Another trip to the estancia, it's lovely to get out of the city for a couple of days, even though it means dodging the mosquitoes and having no access to shopping facilities. Unless you are in dire need of a kettle that is, or find you have annoyingly just run out of stirrups.

There are a couple of guests already staying there when we arrive - a couple of Danes, and they're a bit miserable. The problem with running a business like the estancia is that you can't pick and choose who comes to stay and sometimes you end up having to endure a dinner or two with people you wouldn't choose to spend more than 10 minutes with under normal circumstances. In addition you have to be moderately nice to them, even if this means listening to them droning on about all sorts of nonsense for a couple of hours whilst attempting to look interested. And choking back a retort when they come out with comments like 'we don't really do museums'.

One of the other problems with estancia life is there is far too much food, it's a bit like going on a chalet ski holiday - large breakfast, lunch with 'postre' (dessert), afternoon tea and cakes, 3 course dinner, blah blah blah. Our little tummies are groaning and expanding rapidly, and with staff on hand to take care of all the chores there's very little chance of working it all off.It's way too hot to run and the ferocity of the sun makes even an amble around the grounds off-putting. Really all I want to do is lie by the pool reading and occasionally jumping in the cool blue water, or lie on our bed reading - well reading until my eyes start to feel heavy and I slip into one of those delicious afternoon siestas with no more on my mind than, oh my god, how long do I have to work up an appetite for dinner? Zzzzzzzzz. And then I just dream of delicious postres……

Argentines eat late.9.30 p.m. is early for them. And even when you get them to reluctantly agree to 9.30, it's at least 10 p.m. by the time everyone has been rounded up and sat at the table. By which time you're either so starving you wolf all the bread before they've brought out the food, or you start in on the wine and become embarrassing before anyone has even finished the starter. Maybe that's what happened to the Danes - deprived of human company for the previous couple of days they vented their entire collection of boring anecdotes on our unreceptive ears. And then the Danish guy had a big argument with Dave after dinner about the food - not enough bacon or Lurpak butter for his liking I suspect.

So we were glad to see the back of them the following day and reclaim the estancia for our own.

Bruno and Constanza, Dave's new go-getting, all-singing, all-dancing office workers, came down with us to experience the estancia so they will know what they are talking about when they are dealing with potential guests. They both went out horse riding with Dave and Lalo the head gaucho in the evening and Brian decided to film them.He decided that it would make for a more interesting shot if he filmed them whilst he was also on horseback. It was a bold move on his part as, those of you with long memories may remember, the last time he rode on the estancia he had a bit of a sense of humour failure when his horse bolted for home, slowing down only long enough for him to launch a foolhardy and vain attempt at escape by hanging onto a (rapidly) passing gatepost. The oldest and most plodding of all the horses was therefore called for and rounded up.It looked as if it had a bad case of the mange, but this proved to be a thick layer of grey dried mud that was roughly brushed off in order for Dobbin to be saddled.Brian cautiously mounted. The camera was handed up and the riders set off, Brian gingerly following them with Lalo at his side.Even from the back it looked like a delicate operation, and I could tell Brian was nervous from his posture and the way his knees were gripping the saddle.My suppressed guffaws didn't stop me taking some photos though - just in case I could catch the moment when he fell off. Luckily enough he didn't, although he did abandon the operation after about 5 minutes thankfully declaring it to be 'a wrap'.

He then set off in the Land Rover to continue filming as the riders trotted through fields of cattle and general pampas-like scenery, unfortunately not quite managing to capture the exact moment when Bruno's horse bolted and Bruno was sent somersaulting through the air. Fortunately, despite seeing stars when he wobbled uncertainly to his feet, Bruno was unscathed, other than having a seriously dented pride.He had been rather bigging up his riding experience and we had been led to expect a cross between John Wayne and The Lone Ranger. His tumble made him look more like Frank Spencer.

Bruno and Constanza left the next day and we eagerly reviewed the rushes of the previous day's filming. Bri discovered that his carefully shot scenes from the day before were virtually useless; all the horizons have developed a slight degree of incline that renders the footage unusable. Frustratingly it is all going to have to be re-shot.Let's hope the weather is as good next time around.

Later that day a young English girl called Charlotte arrived who is spending a year in Argentina learning Spanish, having just finished a degree in History of Art. She is going to do some work for Dave in publicising the estancia to the backpacker market. She is lots of fun and very enthusiastic - she more than makes up for the grumpy old Danes.Her nickname is Wiggles, but we do not know why. Our mission is to find out.I will keep you posted…..

The shooting schedule is expanding daily, as our late night wine-fuelled chats with Dave throw up more and more exciting ideas, and situations in his life erupt and develop.We are now doing mini-films on argentine campo life, like making an empanada, saddling a gaucho horse, making an asado (argentine barbecue) etc. Not to mention having discussed plans for at least two more films.Haha, when we get home we shall have to rename it 'Hoveywood'. If we sit for long enough with Dave and a bottle or three of red our entire future will consist of making films in South America.And, of course, getting rather drunk. I'm not complaining….

The television brings us news of the terrible rainfall and subsequent flooding of the Inca Trail in Peru. Hundreds of people are stranded at Macchu Picchu unable to get out and an argentine woman has died. We reluctantly abandon any lingering ideas we had about heading north and decide to concentrate on visiting some of the last remaining tourist spots in Argentina that we haven't yet visited. Our plan now is to go to city of Cordoba, hire a car and spend a couple of weeks touring there and the wine-growing region of Mendoza in Argentina before taking a bus over the Andes to spend a few days in the world heritage site of Valparaiso in Chile. Then it will be a few short days back in Buenos Aires before rushing home - we don't want to miss the ski season do we?