on it which has the same image as the front of the card:

So what have I been doing this week, apart from paperwork? I'm going to the gym three times a week. 

The cave house next door which Graham was renovating, is now being completed by Juan, a friend from church, who needed a job. 

This is the entrance hall:

The half wall hides the kitchenette:

The door you see in the back ground is the door to the bathroom, which is finished.

I'm very pleased with the progress.

Saturday we had an Intercambio meeting, where English speakers can practice their Spanish while the Spanish speakers can practice their English. We have been given access to a classroom in the middle of the village, but it is not heated (like all public buildings) so I bring an electric heater and an electric kettle so we can make some hot drinks. Below you can see me just as we were leaving. The other girl is a Spanish lady.

But I think my biggest smile this week is  my new TV that arrived on Tuesday:

My lodger helped me carry it down the stairs and together we unpacked it and put it in my bedroom.

He plugged it in and fiddled with the remote. The tv (very smartly) detected the wifi signal, I typed in the password and hey presto, I had Netflix and Amazon Prime! No wonder they call it a Smart TV.

Next week, my friend Andy will hopefully be able to get me some proper tv channels. In the meantime I have so far enjoyed watching The Crown, and Inspector Montalbano (an Italian tv series). It saves on fuel as I now go to bed an hour earlier to watch tv.

I have come back from a knitting and crochet 'circle' of local women. We all bring our work and chat and people give each other advice on how to proceed through difficult bits of knitting. Most people are crocheting garments (Jumpers or cardigans). I'm knitting socks. 

And as I am knitting in the round, which they are not familiar with, and from the toe up, I am an anomaly. On top of that I do a fish lips kiss heel ( yes, go on, Google it!). So next week I have to teach the teacher!

Here is a photo of our group earlier tonight (Thursday):

We are usually about 10 women.

That is it from me tonight.

Have a lovely weekend,

Keep smiling,

Hugs,

Lisca