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| Typical Banquete With My Family for the National Holiday |
September in Chile always is affected by its national holiday on 18th which usually is solemnised with a week of big celebrations, parties, asados, crapulence and ebriety. This year it was also affected by the return of winter which until than had been much too dry and warm. This for after already having been quite comfortable in August weather turned cold and rainy again and keeps being it. For me already being an old man as I seem to be who apart obviously had kicked over the traces when in Austria this meant and still means a time of instable health. The last three weeks I was assailed by various illnesses like bronchitis, sinusitis, cold which decided to stay with me quite insistently. So I spent most of this time at home if not in bed or in doctor's surgeries taking antibiotics, sleeping and self-pitying. Fortunately Inés as a multiple mother immediately adopted me as ninth child and took care for me and pampered me like only a mother can do it. So today I am definitely much better already only suffering from a simple rhinitis. Nevertheless we celebrated September 18th but just at our house with kids and friends. We had been really lucky for 18th being the only sunny and warm day in between long times of rainfall. So we had an asado at our house with beef which we freshly had received of our neighbour's former cow in a 25 kg piece of its shoulder. We played carrom in our garden, balanced on the slackline and had lots of fun. But Inés and I did not go out in the night for not being quite well both of us.
Being at home so many days gave me a lot of time to work in and for the sauna. Meanwhile it is fully running, this week of the national holiday being a first proof for its success. And we are quite content. For sure there could be more clients always but we had folks as well in the sauna as in the cafeteria even asking for massages and yoga, services we just intend do offer in summer. And we have a couple of regular guests already as well. Most important of all that everybody who came was quite impressed and really liked the place, the food and the service. So word-of-mouth advertising machinery started working and as commonly known it is the best promotion you can get. Apart from that it is really comfortable and satisfying to work on your own in your proper business where you can arrange and do everything as you like it. Besides I like cooking and baking and offer good food to guests that they feel fine so I mainly just can be myself in the business. What more do I want?
For sure I also spent a lot of time not only with Inés but with the kids. We spent hours playing "Siedler", cards and Carrom, which is the new common addiction in our house. I learned with them for college and even went to parents-teacher-meetings and participated in a parent's run where I, making a big show for all the kids out of it, came in second (!). Looks that old I am not yet.
On days not being that sick I already had been to the river as well a few times. Another work that really is fun to me. Just due to the dry winter we already have a water level as low as normally at the end of December which means we are going to have a very rocky and technical season. Well, as soon as tourists come and go rafting and canyoning I won't complain.
I just hope that this late winter ends soon and a real spring and summer are going to come shortly.
