This sunday is dryer than our first day back a week ago but it's definitely "winter" out here now. Penguins have even turned up on Ipanema beach! (We do realise though that it's all relative and are aware what a rubbish summer the UK is having...) We're getting fewer sunny days and the air temperature is much cooler but we had 2 lovely blue days last week which made us aware just how hot it had been when we arrived back in January.

We've discovered that July is early music month in Rio and went to a concert of 16 century Indian music at the Modern Art Museum this morning but it was the wrong sort of Indian for me. We had a hair-raising bus journey back to the flat. I realise I'm out of the way of travelling by bus here after 3 weeks back in the UK but I do wonder whether Carioca bus drivers have to pass any sort of test to drive a bus as it's far from obvious that they take the safety of their passengers particularly seriously. Brazilians may have a reputation for being laid back and chilled but get them behind the wheel of a bus and many of them turn into macho psychopaths it seems.

I had an interesting visit to Rocinha, one of the biggest local favelas, on thursday to help with one of english classes the International Club are running out there. There were only 6 kids, ranging from 15 to 18 years old and the class took place in Casa Jovem which is a youth club that's been set up to give teenagers somewhere they can go after school to keep them off the streets and out of trouble. They've probably had about 5 english classes now and let's just say that progress is slow but they're a nice bunch of kids.

The class Jill & I'll be taking with kids from the Dona Marta favela (of the Michael Jackson video " They don't care about us" fame) is due to start at the end of August which should give us plenty of time to get our act together. We're off there for a visit next week to see what resources/facilities will be available to us.

P celebrated a birthday on Friday with some physio on his back and a nice La Botella lunch with Kate. In the evening a group of BG, HWU and UFRJ friends managed to drain 56 beers which was very appropriate for a 56th birthday party at Belmontes, the bar round the corner from us. We now have many new DVD's to keep us entertained on these 'cold' winter nights!

Saturday we had a real treat in visiting P's UFRJ academic colleague - Fred Laier - in Camboinhas which is Niteroi's eastern beach much like Ipanema is Rio's. Leo nobly played the role of James again. Fred has all his family - 3 daughters, sons-in-law and 5 teenage grandchildren and mother and sisters-in-law all living nearby. We had been told that Brazilians remained very close to their families throughout their lives and have seen plenty of evidence of this now.
We had a churrascaria of dinosaur-sized ribs at lunchtime and then all the family and friends came round for more food(!), party games, bonfire and fireworks to celebrate a late Sao Joao's day festa - and very privileged we were to be invited to such a special family event. (Brazilian equivalent of bonfire night?) I encouraged Fred to switch from blended to single malt whisky! and I discovered a fellow fan for Drambuie. We just have to remember to keep his supplies topped up our return visits to Scotland!