One of the benefits of having to be a patient, and being patient (!), in Hove late last year was being given an iPad by Celina. Here in Rio I’ve been reading my digital Times and have obviously seen pictures of the terrible wet/cold weather that the UK and USA have been having, in contrast to the hot weather here in Latin America and in Australia. Today’s Times has a wonderful picture of lightening all around the statue of Christ the Redeemer during a thunderstorm on Monday night. There have been photos of waves washing over Brighton seafront and, from friends on Facebook, of pebbles on the promenade. In Portland, Weymouth, a huge 150 million year old rock stack simply disappeared into the sea. I know from Facetime with Jade yesterday that it hasn’t stopped raining. ……. but we haven’t heard from our dear neighbour who’s keeping an eye on our apartment in Amber House so assume the excess water has kept away.

We’ve been to Bikram in Botofogo, a central/south part of Rio, about 3 times a week since we arrived and been taught by Kristina, a Czech who taught in our Hove studio, twice. She’s simply loving the teaching and also living in Rio. My first class here was awful, simply awful, and I thought I would never go back ….. but you do!! So So So humid!!

I was saying to Celina that it’s funny being here, and knowing we’re here for three months. Never done this before, being away from my ‘home’ for so long. I guess this is becoming my second home and that’s a delight!! Of course we miss so much about England and our lives there, but we certainly do not miss the weather!

Incidentally whenever I look at pictures of blue seas I imagine them to be warm. Sometimes the sea here is warm, very warm, depending on the prevailing currents, but more often than not it’s cold; rather like Wineglass Bay in Tasmania or Cloudy Bay in NZ! So don’t imagine the beach is always an attractive option!!

Celina’s father Carlos had his 80^th birthday dinner at the Gavea Golf & Country Club last Saturday and was surrounded by family and ex-colleagues. He even had an enormous cake, although not of the cardboard type out of which might have jumped some scantily clad lady!

Talking of the club, we’ve caught up with a couple who have had a torrid time. A few days after we left Rio mid-May last year, they returned from the USA. On the flight, Jim started feeling unwell, went to hospital when they landed ……… had a heart attack and a stroke …….. and now, 7 months later, is trying to walk with a useless right arm/hand and feelingless right leg. We watch him in the club pool trying to work muscles that don’t respond. Seeing him reminds me, as if I need reminding, of how lucky I am, alive and now healthy!!

Hope 2014 is going to bring you some of what you want and most of what you need.

Love etc

Richard Yates – richardyates24@gmail.com